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[2] Sansk. Artha Kath.
[3] Mah-vagga, i, 6-10 seq. The message continues: "I teach you, I preach the Norm. If ye walk according to my teaching, ye shall be partakers, in a short time, of that for which noble youths leave their homes and go into homelessness, the highest end of religious effort: ye shall even in the present life apprehend the Truth itself and see it face to face."
[4] (1) Samm dihi, (2) Samm sankappo, (3) Samm vca, (4) Samm kammanto, (5) Samm jvo, (6) Samm vymo, (7) Samm sati, (8) Samm samdhi.
[5] Shipwrecked off Trincomalee in 1660, he remained an unwilling but favoured guest of King Raja Sinha II for twenty years. Escaping to Europe, he wrote his excellent Historical Relation of the Island of Ceylon, published 1681.
[6] It was uphill work for Colonel Olcott, but his magnificent courage and enthusiasm prevailed over every obstacle. I was then a Magistrate in the Kalutara district of the Western Province, and remember that well-known Buddhists, appearing as witnesses, would not acknowledge their Faith and swore on the Bible rather than affirm. The Portuguese and Dutch Governments had persecuted them, and the English Government, though it did not persecute, continued for years many disabilities.
I made this translation of the Dhammapada, intending it to be a simple memorial text-book for my pupils, at intervals some seven or eight years ago, when reading the Pli as a lesson in religion with my senior class in Ceylon. Its publication has been held up for several years owing to various causes, and, having left Ceylon in 1919, I was unable owing to distance to correct the proofs. My thanks are due to Mr. Fritz Kunz, B.A., of Adyar, Madras, for seeing the book through the press. The rather long list of alterations[1] is due to the fact that I saw no proofs till the whole was printed off, and had meanwhile desired to recast certain verses. The use of metre of course often prohibits the exact translation of certain philosophical and technical terms, but I have kept as close to the original as was possible. I have followed the Pli text of Fausböll (1900), and have been much helped by Dr. Dines Andersen's Glossary of the Words of the Dhammapada. The Pli Text Society's edition of the text (by Sriyogoa Sumagala Thero) appeared just after I had finished, and I have made several alterations in accordance with the readings of that edition.
F.L. WOODWARD
Chartley, West Tamar,
Tasmania
1921.
[1] transcribers' note—all alterations of the list mentioned have been duely incorporated in the text following, and the list itself has been omitted in this e-book.
1.
All states arising have mind for their causing,
Mind for their master, of mind are the offspring.
He who with foul mind speaks or does action—
Him pain pursues as the wheel dogs the ox-hoof.
2.
All states arising have mind for their causing,
Mind for their master, of mind are the offspring.
He who with pure mind speaks or does action—
Him bliss pursues, to him clings like his shadow.
3.
"This man abused me: he beat me and conquered,
Conquered and plundered." Cherishing in such thoughts,
Never appeased is the hatred of such men.
4.
"This man abused me, he beat me and conquered,
Conquered and plundered." Not having such thoughts,
Quickly appeased is the hatred of such men.
5.
Never by hatred is hatred appeaséd
Nay! but by kindness; that's the old-time Norm.[1]
6.
Others don't grasp this—"We men are mortals".[2]
Men who can grasp this soon end their quarrels.
7.
Looking for fair sights, unchecked in his senses,
In food uncontrolled, slack, inert, without vigour,
Death overwhelms him, as winds uproot weak trees.
8.
He who lives sense-restrained, heedless of fair sights,
Who in food keeps the mean, is trusty and sturdy,
Death cannot shake him: winds cannot move mountains.
9-10.
Without doffing his faults who would don the monk's yellow,[3]
Void of truth and of training, deserves not the monk's robe.
If he doff all his faults and be versed in the virtues,
In the training and truth firm, he merits the monk's robe.
11-12.
In the false seeing truth, and in truth seeing falsehood,
Men touch not the truth, but are fed on illusion.
But in truth seeing truth and falsehood in falsehood,
Men touch the truth ever, feeding on right thoughts.
13-14.
As the rain through the roof of a house that is ill-thatched,
Lust leaks through the mind not composed by the training:
As rain never leaks through the roof that is well-thatched,
So through the mind well-trained lust leaketh never.
15.
Here he grieves and grieves hereafter: doubly grieves the evil-doer,
Grieves and suffers anguish when he sees the foulness of his deeds.
16.
Happy here, he's happy after: doing good he's doubly glad:
Glad, exceeding happy, when he sees the pureness of his deeds.
17.
Here he suffers, suffers after: doubly suffer evil-doers:
Thoughts of ill-deeds torture, much more torture when they enter hell.[4]
18.
He rejoices here and after: doing good he's doubly glad:
Thoughts of good deeds comfort, much more comfort when they enter heaven.
19.
Though reciting many verses,[5] if they do not what they preach,
Sluggards, counting others' cattle, cannot share the Brotherhood.
20.
Practising the Norm he preaches, though he utter verses few,
Quit of anger, lust and folly, truly wise, with thoughts set free,
Caring nought for this or that world, he hath part in brotherhood.
