The Dhammapada
Chapter Fourteen -- The Buddha
- By what track can you trace
that trackless Buddha of limitless range,
whose
victory nothing can undo,
whom none of the vanquished defilements
can ever pursue?
- By what track can you trace that
trackless Buddha of limitless range, in
whom
exists no longer the entangling and
embroiling craving that perpetuates becoming?
- Those wise ones who are devoted to
meditation and who delight in the calm of
renunciation--such mindful ones, Supreme
Buddhas, even the gods hold dear.
- Hard is it to be born a human, hard is the
life of mortals. Hard is it to gain the
opportunity to hear the Sublime Truth, and hard
indeed, to
encounter the arising of the Buddhas.
- To avoid all evil, to cultivate good,
and to cleanse one's mind--
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
- Enduring patience is the highest austerity.
"Nibbana is supreme," say the Buddhas.
One is not a true renunciate who harms another, nor a
real
renunciate who oppresses others.
- Not despising, not harming, restraint according
to the code of monastic discipline, moderation in
food,
dwelling in solitude, devotion to meditation--
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
186-187. There is no satisfying sensual
desires
even with a rain of gold coins, for sense pleasures
give little satisfaction and entail much pain. Having
understood this, the wise person finds no delight even
in heavenly pleasures. The disciple of the Supreme
Buddha
delights in the destruction of craving.
- People, driven by fear, go for refuge to
many
places--to hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines.
- Such, indeed, is no safe refuge; such
is not the refuge supreme. Not by resorting to such
a refuge is one released from all suffering.
190-191. Those who have gone
for refuge to
the
Buddha, his Teaching and his Order,
penetrate
with wisdom the Four Noble Truths--suffering,
the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering,
and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to
the cessation of suffering.
- This indeed is the safe refuge, this is
the
refuge supreme. Having gone to such a refuge,
one is released from all suffering.
- Hard to find is the thoroughbred person
(the Buddha). One is not born everywhere. Where
such a wise person is born, that clan thrives
happily.
- Blessed is the birth of the Buddhas;
blessed is the enunciation of the sacred Teaching;
blessed is harmony in the Order; and blessed is
the spiritual pursuit of the united truth-seekers.
195-196. They who revere those worthy of
reverence, the Buddhas and their disciples, who
have transcended all obstacles and passed beyond
the reach of sorrow and lamentation--they who
revere such peaceful and fearless ones, their merit
none can compute by any measure.
that trackless Buddha of limitless range,
whose victory nothing can undo,
whom none of the vanquished defilements
can ever pursue?
trackless Buddha of limitless range, in
whom exists no longer the entangling and
embroiling craving that perpetuates becoming?
meditation and who delight in the calm of
renunciation--such mindful ones, Supreme
Buddhas, even the gods hold dear.
life of mortals. Hard is it to gain the
opportunity to hear the Sublime Truth, and hard
indeed, to encounter the arising of the Buddhas.
and to cleanse one's mind--
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
"Nibbana is supreme," say the Buddhas.
One is not a true renunciate who harms another, nor a real
renunciate who oppresses others.
to the code of monastic discipline, moderation in
food, dwelling in solitude, devotion to meditation--
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
places--to hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines.
is not the refuge supreme. Not by resorting to such
a refuge is one released from all suffering.
Buddha, his Teaching and his Order, penetrate
with wisdom the Four Noble Truths--suffering,
the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering,
and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to
the cessation of suffering.
- This indeed is the safe refuge, this is
the
refuge supreme. Having gone to such a refuge,
one is released from all suffering. - Hard to find is the thoroughbred person
(the Buddha). One is not born everywhere. Where
such a wise person is born, that clan thrives happily. - Blessed is the birth of the Buddhas;
blessed is the enunciation of the sacred Teaching;
blessed is harmony in the Order; and blessed is
the spiritual pursuit of the united truth-seekers.
195-196. They who revere those worthy of
reverence, the Buddhas and their disciples, who
have transcended all obstacles and passed beyond
the reach of sorrow and lamentation--they who
revere such peaceful and fearless ones, their merit
none can compute by any measure.
