Dhammapada – Page 2 – Daily Sutta Reading

Dhp 221–234 Kodhavagga: Anger

One should give up anger, renounce pride, and overcome all fetters. Suffering never befalls him who clings not to mind and body and is detached.
He who checks rising anger as a charioteer checks a rolling chariot, him I call a true charioteer. Others only hold the reins.
Overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth.
Speak the truth; yield not to anger; when asked, give even if you only have a little. By these three means can one reach the presence of the gods.
Those sages who are inoffensive and ever restrained in body, go to the Deathless State, where, having gone, they grieve no more.
Those who are ever vigilant, who discipline themselves day and night, and are ever intent upon Nibbana — their defilements fade away.
O Atula! Indeed, this is an ancient practice, not one only of today: they blame those who remain silent, they blame those who speak much, they blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is not blamed.
There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a person who is wholly blamed or wholly praised.
But the man whom the wise praise, after observing him day after day, is one of flawless character, wise, and endowed with knowledge and virtue.
Who can blame such a one, as worthy as a coin of refined gold? Even the gods praise him; by Brahma, too, is he praised.
Let a man guard himself against irritability in bodily action; let him be controlled in deed. Abandoning bodily misconduct, let him practice good conduct in deed.
Let a man guard himself against irritability in speech; let him be controlled in speech. Abandoning verbal misconduct, let him practice good conduct in speech.
Let a man guard himself against irritability in thought; let him be controlled in mind. Abandoning mental misconduct, let him practice good conduct in thought.
The wise are controlled in bodily action, controlled in speech and controlled in thought. They are truly well-controlled.

Read this translation of Dhp 221–234 Kodhavagga: Anger by Acharya Buddharakkhita on accesstoinsight.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 209–220 Piya Vagga: The Dear

Some people practice what they should not; they do not practice the greatest thing, the Dhamma. Clinging to what is dear, they abandon what is beneficial, but later they envy those who have succeeded in Dhamma practice.
Do not get too attached, even to your loved ones. Have no fellowship with disagreeable people. Not seeing your loved ones is suffering; seeing the disagreeable is also suffering.
Therefore, hold nothing dear, for separation from all that is dear is painful. There are no bonds for those who have nothing agreeable or disagreeable.
Longing gives rise to sorrow; longing gives rise to fear. For someone released from longing, there is no sorrow; so, from what would fear arise?
Affection gives rise to sorrow; affection gives rise to fear. For someone released from affection, there is no sorrow; so, from what would fear arise?
Desire gives rise to sorrow; desire gives rise to fear. For someone released from desire, there is no sorrow; so, from what would fear arise?
Sense desire gives rise to sorrow; sense desire gives rise to fear. For someone released from sense desire, there is no sorrow; so, from what would fear arise?
Craving gives rise to sorrow; craving gives rise to fear. For someone released from craving, there is no sorrow; so, from what would fear arise?
If someone is virtuous, has insight into the Four Noble Truths, is established in the Dhamma, is truthful, and is endowed with righteous living—people hold that person dear.
The person who aspires to Nibbāna, though he does not reveal his goal to anyone, experiences Nibbāna in his mind. He is not bound by sense pleasures. Such a person is called “one bound up stream.”
Relatives, friends, and companions welcome a long-absent person returning from abroad.
Like wise in passing from this world to the next, the merit one has collected welcomes him.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 16 Piya Vagga: The Dear (209-220) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 197–208 Sukhavagga: Happy

How very happily we live,
free from hostility
among those who are hostile.
Among hostile people,
free from hostility we dwell.

How very happily we live,
free from misery
among those who are miserable.
Among miserable people,
free from misery we dwell.

How very happily we live,
free from busyness
among those who are busy.
Among busy people,
free from busyness we dwell.

How very happily we live,
we who have nothing.
We will feed on rapture
like the Radiant gods.
197-200

Winning gives birth to hostility.
Losing, one lies down in pain.
The calmed lie down with ease,
     having set
     winning & losing
          aside.
201

There’s no fire like passion,
no loss like anger,
no pain like the aggregates,
no ease other than peace.

Hunger: the foremost illness.
Fabrications: the foremost pain.
For one knowing this truth
as it has come to be,
Unbinding
is the foremost ease.

Freedom from illness: the foremost good fortune.
Contentment: the foremost wealth.
Trust: the foremost kinship.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.
202–204

Drinking the nourishment,
the flavor,
of seclusion & calm,
one is freed from evil, devoid
of distress,
refreshed with the nourishment
of rapture in the Dhamma.
205

It’s good to see Noble Ones.
Happy their company–always.
Through not seeing fools
constantly, constantly
one would be happy.

For, living with a fool,
one grieves a long time.
Painful is communion with fools,
as with an enemy–
always.
Happy is communion
with the enlightened,
as with a gathering of kin.

     So:
the enlightened man–
discerning, learned,
enduring, dutiful, noble,
intelligent, a man of integrity:
     follow him
     –one of this sort–
     as the moon, the path
     of the zodiac stars.
206–208

Read this translation of Dhp 197–208 Sukhavagga: Happy by Bhikkhu Ṭhanissaro on DhammaTalks.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 179–196 Buddhavagga:

He whose victory may not be undone,
a victory unrivaled in all the world;
by what track would you trace that Buddha,
who leaves no track in his infinite range?

Of craving, the weaver, the clinger, he has none:
so where can he be traced?
By what track would you trace that Buddha,
who leaves no track in his infinite range?

The wise intent on absorption,
who love the peace of renunciation,
the Buddhas, ever mindful,
are envied by even the gods.

It’s hard to gain a human birth;
the life of mortals is hard;
it’s hard to hear the true teaching;
the arising of Buddhas is hard.

Not to do any evil;
to embrace the good;
to purify one’s mind:
this is the instruction of the Buddhas.

Patient acceptance is the ultimate fervor.
Extinguishment is the ultimate, say the Buddhas.
No true renunciate injures another,
nor does an ascetic hurt another.

Not speaking ill nor doing harm;
restraint in the monastic code;
moderation in eating;
staying in remote lodgings;
commitment to the higher mind—
this is the instruction of the Buddhas.

Even if it were raining money,
you’d not be sated in sensual pleasures.
An astute person understands that sensual pleasures
offer little gratification and much suffering.

Thus they find no delight
even in celestial pleasures.
A disciple of the fully awakened Buddha
delights in the ending of craving.

So many go for refuge
to mountains and forest groves,
to tree-shrines in tended parks;
those people are driven by fear.

But such refuge is no sanctuary,
it is no supreme refuge.
By going to that refuge,
you’re not released from suffering.

One gone for refuge to the Buddha,
to his teaching and to the Saṅgha,
sees the four noble truths
with right understanding:

suffering, suffering’s origin,
suffering’s transcendence,
and the noble eightfold path
that leads to the stilling of suffering.

Such refuge is a sanctuary,
it is the supreme refuge.
By going to that refuge,
you’re released from all suffering.

It’s hard to find a thoroughbred man
they’re not born just anywhere.
A family where that sage is born
prospers in happiness.

Happy, the arising of Buddhas!
Happy, the teaching of Dhamma!
Happy is the harmony of the Saṅgha,
and the striving of the harmonious is happy.

When a person venerates the worthy—
the Buddha or his disciple,
who have transcended proliferation,
and have left behind grief and lamentation,

quenched, fearing nothing from any quarter—
the merit of one venerating such as these,
cannot be calculated by anyone,
saying it is just this much.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 179–196 Buddhavagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 167–178 Lokavagga: The World

Follow not the vulgar way; live not in heedlessness; hold not false views; linger not long in worldly existence.
Arise! Do not be heedless! Lead a righteous life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.
Lead a righteous life; lead not a base life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.
One who looks upon the world as a bubble and a mirage, him the King of Death sees not.
Come! Behold this world, which is like a decorated royal chariot. Here fools flounder, but the wise have no attachment to it.
He who having been heedless is heedless no more, illuminates this world like the moon freed from clouds.
He, who by good deeds covers the evil he has done, illuminates this world like the moon freed from clouds.
Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.
Swans fly on the path of the sun; men pass through the air by psychic powers; the wise are led away from the world after vanquishing Mara and his host.
For a liar who has violated the one law (of truthfulness) who holds in scorn the hereafter, there is no evil that he cannot do.
Truly, misers fare not to heavenly realms; nor, indeed, do fools praise generosity. But the wise man rejoices in giving, and by that alone does he become happy hereafter.
Better than sole sovereignty over the earth, better than going to heaven, better even than lordship over all the worlds is the supramundane Fruition of Stream Entrance.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 167–178 Lokavagga: The World by Acharya Buddharakkhita on accesstoinsight.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, or Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 157-166 Atta Vagga: Oneself

If one holds oneself dear, one should guard oneself with care. Avoiding evil, the wise person should watch over himself at least in one of these three stages of life—childhood, adulthood, or old age.
One should first establish oneself in good qualities; then only should one instruct others. Thus, the wise person will not be stained.
As one instructs others, so should one act; if one would tame others, one should first be well tamed. Truly, it is very hard to tame oneself.
Oneself, indeed, is one’s own protector. Who else could the protector be? With oneself well tamed, one can obtain the protection of Dhamma which is hard to obtain.
The evil a foolish person does by himself, born of himself, and produced by himself, grinds him as the diamond which was produced by the gems grinds similar types of gems.
The plant vines with big leaves cover the sal tree on which it grows. As a result, eventually the tree breaks down. In the same way, the person who completely covers himself with his own corrupt conduct does to himself what an enemy wishes for him.
Easy to do are things that are bad and harmful to oneself. However, it is very difficult to do things that are good and beneficial for oneself.
The fool, relying on evil views, scorns the teaching of the liberated ones who live righteously. The fool produces fruit that destroys himself, like the bamboo tree produces fruit bringing its own destruction.
Through one’s own evil deeds one is defiled. By avoiding evil deeds one is purified. Purity or impurity entirely depends on oneself; no one can purify another.
Do not lose your own welfare for the sake of others’ welfare. Clearly understand your own welfare which is the attainment of enlightenment. Therefore, work hard to be a liberated one.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 12 Atta Vagga: Oneself (157-166) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 146-156 Jarāvagga: Aging

What laughter, why joy,
when constantly aflame?
Enveloped in darkness,
don’t you look for a lamp?
146

Look at the beautified image,
a heap of festering wounds, shored up:
ill, but the object
of many resolves,
where there is nothing
lasting or sure.
147

Worn out is this body,
a nest of diseases, dissolving.
This putrid conglomeration
is bound to break up,
for life is hemmed in with death.
148

On seeing these bones
     discarded
like gourds in the fall,
     pigeon-gray:
          what delight?
149

A city made of bones,
plastered over with flesh & blood,
whose hidden treasures are:
pride & contempt,
aging & death.
150

Even royal chariots
well-embellished
get run down,
and so does the body
succumb to old age.
But the Dhamma of the good
doesn’t succumb to old age:
the good let the civilized know.
151

This unlistening man
matures like an ox.
His muscles develop,
his discernment not.
152

Through the round of many births I roamed
     without reward,
     without rest,
seeking the house-builder.
     Painful is birth again
          & again.

House-builder, you’re seen!
You will not build a house again.
All your rafters broken,
the ridge pole dismantled,
immersed in dismantling, the mind
has attained to the end of craving.
153-154

Neither living the chaste life
nor gaining wealth in their youth,
they waste away like old herons
in a dried-up lake
depleted of fish.

Neither living the chaste life
nor gaining wealth in their youth,
they lie around,
misfired from the bow,
sighing over old times.
155-156

Read this translation of Dhp 146-156 Jarāvagga: Aging by Bhikkhu Ṭhanissaro on DhammaTalks.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 129–145 Daṇḍavagga: The Rod

All tremble at the rod,
all fear death.
Treating others like oneself,
neither kill nor incite to kill.

All tremble at the rod,
all love life.
Treating others like oneself,
neither kill nor incite to kill.

Creatures love happiness,
so if you harm them with a stick
in search of your own happiness,
after death you won’t find happiness.

Creatures love happiness,
so if you don’t hurt them with a stick
in search of your own happiness,
after death you will find happiness.

Don’t speak harshly,
they may speak harshly back.
For aggressive speech is painful,
and the rod may spring back on you.

If you still yourself
like a broken gong,
you’re quenched
and conflict-free.

As a cowherd drives the cows
to pasture with the rod,
so too old age and death
drive life from living beings.

The fool does not understand
the evil that they do.
But because of those deeds, that dullard
is tormented as if burnt by fire.

One who violently attacks
the peaceful and the innocent
swiftly falls
to one of ten bad states:

harsh pain; loss;
the breakup of the body;
serious illness;
mental distress;

hazards from rulers;
vicious slander;
loss of kin;
destruction of wealth;

or else their home
is consumed by fire.
When their body breaks up, that witless person
is reborn in hell.

Not nakedness, nor matted hair, nor mud,
nor fasting, nor lying on bare ground,
nor wearing dust and dirt, or squatting on the heels,
will cleanse a mortal not free of doubt.

Dressed-up they may be, but if they live well—
peaceful, tamed, committed to the spiritual path,
having laid aside violence towards all creatures—
they are a brahmin, an ascetic, a mendicant.

Can a person constrained by conscience
be found in the world?
Who shies away from blame,
like a fine horse from the whip?

Like a fine horse under the whip,
be keen and full of urgency.
With faith, ethics, and energy,
immersion, and investigation of principles,
accomplished in knowledge and conduct, mindful,
give up this vast suffering.

While irrigators guide water,
fletchers shape arrows,
and carpenters carve timber—
those true to their vows tame themselves.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 129–145 Daṇḍavagga: The Rod by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 116–128 Papavagga: Evil

Hasten to do good; restrain your mind from evil. He who is slow in doing good, his mind delights in evil.
Should a person commit evil, let him not do it again and again. Let him not find pleasure therein, for painful is the accumulation of evil.
Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.
It may be well with the evil-doer as long as the evil ripens not. But when it does ripen, then the evil-doer sees (the painful results of) his evil deeds.
It may be ill with the doer of good as long as the good ripens not. But when it does ripen, then the doer of good sees (the pleasant results of) his good deeds.
Think not lightly of evil, saying, “It will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the fool, gathering it little by little, fills himself with evil.
Think not lightly of good, saying, “It will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.
Just as a trader with a small escort and great wealth would avoid a perilous route, or just as one desiring to live avoids poison, even so should one shun evil.
If on the hand there is no wound, one may carry even poison in it. Poison does not affect one who is free from wounds. For him who does no evil, there is no ill.
Like fine dust thrown against the wind, evil falls back upon that fool who offends an inoffensive, pure and guiltless man.
Some are born in the womb; the wicked are born in hell; the devout go to heaven; the stainless pass into Nibbana.
Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean, nor by entering into mountain clefts, nowhere in the world is there a place where one may escape from the results of evil deeds.
Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean, nor by entering into mountain clefts, nowhere in the world is there a place where one will not be overcome by death.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 116–128 Papavagga: Evil by Acharya Buddharakkhita on accesstoinsight.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 100-115 Sahassa Vagga: The Thousands

Better than a thousand unbeneficial words is one beneficial word which, having been heard, brings peace.
Better than a thousand unbeneficial verses is one beneficial line of verse which, having been heard, brings peace.
Better than reciting a hundred unbeneficial verses is one line of Dhamma which, having been heard, brings peace.
Greater than a person who conquers a thousand people in battle a thousand times is the person who conquers himself in the battle of defilements.
Certainly it is better to conquer oneself than others. The person who tames himself and always restrains sense faculties wins the battle.
Neither a god, nor a divine musician, nor Māra, nor brahma, can turn into defeat the victory of a person who has conquered himself.
Better than a thousand ritual sacrifices offered every month for a hundred years is one moment’s gift offered to a liberated one who has fully developed his mind.
Better than a hundred years in the forest tending a ritual fire is one moment’s gift offered to a liberated one who has fully developed his mind.
Whatever gift or offering a merit seeker might perform in an entire year is not worth one-fourth as much as worshipping the liberated ones.
For the person who worships virtuous people and always reveres and serves the elders, four things increase: long life, beauty, happiness, and power.
Better it is to live one day virtuous and meditative than to live a hundred years without virtue and stillness of mind.
Better it is to live one day wise and meditative than to live a hundred years without wisdom and stillness of mind.
Better it is to live one day energetic and resolute than to live a hundred years lazy and sluggish.
Better it is to live one day seeing the arising and passing of the five groups of clinging than to live a hundred years without ever seeing their arising and passing.
Better it is to live one day experiencing Nibbāna than to live a hundred years without ever experiencing Nibbāna.
Better it is to live one day realizing the Supreme Dhamma than to live a hundred years without ever realizing the Supreme Dhamma.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 8 Sahassa Vagga: The Thousands (100-115) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 90–99 Arahantavagga: Arahants

    In one who
has gone the full distance,
is free from sorrow,
is everywhere
    fully released,
has abandoned all bonds:
    no fever is found.
90

The mindful keep active,
don’t delight in settling back.
They renounce every home,
every home,
like swans taking off from a lake.
91

Not hoarding,
having comprehended food,
their pasture–emptiness
& freedom without sign:
their course,
like that of birds through space,
can’t be traced.

Effluents ended,
independent of nutriment,
their pasture–emptiness
& freedom without sign:
their trail,
like that of birds through space,
can’t be traced.
92-93

He whose senses are steadied
    like stallions
well-trained by the charioteer,
his conceit abandoned,
    free of effluent,
    Such:
even devas adore him.

Like the earth, he doesn’t react–
    cultured,
    Such,
like Indra’s pillar,
like a lake free of mud.
For him
    –Such–
there’s no traveling on.
Calm is his mind,
calm his speech
     & his deed:
one who’s released through right knowing,
    pacified,
    Such.
94-96

        The man
faithless / beyond conviction
ungrateful / knowing the Unmade
a burglar / who has severed connections
    who’s destroyed
his chances / conditions
who eats vomit: / has disgorged expectations:
    the ultimate person.
97

In village or wilds,
valley, plateau:
that place is delightful
where arahants dwell.
98

Delightful wilds
where the crowds don’t delight,
those free from passion
delight,
for they’re not searching
for sensual pleasures.
99

Read this translation of Dhammapada VII . Arahants by Bhikkhu Ṭhanissaro on DhammaTalks.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 76–89 Paṇḍitavagga: The Astute

Regard one who sees your faults
as a guide to a hidden treasure.
Stay close to one so wise and astute
who corrects you when you need it.
Sticking close to such an impartial person,
things get better, not worse.

Advise and instruct;
curb wickedness:
for you shall be loved by the good,
and disliked by the bad.

Don’t mix with bad friends,
nor with the worst of men.
Mix with spiritual friends,
and with the best of men.

Through joy in the teaching you sleep at ease,
with clear and confident heart.
An astute person always delights in the teaching
proclaimed by the Noble One.

Irrigators guide water,
fletchers straighten arrows,
carpenters carve timber,
the astute tame themselves.

As the wind cannot stir
a solid mass of rock,
so too blame and praise
do not affect the wise.

Like a deep lake,
clear and unclouded,
so clear are the astute
when they hear the teachings.

True persons give up everything,
they don’t cajole for the things they desire.
Though touched by sadness or happiness,
the astute appear neither depressed nor elated.

Never wish for success by unjust means,
for your own sake or that of another,
desiring children, wealth, or nation;
rather, be virtuous, wise, and just.

Few are those among humans
who cross to the far shore.
The rest just run around
on the near shore.

When the teaching is well explained,
those who practice accordingly
will cross over
Death’s domain so hard to pass.

Rid of dark qualities,
an astute person should develop the bright.
Leaving home behind
for the seclusion so hard to enjoy,

find delight there,
having left behind sensual pleasures.
With no possessions, an astute person
would cleanse themselves of mental corruptions.

Those whose minds are rightly developed
in the awakening factors;
who, letting go of attachments,
delight in not grasping:
with defilements ended, brilliant,
they in this world are quenched.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 76–89 Paṇḍitavagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 60–75 Bālavagga: The Fool

Long is the night to the sleepless; long is the league to the weary. Long is worldly existence to fools who know not the Sublime Truth.
Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool.
The fool worries, thinking, “I have sons, I have wealth.” Indeed, when he himself is not his own, whence are sons, whence is wealth?
A fool who knows his foolishness is wise at least to that extent, but a fool who thinks himself wise is a fool indeed.
Though all his life a fool associates with a wise man, he no more comprehends the Truth than a spoon tastes the flavor of the soup.
Though only for a moment a discerning person associates with a wise man, quickly he comprehends the Truth, just as the tongue tastes the flavor of the soup.
Fools of little wit are enemies unto themselves as they move about doing evil deeds, the fruits of which are bitter.
Ill done is that action of doing which one repents later, and the fruit of which one, weeping, reaps with tears.
Well done is that action of doing which one repents not later, and the fruit of which one reaps with delight and happiness.
So long as an evil deed has not ripened, the fool thinks it as sweet as honey. But when the evil deed ripens, the fool comes to grief.
Month after month a fool may eat his food with the tip of a blade of grass, but he still is not worth a sixteenth part of the those who have comprehended the Truth.
Truly, an evil deed committed does not immediately bear fruit, like milk that does not turn sour all at once. But smoldering, it follows the fool like fire covered by ashes.
To his own ruin the fool gains knowledge, for it cleaves his head and destroys his innate goodness.
The fool seeks undeserved reputation, precedence among monks, authority over monasteries, and honor among householders.
“Let both laymen and monks think that it was done by me. In every work, great and small, let them follow me” — such is the ambition of the fool; thus his desire and pride increase.
One is the quest for worldly gain, and quite another is the path to Nibbana. Clearly understanding this, let not the monk, the disciple of the Buddha, be carried away by worldly acclaim, but develop detachment instead

Read this translation of Dhammapada 60–75 Bālavagga: The Fool by Acharya Buddharakkhita on accesstoinsight.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 44-59 Puppha Vagga: Flowers

Who will overcome this earth? Who will overcome this plane of misery? Who will overcome this world with its gods? Who will realize the well-taught words of the Dhamma, as an expert garland maker selects beautiful flowers?
The trainee in the Dhamma path will overcome this earth. He will overcome the plane of misery. He will overcome this world with its gods. The trainee will realize the well-taught words of the Dhamma, as an expert garland maker selects beautiful flowers.
Understanding that this body is fragile like foam, realizing life’s mirage-like nature, cutting off Māra’s flowers of defilements, go beyond the sight of Māra!
The person obsessed by sense pleasures chases after them as a garland maker searches for flowers. Māra carries away that person to the plane of misery like a great flood sweeps away a sleeping village.
The person obsessed by sense pleasures chases after them as a garland maker searches for flowers. Although he has not fully satisfied himself with sense pleasures, Māra brings him under his control.
As a bee gathers nectar from the flower and flies away without harming the flower’s beauty or its fragrance, just so the sage goes on his alms round in the village.
Do not consider what is false in what others say or what they have or have not done. Consider instead what you have or have not done.
A beautiful flower that is colourful but without fragrance is not perfect. In the same way, the well spoken-words of the Buddha become fruitless for the person who does not practice them.
A beautiful flower that is colourful and also fragrant is perfect. In the same way, the well-spoken words of the Buddha become fruitful for the person who practices them.
As an expert garland maker makes many garlands from a heap of flowers, you who obtained the human life should do many wholesome deeds.
The scent of flowers does not go against the wind. The scent of sandalwood, jasmine, and rosebay does not go against the wind. But the scent of a grateful person does travel against the wind. The scent of his virtues spreads in all directions.
Of all the fragrances—sandalwood, rosebay, water lily, and jasmine—the fragrance of virtue is the sweetest.
Slight is the scent of rosebay or sandalwood, but the scent of the virtuous is supreme, drifting even to heaven.
The liberated ones are virtuous and practice the Dhamma diligently. They are freed from suffering by the realization of the Noble Truths. Māra never finds the path by which they are liberated.
In the roadside ditch, in a heap of rubbish, blooms a lotus, sweet smelling and pleasing to the eyes.
In the same way, among the rubbish heap of unaware ordinary people, the disciple of the Supreme Buddha shines brightly with wisdom.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 4 Puppha Vagga: Flowers (44-59) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 33–43 Cittavagga: The Mind

Quivering, wavering,
hard to guard,
to hold in check:
the mind.
The sage makes it straight–
like a fletcher,
the shaft of an arrow.

Like a fish
pulled from its home in the water
& thrown on land:
this mind flips & flaps about
to escape Mara’s sway.

Hard to hold down,
     nimble,
alighting wherever it likes:
     the mind.
Its taming is good.
The mind well-tamed
     brings ease.

So hard to see,
so very, very subtle,
alighting wherever it likes:
the mind.
The wise should guard it.
The mind protected
brings ease.

Wandering far,
going alone,
bodiless,
lying in a cave:
     the mind.
Those who restrain it:
     from Mara’s bonds
     they’ll be freed.
33-37

For a person of unsteady mind,
not knowing true Dhamma,
serenity
set adrift:
discernment doesn’t grow full.
38

For a person of unsoddened mind,
          unassaulted awareness,
abandoning merit & evil,
     wakeful,
there is
     no danger
     no fear.
39

Knowing this body
     is like a clay jar,
securing this mind
     like a fort,
          attack Mara
     with the spear of discernment,
then guard what’s won
     without settling there,
     without laying claim.
40

All too soon, this body
will lie on the ground
cast off,
bereft of consciousness,
like a useless scrap
of wood.
41

Whatever an enemy might do
to an enemy,
or a foe to a foe,
the ill-directed mind
can do to you
even worse.

Whatever a mother, father
or other kinsman
might do for you,
the well-directed mind
can do for you
even better.
42-43

Read this translation of Dhammapada III . The Mind by Bhikkhu Ṭhanissaro on DhammaTalks.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 21–32 Appamādavagga: Diligence

Heedfulness is the state free of death;
heedlessness is the state of death.
The heedful do not die,
while the heedless are like the dead.

Understanding this distinction
when it comes to heedfulness,
the astute rejoice in heedfulness,
happy in the noble ones’ domain.

They who regularly meditate,
always staunchly vigorous;
those wise ones realize quenching,
the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.

For the hard-working and mindful,
pure of deed and attentive,
restrained, living righteously, and diligent,
their reputation only grows.

By hard work and diligence,
by restraint and by self-control,
a smart person would build an island
that the floods cannot overflow.

Fools and half-wits
devote themselves to negligence.
But the wise protect diligence
as their best treasure.

Don’t devote yourself to negligence,
or delight in sexual intimacy.
For if you’re diligent and meditate,
you’ll attain abundant happiness.

When the astute dispel negligence
by means of diligence,
ascending the palace of wisdom,
sorrowless, they behold this generation of sorrow,
as a wise man on a mountain-top
beholds the fools below.

Heedful among the heedless,
wide awake while others sleep—
a true sage leaves them behind,
like a swift horse passing a feeble.

Maghavā became chief of the gods
by means of diligence.
People praise diligence,
while negligence is always deplored.

A mendicant who loves to be diligent,
seeing fear in negligence—
advances like fire,
burning up fetters big and small.

A mendicant who loves to be diligent,
seeing fear in negligence—
such a one can’t decline,
and has drawn near to extinguishment.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 21–32 Appamādavagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 1–20 Yamakavagga: Pairs

Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.
Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.
“He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me.” Those who harbor such thoughts do not still their hatred.
“He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me.” Those who do not harbor such thoughts still their hatred.
Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.
There are those who do not realize that one day we all must die. But those who do realize this settle their quarrels.
Just as a storm throws down a weak tree, so does Mara overpower the man who lives for the pursuit of pleasures, who is uncontrolled in his senses, immoderate in eating, indolent, and dissipated.
Just as a storm cannot prevail against a rocky mountain, so Mara can never overpower the man who lives meditating on the impurities, who is controlled in his senses, moderate in eating, and filled with faith and earnest effort.
Whoever being depraved, devoid of self-control and truthfulness, should don the monk’s yellow robe, he surely is not worthy of the robe.
But whoever is purged of depravity, well-established in virtues and filled with self-control and truthfulness, he indeed is worthy of the yellow robe.
Those who mistake the unessential to be essential and the essential to be unessential, dwelling in wrong thoughts, never arrive at the essential.
Those who know the essential to be essential and the unessential to be unessential, dwelling in right thoughts, do arrive at the essential.
Just as rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, so passion penetrates an undeveloped mind.
Just as rain does not break through a well-thatched house, so passion never penetrates a well-developed mind.
The evil-doer grieves here and hereafter; he grieves in both the worlds. He laments and is afflicted, recollecting his own impure deeds.
The doer of good rejoices here and hereafter; he rejoices in both the worlds. He rejoices and exults, recollecting his own pure deeds.
The evil-doer suffers here and hereafter; he suffers in both the worlds. The thought, “Evil have I done,” torments him, and he suffers even more when gone to realms of woe.
The doer of good delights here and hereafter; he delights in both the worlds. The thought, “Good have I done,” delights him, and he delights even more when gone to realms of bliss.
Much though he recites the sacred texts, but acts not accordingly, that heedless man is like a cowherd who only counts the cows of others — he does not partake of the blessings of the holy life.
Little though he recites the sacred texts, but puts the Teaching into practice, forsaking lust, hatred, and delusion, with true wisdom and emancipated mind, clinging to nothing of this or any other world — he indeed partakes of the blessings of a holy life.

Read this translation of Dhammapada 1–20 Yamakavagga: Pairs by Acharya Buddharakkhita on accesstoinsight.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, or Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 110 From… Sahassavagga: The Thousands

Better to live a single day
ethical and absorbed in meditation
than to live a hundred years
unethical and lacking immersion.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 100–115 Sahassavagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 144–5 From… Daṇḍavagga: The Rod

Can a person constrained by conscience
be found in the world?
Who shies away from blame,
like a fine horse from the whip?

Like a fine horse under the whip,
be keen and full of urgency.
With faith, ethics, and energy,
immersion, and investigation of principles,
accomplished in knowledge and conduct, mindful,
give up this vast suffering.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 129–145 Daṇḍavagga: The Rod by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 58–59 From… Puppha Vagga: Flowers

58. In the roadside ditch, in a heap of rubbish, blooms a lotus, sweet smelling and pleasing to the eyes.

59. In the same way, among the rubbish heap of unaware ordinary people, the disciple of the Supreme Buddha shines brightly with wisdom.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 4 Puppha Vagga: Flowers (44-59) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org.

Dhp 91 From… Arahantavagga: The Perfected Ones

The mindful apply themselves;
they delight in no abode.
Like a swan gone from the marsh,
they leave home after home behind.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 90–99 Arahantavagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 240 From… Mala Vagga: Stain

240. As rust born from iron eats away the very iron that formed it, so does the reckless behaviour of a monk leads him to the plain of misery.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 18 Mala Vagga: Stain (235-255) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 162 From… Attavagga: The Self

One choked by immorality,
as a sal tree by a creeper,
does to themselves
what a foe only wishes.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 157–166 Attavagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 49 From… Puppha Vagga: Flowers

49. As a bee gathers nectar from the flower and flies away
without harming the flower’s beauty or its fragrance,
just so the sage goes on his alms round in the village.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 4 Puppha Vagga: Flowers (44-59) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read in one of 25 other modern languages.

Dhp 19 From… Yamakavagga: Pairs

Much though they may recite scripture,
if a negligent person does not apply them,
then, like a cowherd who counts the cattle of others,
they miss out on the blessings of the ascetic life.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 1–20 Yamakavagga: Pairs by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 111 From… Sahassa Vagga: The Thousands

111. Better it is to live one day wise and meditative than to live a hundred years without wisdom and stillness of mind.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 8 Sahassa Vagga: The Thousands (100-115) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 282 from… Maggavagga: The Path

Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes. Having known these two paths of progress and decline, let a man so conduct himself that his wisdom may increase.

Read the complete translation of Dhammapada chapter 20 Maggavagga: the Path by Ven. Acharya Buddharakkhita on AccessToInsight.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, or Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 81–82 From… Paṇḍitavagga: The Astute

As the wind cannot stir
a solid mass of rock,
so too blame and praise
do not affect the wise.

Like a deep lake,
clear and unclouded,
so clear are the astute
when they hear the teachings.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 76–89 Paṇḍitavagga: The Astute by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 372 From… Bhikkhuvagga: The Monk

[In this verse, paññña is translated as insight instead of the more common wisdom.]

There is no meditative concentration for him who lacks insight,
and no insight for him who lacks meditative concentration.
He in whom are found both meditative concentration and insight,
indeed, is close to Nibbana.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 360–382 Bhikkhuvagga: The Monk by Ven Ācāriya Buddharakkhita on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 311–314 From… Niriya Vagga: Hell

Just as sharp-bladed grass,
if wrongly held,
wounds the very hand that holds it–
the contemplative life, if wrongly grasped,
drags you down to hell.

Any slack act,
or defiled observance,
or fraudulent life of chastity
bears no great fruit.

If something’s to be done,
then work at it firmly,
for a slack going-forth
kicks up all the more dust.

It’s better to leave a misdeed
undone.
A misdeed burns you afterward.
Better that a good deed be done
that, after you’ve done it,
won’t make you burn.

Read the entire translation of Dhp Niriya Vagga: Hell by Bhikkhu Ṭhanissaro on DhammaTalks.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

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Dhp 375 From… Bhikkhuvagga: Mendicants

This is the very start of the path
for a wise mendicant:
guarding the senses, contentment,
and restraint in the monastic code.

Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 360–382 Bhikkhuvagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net.

Or read a different translation on SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read in one of 24 other modern languages.

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