The Dhammapada - Chapter Four - Flowers

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.

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License.

Transcript

The Dhammapada,

Chapter 4,

Flowers Who shall overcome this earth and the world of Yama,

The lord of the departed,

And the world of the gods?

Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue,

As a clever man finds out the right flower?

The disciple will overcome the earth and the world of Yama and the world of the gods.

The disciple will find out the plainly shown path of virtue,

As a clever man finds out the right flower.

He who knows that this body is like froth and has learnt that it is as unsubstantial as a mirage will break the flower-pointed arrow of Mara and never see the king of death.

Death carries off a man who is gathering flowers and whose mind is distracted,

As a flood carries off a sleeping village.

Death subdues a man who is gathering flowers and whose mind is distracted before he is satiated in his pleasures.

As the bee collects nectar and departs without injuring the flower or its colour or scent,

So let a sage dwell in his village.

Not the perversities of others,

Nor their sins of commission or omission,

But his own misdeeds and negligences should a sage take notice of.

Like a beautiful flower,

Full of colour but without scent,

Are the fine but fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly.

But like a beautiful flower,

Full of colour and full of scent,

Are the fine and fruitful words of him who acts accordingly.

As many kinds of wreaths can be made from a heap of flowers,

So many good things may be achieved by a mortal when once he is born.

The scent of flowers does not travel against the wind,

Nor that of sandalwood or of Tagara and Malika flowers,

But the odour of good people travels even against the wind.

A good man pervades every place.

Sandalwood or Tagara,

A lotus flower or a vesicae,

Among these sorts of perfumes,

The perfume of virtue is unsurpassed.

Mean is the scent that comes from Tagara and Sandalwood.

The perfume of those who possess virtue rises up to the gods as the highest.

Of the people who possess these virtues,

Who live without thoughtlessness,

And who are emancipated through true knowledge,

Mara the tempter never finds the way.

As on a heap of rubbish casts upon the highway,

The lily will grow full of sweet perfume and delight.

Thus the disciple of the truly enlightened Buddha shines forth by his knowledge among those who are like rubbish,

Among the people that walk in darkness.

Reviews

Beautifully conveyed

I really like the way she pauses between sentences … Allows the meaning/feeling sink in and resonate before proceeding to the next.