Dhammapada Chapter 3: The Mind

According to tradition, the Dhammapada's verses were spoken by the Buddha on various occasions. By distilling the complex models, theories, rhetorical style and sheer volume of the Buddha's teachings into concise, crystalline verses, the Dhammapada makes the Buddhist way of life available to anyone. In fact, it is possible that the very source of the Dhammapada in the third century B.C.E. is traceable to the need of the early Buddhist communities in India to laicize the ascetic impetus of the Buddha's original words. The text is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka, although over half of the verses exist in other parts of the Pali Canon. A 4th or 5th century CE commentary attributed to Buddhaghosa includes 305 stories which give context to the verses.

The title, "Dhammapada," is a compound term composed of dhamma and pada, each word having a number of denotations and connotations. Music by Vittorio Bianco, reading by Kevin Cameron.

Transcript

Dhammapada Chapter 3 The Mind Just as a fletcher shapes an arrow,

So the wise develop the mind,

So excitable,

Uncertain,

And difficult to control.

Like a fish which on being dragged from its home in the water and tossed on dry land,

Will thrash about,

So will the heart tremble when withdrawing from the current of Mara.

The active mind is difficult to tame,

Flighty and wandering wherever it wills.

Taming it is essential,

Leading to the joy of well-being.

The protected and guarded mind leads to ease of being,

Though subtle,

Elusive and hard to see.

One who is alert should tend and watch over this mind.

Wandering far and wide on its own,

Without form,

The mind lies in the heart-cavern within.

To bring it under control is to be freed from the bonds of ignorance.

In one whose mind is unsteady,

Whose heart is not prepared with true teachings,

Whose faith is not matured,

The fullness of wisdom is not yet manifest.

There is no fear if the heart is uncontaminated by the passions and the mind is free from ill-will.

Seeing beyond good and evil,

One is awake.

Seeing this body to be as fragile as a clay vessel and fortifying the heart like a city wall,

One can confront Mara with the weapon of insight.

Having the advantage of non-attachment,

One protects what has already been gained.

Certainly this body will soon lie lifeless,

Cast aside on the ground,

Devoid of consciousness and as useless as a burnt-out log.

More than a thief,

More than an enemy,

A misdirected heart brings one to harm.

Neither mother,

Father,

Nor any member of a family can give you the blessings generated by your own well-directed heart.

Thank you for watching!

Reviews

Ottima lettura per il rilassamento peccato per la musica che mi distrae perché porta ad uscire dal rilassamento, ma la tua voce è calma e delicata. Grazie mille Vittorio 🙏

The reading and music is magical.

Needed to hear this at this time. My personal preference would be without the music. Thank you for your generosity in giving this talk

It is an amazing reflective simple piece of work for me while listening to it. Thank you 😊.

Thank you Vittorio.🕉☸

The heart ❤️ the distance between you and I were

Different and interesting and rang true for me