CHAPTER FIVE.

[1]"Disciple,"sekho, one who has entered the Path, but has not become Arahat, who isasekho, Master.

[2]Tagara, an aromatic shrub.

[3]An Arahat at death leaves noskandhasor basis for another birth. Death,Māra, is pictured as hunting for a man's "rebirth consciousness". Cf.The Book of the Kindred Sayingsp. 152 (Pali Text Translation Series).

[4]cf. Shakespeare, Henry V, I,1, 60.'The strawberry grows underneath the nettle,And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best,Neighbour'd by fruit of baser quality'.

60.Long is the night to him that is waking,Long is a league to the traveller worn,Long is the coil of birthsFor fools that know not the truth of the Norm.61.If one find not a comrade to join him in travel.Either like unto self or better than self,It is safer to push on alone;What fellowship can there be with a fool?62."I am father of sons! I am owner of wealth!"Thinks the fool in his folly and thereat is troubled.He himself is not owner of self;Much less is he owner of sons and of wealth.63.Wise indeed is he that knoweth his folly;Fool indeed is the fool that thinks himself wise.64.Tho' a fool in his folly sit all his life longBy the side of a wise man, he never gets wiser,For he knows not the Norm and its worth,As the spoon never knoweth the taste of the broth.65.But a wise man that sits by the wise but a minute,Quickly learns of the Norm and its worth,As the tongue quickly savours the taste of the broth.66.Fools fare up and down with themselves for their foe,And work evil deeds whose fruit will be bitter;67.Ill-done is the deed that brings sorrow in doing,Whose fruit they will meet with tears and annoy;68.Well done is the deed that brings pleasure in doing,Whose fruit they will welcome with gladness and joy.69."O! how sweet!" thinks the fool, ere his wicked deed ripens.When his wicked deed ripens he knows what is sorrow.70.Tho' month after month with the blade of a sword-grass[1]The fool eats his rice grain by grain,Not one fourth of a quarter of good doth he gainSuch as those who are stablished in Dhamma obtain.71.Now an ill deed, like milk, doth not change into curds,But it burneth the fool—a live coal 'neath the ashes.72.Since his knowledge is born to a fool all in vain,His good luck is lost to him wholly;On his own head it falls; he is crushed by his folly.73-4.If a fool long for credit that is not his due,Chief seats in the monks' hall,[2]respect from the Order,And worship from laymen desiring;"Let the monks and the laymen my deeds hold in honourAnd in all things obey me, whate'er I may will—"If such be the thoughts of the fool,His pride and his longing increase in him still.75."Success here is one thing, Nibbāna another:"When a monk, the Buddha's disciple, is sureOf this truth, he delights not in honour, eschewsThe ways of the world and lives a recluse.

[1]An ascetic way of eating, supposed to be meritorious.

[2]Cf. N.T. "chief seats in the synagogue."

76.If thou see a man of wisdom,Like a guide to treasure-trove,Pointing out thy faults and failings,Follow him; such companyBrings prosperity, not woe.77.He who gives advice and teaching,And restrains thy feet from wrong,By the righteous is beloved,But the wicked love him not.78.Have no fellowship with evil;Make no friends among the vile;Make the virtuous thy companions;Follow thou the Perfect Men.79.They who drink the Good Norm's nectarLive in bliss with tranquil mind;In the Norm by saints expoundedWise men ever take delight.80.Irrigators guide the waters,Fletchers straighten out the shaft,Carpenters unwarp the timber,But the wise subdue themselves.81.As the solid rock for everRests unshaken by the wind,Wise men rest unwavering,Troubled not by praise or blame.82.As a deep clear pool of waterLies unruffled by the wind,To the Good Norm listeningWise men reach tranquillity.83.When the good men go about,Sensual babble is not theirs;They, when touched by pain or pleasure,Show a calm untroubled face.84.Not for self and not for othersDo they long for sons or wealth,Not for rule, nor by injusticeSelf-advancement to attain;Righteous, wise and just are they.85.Few are they among us mortalsWho have reached the further shoreOver yonder. But we othersOn this side fare up and down.86.They who hold fast to the teachingOf the Norm expounded wellThey shall reach the shore and passThe realm of Death so hard to cross.87-8.Giving up the state of darkness,Let the wise embrace the pure;Giving up home for the homelessLoneliness, where joys are rare,Let him long for bliss unboundedCasting all desire aside,Owning naught, and, firm in wisdom,Cleanse his heart from passion's stain.89.They whose mind is rightly temperedIn the Wisdom's seven ways,[1]Who have left desire behind them,Void of clinging, they rejoicingPassionless and all-resplendent,Even in this world are freed.[2]

[1]The seven limbs of the Bodhi are:—Sati, concentration;Dhammavicaya, examination of mental processes or of nature;Viriya, energy;Pīti, zest;Passaddhi, calmness;Samādhi, mental balance;Uṗekhā, equanimity.

[2]Parinibbutā, let free from rebirth by having attained the state ofNibbāna, "gone out."

90.He for whom life's journey's over, free from sorrow, free from painWho has all the knots unfastened, suffering knows not again.91.Household life for them no joys hath; striving and intent in mindAs the swan deserts the marshes, every home they leave behind.92.They who gather up no treasure, feeding on the food that's known,[1]They who range in mind the Void, the unconditioned formless Space,As the bird's path in the ether, so their ways are hard to trace.93.They whose taints are all evanished, independent of support,They who range in mind the Void, the unconditioned, formless Space,As the bird's path in the ether, so their tracks are hard to trace.94.He whose senses now are tranquil, like a horse by trainer tamed(Pride struck off, the taints[2]evanished), to the very gods is famed.[3]95.Like the solid ground unshaken, like the threshold of a door,Like a pool by mud unsullied, such a saint is born no more.96.Calm the mind of such a being, calm his thoughts and words and deeds,Set free by the perfect knowledge, liberated from life's needs.97.Self-dependent, self-sufficing, knower of the Uncreate[4]Who hath loosed the bonds of action, from the chain of births set free,All desires are fallen from him, noblest of all beings he.98.In the village or the forest, on the water or the ground,Where the worthy ones are dwelling, there the earth's delights are found.99.Ah! delightful are the forests! where the worldling finds no joy,There the passionless find pleasure, whom the senses do not cloy.

[1]literally, 'whose food is thoroughly understood' (as to its properties, qualities and purpose).

[2]The taints,āsava's, are three:—kama, desire;bhava, love of life;avijjā, ignorance. A fourth,ditthi, the holding of heretical views, is sometimes added. The gods are supposed to be still bound by these, and to envy the emancipated man.

[3]'famed', literally 'by the gods is envied'.

[4]Akataññu, knowing the Unborn, the Eternal, the state of 'Nibbāṇa', as in v.3 83:, but possibly here the context requires 'ungrateful',i.e., not bound by ties of gratitude to anybody.

100.Tho' one's speech be a thousand words,Vain words all strung together,Better a single phraseWhich calms the one that hears.101.Tho' a song have a thousand words,Vain words all strung together,Better a single verseWhich calms the one that hears.102.Tho' one utter a hundred songs,Vain words all strung together,Better one verse of the NormWhich brings peace to the hearer.103.Tho' one conquer a thousand timesA thousand men in battle,Who conquers self aloneIs the best of conquerors.104.Tis better to conquer selfThan all this multitude;If one be self-subduedAnd ever self-controlled,105.Not the gods or demi-gods[1]Nor the Lord of the world below[2]Nor the God Supreme[3]have powerTo undo his victory.106.Tho' one for a hundred yearsMonth after month should prayWith a thousand offerings,Yet if for a moment's spaceHe worship the feet of oneWhose self is self-subdued,His worship is better farThan his age-long offerings.107.Tho' a hundred years in the woodsOne tend the sacred fire,[4]Yet if for a moment's spaceHe worship the feet of oneWhose self is self-subdued;Such worship is better farThan his age-long offerings108.Not all the sacrificeThat is offered in all the worldFor a year, with a view to gain,Is worth a single quarterOf the worship that is paidTo the upright holy man.109.Whoso hath reverenceFor those advanced in years,Four blessings thrive for him,Life, beauty, bliss and strength.110.Tho' one live a hundred years,Immoral, uncontrolled,'Tis better to live for a day,Moral and well controlled.111.Tho' one live a hundred yearsFoolish and uncontrolled,'Tis better to live for a dayWisely and well controlled.112.Tho' one live a hundred yearsListless and lacking zeal,'Tis better to live for a dayWhile striving manfully.113.Tho' one live a hundred yearsBlind to the rise and fall,[5]'Tis better to live for a daySeeing the rise and fall.114.Tho' one live a hundred yearsAnd see not the Deathless State,[6]'Tis better to live for a dayAnd see the Deathless State.115.Tho' one live a hundred yearsAnd see not the Norm Supreme,'Tis better to live for a dayAnd see the Norm Supreme.

[1]Gandhabbo, Skt.gandharva, those who preside over music and attend on the Four Great Kings.

[2]Māra, the Pluto of the Greeks, or Death-Lord.

[3]Brahmā, the Supreme Personal God or Zeus of Buddhism.

[4]Aggihutam, Skt.agnihotra.

[5]Udaya-vyayaṁ, the law ofanicca, impermanence.

[6]Amatapadaṁ, "the eternal lot,"Nibbāṇa: see n. to v. 21.

116.Haste to do good; thy thoughts from ill restrain;Sloth in good deeds makes one for evil fain.117.If thou do ill, cease, and thy sin forgo;Take not delight therein; ill deeds bring woe.118.If thou do good, thy life in good employ;Take thou delight therein; good deeds bring joy.119.Sinners see bliss while their ill deeds are green;When the sin ripens, sorrow then is seen.120.Good men see ill while their good deeds are green;When the good ripens, happiness is seen.121.Think not of ill: "It cannot be my fate";As drop by drop the water fills the pot,So slowly good men good accumulate.122.Think not of good: "It cannot be my fate";As drop by drop the water fills the pot,So slowly bad men woes accumulate.123.Just as the lord of some rich caravan,Whose guard is scanty, fears the highwayman;As one who loves his life must poison shun,Be wise and guard 'gainst evil deeds begun.124.Thou mayest poison handle if thy palmContain no wound; whole skin no poison fears;There is no ill for him that doth no harm.125.Who on a harmless creature worketh pain,In whom no fault, in whom no ill is found,Upon that fool his evil deeds reboundAs fine dust cast i' the wind falls back again.126.Some men by birth a life on earth attain;The wicked go to hell, the good to heaven;But holy saints are never born again.127.Not in the air nor middle of the sea,Nor entering a mountain cave to hide,Nor anywhere on earth can'st thou abideWhere from thy ill deeds thou can'st set thee free.128.Not in the air nor middle of the sea,Nor entering a mountain cave to hide,Nor anywhere on earth can'st thou abideWhere death shall not pursue and conquer thee.

129.All beings fear the rod, all fear to die;Regard them as thyself; strike not nor slay.130.All beings fear the rod; all love their life;Regard them as thyself; strike not nor slay.131.Whoso treats pleasure-loving creatures ill,When he seeks bliss for self he shall not find it.132.Whoso treats pleasure-loving creatures well,When he seeks happiness for self shall find it.133.Use not harsh speech; when harshly spoken toMen may retort; painful are quarrellings,And punishment may follow thy harsh words.134.If thou can'st keep thy tongue from wagging oft,Silent as some cracked gong, thou hast therebyNibbāna won; no brawling is in thee.135.As with a stick the herdsman drives his kine,So death and age compel the lives of men.136.The fool in doing ill knows not his folly;His own deeds, like a fire, the fool consume.137.He who offends the harmless innocentSoon reaches one of these ten states of woe;138.Sharp pain, disease, or bodily decay,Grievous disaster, or a mind distraught;139.Oppression by the king, or calumny,Loss of relations, loss of all his wealth,140.His house burned by a thunderbolt or fire;At death, poor fool, he finds rebirth in hell.141.Not nakedness, nor matted hair nor filth,Not fasting long, nor lying on the ground,Not dust and dirt, nor squatting on the heels.Can cleanse the mortal that is full of doubt.142.But one that lives a calm and tranquil life,Though gaily decked, if tamed, restrained, he liveWalking the holy path in righteousness,Laying aside all harm to living things,True mendicant, ascetic, Brāhmin he!143.Who in this world is so restrained by shameThat, like a thoroughbred flicked by the whip.He can think lightly of the lash of blame?144.By faith and virtue, energy, and mindIn perfect balance, searching of the Norm,Perfect in knowledge and good practices,Perfect in concentration of your thoughts,Ye shall strike off this multitude of woes.145.As cultivators guide the water-course,As fletchers straighten out the arrow-shaft,As carpenters warp timber to their needs,So righteous men subdue and train themselves.

146.Laugh ye, rejoice ye, when this world is burning?O wrapped in darkness, will ye not seek light?147.Behold this body decked, a mass of sores,Sickly and swayed by multitudinous thoughts.Impermanent, unstable, uncomposed!148.Poor worn-out carcase, home of sicknesses,Fragile, corrupting mass, mere life in death!149.What joy to look upon these bleached bones,Like useless gourds in autumn thrown aside!—150.A township built of bones and plastered o'erWith flesh and blood, the home and dwelling-placeOf age and death, pride and hypocrisy!151.Just as a royal chariot gaily deckedFalls to decay, so grows this body old;But Truth and Norm old age cannot assail,The holy ones indeed know no decay.152.Just like an ox, the witless man grows old;His flesh grows, but his wits do not increase.153-4.Thro' many a round of birth and death I ran,Nor found the builder that I sought. Life's streamIs birth and death and birth, with sorrow filled.Now, housebuilder, thou'rt seen! No more shalt build!Broken are all thy rafters, split thy beam!All that made up this mortal self is gone;Mind hath slain craving; I have crossed the stream![1]155.They who in youth have never trod the wayOf righteousness, nor garnered wisdom's store.Like herons in a fishless pool decay.156.They who in youth have never trod the wayOf righteousness, nor garnered wisdom's store.Like broken bows, lie weeping their lost day.

[1]The triumphant words of the Buddha, when at last He attained enlightenment, Nibbāna, beneath the Bo-tree.

157.Hast thou regard for self? Then keep thyself well guarded.Be wise and keep good watch for one of the three watches.[1]158.First ground thyself in fitness; next, another teach.Thus shalt thou wisdom gain and suffer no reproach.159.First carry out thyself whate'er thou teachest others.Self-tamed, thou'lt tame another; but self is hard to tame.160.Self is the lord of self; who else could be the lord?By taming self one gains a lord most hard to gain.161.The evil done by self, self-born and self-begotten,Crushes the senseless fool, as a bolt the jar of stone.[2]162.He who is choked by sins, as a creeper chokes a tree,Doth to himself what e'en his foes would have him do.163.Easy is ill to do and harmful to oneself;But what is good and wholesome, that is hard to do.164.Whose rejects the words of noble righteous saintsOn his own head brings ruin by his perversity,As bamboo trees put forth their fruit and die away.165.By self is evil done; by self is one defiled;Ill deeds not done by self to self bring purity;Each for himself is pure; each for himself impure;Thou can'st not cleanse another man's impurity.166.Mind thy affairs, not others', however great they be;[3]Right knowledge of one's own brings more prosperity.

[1]The night is divided into three watches of three hours each. Some regard this passage as referring to childhood, youth and age.

[2]This may be translated, "as a diamond crushes the stony gem".

[3]Cf.Bhagavad Gītā: "Better one's owndharma, however ill-performed, than others'dharma, well-performed tho' it be."

167.Follow not the way unworthy;Live not thou in slothfulness;Let not doctrines false allure thee;Turn thy thoughts from worldliness.168-9.Stand! Arise! Throw sloth away;Follow the path of righteousness;Happy he who walks aright,Here and in the world to come.170.As a bubble on the water,As a phantom of the sands,Him who thus the world despiseth,Death the king[1]cannot behold.171.Lo! this world in all its splendour,Like a royal car adorned,Wherein many a fool is seated,[2]Hath no power to bind the wise.172.He who formerly was slothful,But is slothful now no more,Lighteth up the world with splendour,As the moon from clouds released.173.He who, having once done evil,Covers up his ill with good,Lighteth up the world with splendour,As the moon from clouds released.174.All this world is wrapped in darkness;Few be they that are not blind;Like the birds that 'scape the fowler,Few be they that go to heaven.175.Lo! the swans fly on the sun's path,[3]Fly by magic through the air;Wise men from the world departingConquer Death and all his hosts.176.He who by false words transgressingBreaks one tittle of the Norm;[4]He who future life renouncethEvery wicked deed will do.177.Those who covet reach not heaven;Fools care not for charity;He who charity approvethReacheth heavenly joy thereby.178.Rule on earth and joy in heaven,Sovreignty of all the worlds—These are all by him transcendedWho hath entered on the stream.[5]

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