Dhammapada (translated from the Pali)
by F. Max M眉ller | 1881 | 38,599 words
The English translation of the Dhammapada鈥攁 central text in the Pali Buddhist canon, specifically part of the Sutta-pitaka. The Dhammapada comprises a collection of "law verses" that encapsulate the teachings of the Buddha, focusing on ethical conduct and mental cultivation. The text emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility, m...
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Chapter XV - Happiness
197. Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! among men who hate us let us dwell free from hatred!
198.[1] Let us live happily then, free from ailments among the ailing! among men who are ailing let us dwell free from ailments!
199. Let us live happily then, free from greed among the greedy! among men who are greedy let us dwell free from greed!
200.[2] Let us live happily then, though we call nothing our own! We shall be like the bright gods, feeding on happiness!
201.[3] Victory breeds hatred, for the conquered is unhappy. He who has given up both victory and defeat, he, the contented, is happy.
202.[4] There is no fire like passion; there is no losing throw like hatred; there is no pain like this body; there is no happiness higher than rest.
203.[5] Hunger is the worst of diseases, the body the greatest of pains; if one knows this truly, that is 狈颈谤惫腻峁嘺, the highest happiness.
204.[6] Health is the greatest of gifts, contentedness the best riches; trust is the best of relationships, 狈颈谤惫腻峁嘺 the highest happiness.
205.[7] He who has tasted the sweetness of solitude and tranquillity, is free from fear and free from sin, while he tastes the sweetness of drinking in the law.
206. The sight of the elect (Arya) is good, to live with them is always happiness; if a man does not see fools, he will be truly happy.
207. He who walks in the company of fools suffers a long way; company with fools, as with an enemy, is always painful; company with the wise is pleasure, like meeting with kinsfolk.
208.[8] Therefore, one ought to follow the wise, the intelligent, the learned, the much enduring, the dutiful, the elect; one ought to follow a good and wise man, as the moon follows the path of the stars.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The ailment here meant is moral rather than physical. Cf. Mah膩bh. XII, 9924, sa峁僷ra艣膩nto 苍颈谤腻尘补测补岣�; 9925, yo 'sau pr膩峁嚹乶tiko rogas t膩峁� t峁泂h峁嚹佱箖 tyajata岣� sukham.
[2]:
The words placed in the mouth of the king of Videha, while his residence 惭颈迟丑颈濒腻 was in flames, are curiously like our verse; cf. Mah膩bh. XII, 9917,
蝉耻蝉耻办丑补峁� vata j墨v膩mi yasya me 苍腻蝉迟颈 办颈帽肠补苍补,
mithil膩y膩m prad墨pt膩y膩峁� na me dahyati 办颈帽肠补苍补.'I live happily, indeed, for I have nothing; while 惭颈迟丑颈濒腻 is in flames, nothing of mine is burning. '鈥擺Cf. Muir, Religious sentiments, p. 106.]
The 腻产丑补蝉蝉补谤补, i. e. 腻产丑腻蝉惫补谤补, 'the bright gods,' are frequently mentioned. Cf. Burnouf, Introd. p. 611.
[3]:
This verse is ascribed to Buddha, when he heard of the defeat of 础箩腻迟补艣补迟谤耻 by Prasenajit. It exists in the Northern or Sanskrit and in the Southern or 笔腻濒颈 texts, i. e. in the 础惫补诲腻苍补-艣补迟补办补, in the 厂补峁儁耻迟迟补-苍颈办腻测补. See Feer, Comptes Rendus, 1871, p. 44. and Journal As. 1880, p. 509.
In the 础惫补诲腻苍补-艣补迟补办补, the Sanskrit version is鈥�
jayo vairam prasavati, 诲耻岣丑补峁� sete 辫补谤腻箩颈迟补岣�
耻辫补艣腻苍迟补岣� sukha峁兣沞te hitv膩 jaya辫补谤腻箩补测补m.
[4]:
I take kali in the sense of an unlucky die which makes a player lose his game. A real simile seems wanted here, as in verse 251, where, for the same reason, I translate graha by 'shark,' not by 'captivitas,' as Dr. Fausb枚ll proposes. The same scholar translates kali in our verse by 'peccatum. ' If there is any objection to translating kali in 笔腻濒颈 by 'unlucky die,' I should still prefer to take it in the sense of the age of depravity, or the demon of depravity. To judge from 础产丑颈诲丑腻苍补辫辫补诲墨辫颈办腻, 1106, kali was used for 辫补谤腻箩补测补, i. e. loss at game, a losing throw, and occurs in that sense again in verse 252. The Chinese translation has, 'there is no distress (poison) worse than hate. ' A similar verse occurs Mah膩bh. 艢膩ntip. 175, v. 35.
'Body' for khandha is a free translation, but it is difficult to find any other rendering. The Chinese translation also has 'body. ' According to the Buddhists each sentient being consists of five khandhas (skandha), or aggregates, the organized body (r奴pakhandha) with its four internal capacities of sensation (惫别诲补苍腻), perception (sa帽驳帽膩), conception (蝉补峁僺办腻谤补), knowledge (惫颈箩帽腻苍补). See Burnouf, Introd. pp. 589, 634; Lotus, p. 335.
[5]:
Sa峁僺k膩ra is the fourth of the five khandhas, but the commentator takes it here, as well as in verse 255, for the five khandhas together, in which case we can only translate it by 'body. ' See also verse 278. Childers proposes 'organic life'. (Notes on Dhammapada, p. 1). There is, however, another 蝉补峁僺办腻谤补, that which follows inimediately upon 补惫颈诲测腻, 'ignorance,' as the second of the 苍颈诲腻苍补蝉, or 'causes of existence,' and this too might be called the greatest pain, considering that it is the cause of birth, which is the cause of all pain. Sa峁僺k膩ra seems sometimes to have a different and less techninal meaning, being used in the sense of conceptions, plans, desires, as, for instance, in verse 368, where sa峁卥h膩r膩na峁� khayam is used much like ta峁僪膩khaya. Again, in his comment on verse 75, Buddhaghosa says, upadhiviveko 蝉补峁卥丑腻谤补蝉a峁単a峁噄ka峁� vinodeti; and again, upadhiviveko ca nirupadh墨n膩峁� puggal膩na峁� visa峁卥h膩ragat膩n膩m.
For a similar sentiment, see Stanislas Julien, Les 础惫补诲腻苍补s, vol. i. p. 40, 'Le corps est la plus grande source de souffrance,' etc. I should say that the khandhas in verse 202 and the 蝉补峁卥丑腻谤补蝉 in verse 203 are nearly, if not quite, synonymous. I should prefer to read 箩颈驳补肠肠丑腻-辫补谤补尘腻 as a compound. Jigacch膩, or as it is written in one MS. , digacch膩 (Sk. 箩颈驳丑补迟蝉腻), means not only 'hunger,' but 'appetite; desire. '
[6]:
Childers translates, 'the best kinsman is a man you can trust. '
[7]:
Cf. Suttanip膩ta, v. 256.
[8]:
I should like to read sukho ca dh墨rasa峁僾膩so.