The Dhammapada - Chapter Eight - The Thousands

The Dhammapada is the most well-known of all Buddhist texts. It is a collection of the sayings of the Buddha from his most famous discourses. Dhamma means law, discipline, righteousness and truth. Pada means path, footstep and foundation. Translated from Pali by F. Max Muller.

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Transcript

The Dhammapada,

Chapter 8,

The Thousands Even though a speech be a thousand words,

But made up of senseless words,

One word of sense is better,

Which,

If a man hears,

He becomes quiet.

Even though a poem be a thousand words,

But made up of senseless words,

One word of a poem is better,

Which,

If a man hears,

He becomes quiet.

Though a man recite a hundred poems made up of senseless words,

One word of the law is better,

Which,

If a man hears,

He becomes quiet.

If one man conquer in a battle a thousand times thousand men,

And if another conquer himself,

He is the greatest of conquerors.

One's own self conquered is better than all other people,

Not even a god.

A Gandhava,

Nor Mara with Brahman,

Could change into defeat the victory of a man who has vanquished himself,

And always lives under restraint.

If a man for a hundred years sacrifice month after month with a thousand,

And if he but for one moment pay homage to a man whose soul is grounded in true knowledge,

Better is that homage than sacrifice for a hundred years.

If a man for a hundred years worship Agni in the forest,

And if he but for one moment pay homage to a man whose soul is grounded in true knowledge,

Better is that homage than sacrifice for a hundred years.

Whatever a man sacrifice in this world as an offering,

Or as an oblation for a whole year in order to gain merit,

The whole of it is not worth a quarter.

Reverence shown to the righteous is better.

He who always greets and constantly reveres the aged,

Four things will increase to him,

Life,

Beauty,

Happiness and power.

But he who lives a hundred years,

Vicious and unrestrained,

A life of one day is better if a man is virtuous and reflecting.

And he who lives a hundred years,

Ignorant and unrestrained,

A life of one day is better if a man is wise and reflecting.

And he who lives a hundred years,

Idle and weak,

A life of one day is better if a man has attained firm strength.

And he who lives a hundred years,

Not seeing beginning and end,

A life of one day is better if a man sees beginning and end.

And he who lives a hundred years,

Not seeing the immortal place,

A life of one day is better if a man sees the immortal place.

And he who lives a hundred years,

Not seeing the highest law,

A life of one day is better if a man sees the highest law.

Reviews

Beautiful excerpt. Sadhu 🙏🏻