THE MONK


T I T L E (1) :
Good is restraint in the eye.
Good is restraint in the ear.
Good is restraint in the nose.
Good is restraint in the tongue.

 

T I T L E (2) :
Good is restraint in deed.
Good is restraint in speech.
Good is restraint in thought.
Good is restraint everywhere
The bhikkhu restrained everywhere
Shall leave all sorrow behind.

 

T I T L E (3) :
He who is controlled in hand and foot.
He who is controlled in speech and body.
He who is with inward joy and settled mind.
He who is solitarily controlled-
Such a one they call a bhikkhu.

 

T I T L E (4) :
The bhikkhu who is well-controlled in tongue,
Who speaks with wisdom and without pride,
Who explains the text and its meaning-
Sweet indeed is his speech.

 

T I T L E (5) :
Dwelling in the Dharma,
Delighting in the Dharma,
Investigating the Dharma,
Remembering the Dharma,
That bhikkhu falls not away
From the Dharma sublime.

 

T I T L E (6) :
Let him not despise his own gains.
Let him not envy those of others.
The bhikkhu envying the others' gains,
Does not attain concentration.

 

T I T L E (7) :
Though a recipient of little,
A bhikkhu despises not his own.
Him of pure and strenuous life,
Devas look up to high.

 

T I T L E (8) :
He who grasps at neither 'I' nor 'Mine',
Neither in mentality nor in materiality,
Who grieves not for what is not
Such a one indeed is called a bhikkhu.

 

T I T L E (9) :
The bhikkhu who abides in loving-kindness,
And who is pleased with the Buddha's teaching,
Shall attain to the Peaceful State,
The happy stilling of conditioned things.

 

T I T L E (10) :
Empty this boat, O bhikkhu!
When emptied, it will swiftly move
Cutting off lust, hatred (and ignorance)
To Nibbana will you thereby go.

 

T I T L E (11) :
Cut off the Five, give up the Five
Cultivate further more the Five
The bhikkhu, from the Five Fetters freed,
A Flood-Crosser is he called.

 

T I T L E (12) :
Meditate, O bhikkhu!
Be not heedless.
Let not your mind dwell
On sensual pleasures.
Do not carelessly swallow
A red-hot iron ball.
Do not as you burn bewail
'O this indeed is ill'.

 

T I T L E (13) :
There is no concentration
For one who lacks wisdom,
Nor is there wisdom
For one who lacks concentration
In whom there are found
Both concentration and wisdom
He indeed is in the presence of Nibbana.

 

T I T L E (14) :
The bhikkhu gone to solitude,
Having calmed his mind,
Clearly perceiving the Teaching,
Experiences a peaceful joy
That has never before been
Tasted by the worldings.

 

T I T L E (15) :
Whenever he reflects
On the rise and fall of Aggregates;
He experiences joy and happiness,
To the knowing ones that is Deathless.

 

T I T L E (16) :
For the wise bhikkhu in this sasana
These are the first things to cultivate:
Sense-control, contentment,
Observance of the Rules,
Association with keen freinds
Who lead a pure life.

 

T I T L E (17) :
Let him live a life of cordiality.
Let him be skilled in good conduct.
And full of joy thereby,
He will put an end to ill.

 

T I T L E (18) :
Just as the jasmine sheds
Its own withered flowers,
So should you, O bhikkhu,
Cast off lust and hatred.

 

T I T L E (19) :
Calm in body, calm in speech,
Serene and composed of heart,
Whoso has cast off worldly gains
Truely tranquil is such a one called.

 

T I T L E (20) :
By yourself censure yourself.
By yourself examine yourself.
Thus self-guarded and mindful, too,
Shall you, bhikkhu, live in bliss.

 

T I T L E (21) :
One is one's own lord.
One has one own course.
Control therefore your own self,
As a merchant a noble steed.

 

T I T L E (22) :
The bhikkhu who is full of joy,
Who is pleased with the Buddha's Teaching,
Shall attain to the Peaceful State,
The happy stilling of conditioned things.

 

T I T L E (23) :
Whosover, although still young,
Devotes himself to the Buddha's Teaching -
He illumines all the world,
As the moon emerging from the cloud.

 


Source : The Buddha's in the Dhammapada by Sathienphong Wannapok


       

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