Category: Eastern Mysticism

Attānañce piyaṃ jaññā
na naṃ pāpena saṃyuje,
na hi taṃ sulabhaṃ hoti
sukhaṃ dukkaṭakārinā.

If you hold yourself dear
then don’t fetter yourself with evil,
for happiness isn’t easily gained
by one who commits a wrong-doing.

Saṃyutta Nikāya 1.115
Translated from Pāli by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Jayaṃ veraṃ pasavati.
Dukkhaṃ seti parājito.
Upasanto sukhaṃ seti,
hitvā jayaparājayaṃ.

Winning gives birth to hostility.
Losing, one lies down in pain.
The calmed lie down with ease,
having set winning & losing aside.

Dhammapada 15.201
Translated from Pāli by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Na paro paraṃ nikubbetha
nātimaññetha katthaci na kañci,
byārosanā paṭighasaññā
nāññamaññassa dukkhamiccheyya.

Let no one deceive another
or despise anyone anywhere,
or through anger or irritation
wish for another to suffer.

Sutta Nipāta 1.148
Translated from Pāli by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Anatthajanano doso,
doso cittappakopano;
bhayamantarato jātaṃ
taṃ jano nāvabujjhati.

Hate brings great misfortune,
hate churns up and harms the mind;
this fearful danger deep within
most people do not understand.

Itivuttaka 3.88
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma, compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika

Attānameva paṭhamaṃ
patirūpe nivesaye
athaññamanusāseyya
na kilisseyya paṇḍito.

One should first establish oneself
in what is proper and only then
try to instruct others. Doing this,
the wise one will not be criticized.

Dhammapada 12.158
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma, compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika

“Yathā ahaṃ tathā ete;
yathā ete tathā ahaṃ.”
Attānaṃ upamaṃ katvā,
na haneyya na ghātaye.

“As I am, so are others;
as others are, so am I.”
Having thus identified self and others,
harm no one nor have them harmed.

Sutta Nipāta 3.710
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma, compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika

Sabbe sattā, sabbe pāṇā,
sabbe bhūtā ca kevalā,
sabbe bhadrāni passantu.
Mā kañci pāpamāgamā.

May all creatures, all living things,
all beings one and all,
experience good fortune only.
May they not fall into harm.

Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.67
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma, compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika

Sabbā āsattiyo chetvā,
vineyya hadaye daraṃ,
upasanto sukhaṃ seti,
santiṃ pappuyya cetasā.

With all one’s attachments cut,
with the heart’s pining subdued,
calm and serene and happy is one,
for one has attained peace of mind.

Saṃyutta Nikāya 1.242
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma, compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika

Yathāpi mūle anupaddave daḷhe,
chinnopi rukkho punareva rūhati,
evampi taṇhānusaye anūhate,
nibbattatī dukkhamidaṃ punappunaṃ.

Just as a tree, though cut down,
sprouts up again if its roots remain uncut and firm,
even so, until the craving that lies dormant is rooted out,
suffering springs up again and again.

Dhammapada 24.338
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Uṭṭhānako analaso,
Āpadāsu na vedhati,
Acchinnavutti medhāvī,
Tādiso labhate yasaṃ.

Who is energetic and not indolent,
In misfortune unshaken,
Flawless in manner and intelligent,
Such a one to honour may attain.

Dīgha Nikāya 3.273
Everyman’s Ethics: Four Discourses by the Buddha (WH 14), translated by Narada Thera

In challenging times attempting to exact change in the issues in question with non-considered actions or try to gain control of the situations at hand you would miss what is beneficial when presented with  challenges such as these.  […]

Source: The I Ching Weekly for December 18, 2017

Dadato puññaṃ pavaḍḍhati;
Saṃyamato veraṃ na cīyati;
Kusalo ca jahāti pāpakaṃ,
Rāgadosamohakkhayā sanibbuto.

Who gives, one’s virtues shall increase;
Who is self-curbed, no hatred bears;
Who so is skilled in virtue, evil shuns,
And by the rooting out of lust and hate
And all delusion, comes to be at peace.

Dīgha Nikāya 2.197
Last Days of the Buddha: The Maha-parinibbana Sutta (revised edition), translated from Pāli by Sister Vajira & Francis Story

Pahūtavitto puriso
sahirañño sabhojano,
eko bhuñjati sādūni —
taṃ parābhavato mukhaṃ.

To have much wealth
and ample gold and food,
but to enjoy one’s luxuries alone —
this is a cause of one’s downfall.

Sutta Nipāta 1.102
Everyman’s Ethics: Four Discourses by the Buddha (WH 14), translated by Narada Thera

Pare ca na vijānanti
mayamettha yamāmase.
Ye ca tattha vijānanti
tato sammanti medhagā.

There are those who do not realize
that one day we all must die.
But those who do realize this
settle their quarrels.

Dhammapada 1.6
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Na tena ariyo hoti yena pāṇāni hiṃsati.
Ahiṃsā sabbapāṇānaṃ
“ariyo”ti pavuccati.

One is not noble who injures living beings.
One is called “noble” because
one is harmless towards all living beings.

Dhammapada 19.270
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Yo pāṇamatipāteti, musāvādañca bhāsati,
loke adinnamādiyati,
paradārañca gacchati,
surāmerayapānañca yo naro anuyuñjati —
idhevameso lokasmiṃ, mūlaṃ khaṇati attano.

One who destroys life, utters lies,
takes what is not given,
goes to another man’s wife,
and is addicted to intoxicating drinks —
such a man digs up one’s own root even in this world.

Dhammapada 18.246, 18.247
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Hirīmatā ca dujjīvaṃ
niccaṃ sucigavesinā,
alīnenāppagabbhena,
suddhājīvena passatā.

Difficult is life for the modest one
who always seeks purity,
is detached and unassuming,
clean in life, and discerning.

Dhammapada 18.245
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Ayasāva malaṃ samuṭṭhitaṃ
tatuṭṭhāya tameva khādati,
evaṃ atidhonacārinaṃ
sāni kammāni nayanti duggatiṃ.

Just as rust arising from iron
eats away the base from which it arises,
even so, their own deeds
lead transgressors to states of woe.

Dhammapada 18.240
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Acchecchi vaṭṭaṃ,
byagā nirāsaṃ.
Visukkhā saritā na sandati.
Chinnaṃ vaṭṭaṃ na vattati.
Esevanto dukkhassā.

One has broken the cycle,
attained freedom from desire.
The dried-up stream no longer flows.
The cycle, broken, no longer turns.
This, just this, is the end of misery.

Udāna 7.62

So karohi dīpamattano!
Khippaṃ vāyama paṇḍito bhava!
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo,
na punaṃ jātijaraṃ upehisi.

Make an island unto yourself!
Strive hard and become wise!
Rid of impurities and cleansed of stain,
you shall not come again to birth and decay.

Dhammapada 18.238
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Akkodhena jine kodhaṃ;
asādhuṃ sādhunā jine;
jine kadariyaṃ dānena;
saccenālikavādinaṃ.

Overcome the angry by non-anger;
overcome the wicked by goodness;
overcome the miser by generosity;
overcome the liar by truth.

Dhammapada 17.223
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Kodhaṃ jahe vippajaheyya mānaṃ,
saṃyojanaṃ sabbamatikkameyya.
Taṃ nāmarūpasmimasajjamānaṃ
akiñcanaṃ nānupatanti dukkhā.

One should give up anger, renounce pride,
and overcome all fetters.
Suffering never befalls one
who clings not to mind and body and is detached.

Dhammapada 17.221
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Dhamme ca ye ariyapavedite ratā
anuttarā te vacasā, manasā kammunā ca.
Te santisoraccasamādhisaṇṭhitā,
sutassa paññāya ca sāramajjhagū.

Susukhaṃ vata jīvāma,
verinesu averino.
Verinesu manussesu,
viharāma averino.

Imesu kira sajjanti,
Eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā;
Viggayha naṃ vivadanti
Janā ekaṅgadassino.

Some recluses and brahmins, so called,
Are deeply attached to their own views;
People who only see one side of things
Engage in quarrels and disputes.

Udāna 6.54
The Udāna and the Itivuttaka, trans. John D. Ireland

Sukarāni asādhūni,
attano ahitāni ca.
Yaṃ ve hitañca sādhuñca,
taṃ ve paramadukkaraṃ.

Easy to do are things
that are bad and harmful to oneself.
But exceedingly difficult to do
are things that are good and beneficial.

Dhammapada 12.163
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita

Attānaṃ ce tathā kayirā;
yathāññamanusāsati,
sudanto vata dametha.
Attā hi kira duddamo.

One should do what one teaches others to do;
if one would train others,
one should be well controlled oneself.
Difficult, indeed, is self-control.

Dhammapada 12.159
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, translated from Pāli by Acharya Buddharakkhita