Dhammapada Quotes

A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.

Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth. [Verse 223]

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Purity or impurity depends on oneself, No one can purify another.

Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame.

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature.

The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.

Look at your body— A painted puppet, a poor toy Of jointed parts ready to collapse, A diseased and suffering thing With a head full of false imaginings. —The Dhammapada

The thought manifests the word; The word manifests the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character; So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let them spring forth from love Born out of compassion for all beings. As the shadow follows the body, as we think, so we become.

You are what you think. All that you are arises from your thoughts. With your thoughts you make your world.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Many do not realize that we here must die. For those who realize this, quarrels end.

There's a mess inside you: You clean the outside.

In the village, a sage should go about Like a bee, which, not harming Flower, colour or scent, Flies off with the nectar.

The non-doing of any evil, the performance of what's skillful, the cleansing of one's own mind: this is the teaching of the Awakened.

If you never see a fool You'll always be happy. The one who keeps company with fools Will be sorry for a long time. It's painful to live with fools, Like being always with an enemy.

Now may every living thing, young or old, weak or strong, living near or far, known or unknown, living or departed or yet unborn, may every living thing be full of bliss.

From the dear comes grief; From the dear comes fear. If you're freed from the dear You'll have no grief, let alone fear.

The ignorant man is an ox. He grows in size, not in wisdom.

The fool who knows his folly Becomes wise by that fact. But the fool who thinks he's wise - He's called 'a fool' indeed!

Look at your body— A painted puppet, a poor toy Of jointed parts ready to collapse, A diseased and suffering thing With a head full of false imaginings.

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.

Better than a thousand sayings Made up of useless words Is one word of meaning Which calms you to hear it.

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

If there is no wound in your hand You can carry poison in your hand. Poison does not attack one who is unwounded. There is no evil for one who does not do evil.

The virtuous man delights in this world and he delights in the next

The aware do not die; The unaware are as though dead already.

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

Those who consider the inessential to be essential And see the essential as inessential Don't reach the essential, Living in the field of wrong intention

Wakefulness is the way to life. The fool sleeps As if he were already dead, But the Master is awake And he lives forever. He watches. He is clear. How happy he is! For he sees that wakefulness is life. How happy he is, Following the path of the awakened. With Great perseverance He meditates, seeking Freedom and happiness.

Though you might conquer in battle A thousand times a thousand men, You're the greatest battle-winner If you conquer just one - yourself.

If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress.

Of bones the city is made, Plastered with flesh and blood, Where decay and death are deposited, And pride, and ingratitude.

Though you recite much scripture, If you are unaware and do not act according You are like a cowherd counting others' cattle, Not a sharer in the wanderer's life.

But the scent of the good is blown against the wind: A good man perfumes all directions.

One who utters speech that isn't rough But instructive and truthful So that he offends no one, Him I call Brahmin.

He has no need for faith who knows the uncreated, who has cut off rebirth, who has destroyed any opportunity for good or evil, and cast away all desire. He is indeed the ultimate man.

Forget the suffering You caused others. Forget the suffering Others caused you. The waters run and run, Springs sparkle and are done, You walk the earth you are forgetting. Sometimes you hear a distant refrain. What does it mean, you ask, who is singing? A childlike sun grows warm. A grandson and a great-grandson are born. You are led by the hand once again. The names of the rivers remain with you. How endless those rivers seem! Your fields lie fallow, The city towers are not as they were. You stand at the threshold mute.

Love yourself and watch --- today, tomorrow, and always.

Greater than all the joys Of heaven and earth, Greater still than dominion Over all the worlds, Is the joy of reaching the stream.

Overcome anger with peace. Overcome evil with good. Overcome greed with generosity. Overcome liars with truth.

Don't give yourself to negligence, Don't devote yourself to sensual pleasure, Vigilant and absorbed in meditation One attains abundant happiness.

The rain could turn to gold and still your thirst would not be slaked. Desire is unquenchable or it ends in tears, even in heaven.

A fool suffers, thinking, "I have children! I have wealth!" One's self is not even one's own. How then are children? How then is wealth?

The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character; So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings…. As the shadow follows the body, as we think, so we become. —FROM THE DHAMMAPADA (SAYINGS OF THE BUDDHA)

All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?

Not merely by rules of conduct and religious observances, nor by much learning either, nor even by attainment of concentration, nor by sleeping alone, do I reach the happiness of freedom, to which no worldlings attain. If you have not put an end to compulsions, nurse your faith

Many do not realize that We here must die For those who realize this Quarrels end.

Oneself, indeed, is one's own protector. One does, indeed [make] one's own destiny. Therefore, control yourself As a merchant does a fine horse.

Better it is to live alone; there is no fellowship with a fool. Live alone and do no evil; be carefree like an elephant in the elephant forest.

Delightful are forests Where the public does not delight. There the passion-free delight, Not seeking sensual pleasure.

I shall live here in the rains, There in winter, Elsewhere in summer," muses the fool, Not aware of the nearness of death.

Sensual craving gives rise to grief; Sensual craving gives rise to fear. For someone released from sensual craving There is no grief; And from where would be fear?

All too soon this body Will lie on the ground, Cast aside, deprived of consciousness, Like a useless scrap of wood.

For behold your body — A painted puppet, a toy, Jointed, sick and full of false imaginings, A shadow that shifts and fade.

Virtuous people always let go. They don't prattle about pleasures and desires. Touched by happiness and then by suffering, The sage shows no sign of being elated or depressed.

Fearless, free of craving, and without blemish, Having reached the goal And destroyed the arrows of becoming One is in one's final body.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought:

A person of little knowledge Grows old as a plough-ox grows old. His fleshes increases; His wisdom does not increase.

Real life is the present moment—not the memories of the past which is dead and gone, nor the dreams of the future which is not yet born. One who lives in the present moment lives the real life, and he is happiest.

Who have not led the holy life nor riches won while young, they linger on as aged cranes around a fished-out pond.

When desire flows, Pleasure arises. Attached to happiness, seeking enjoyment, People are subject to birth and old age.

Through the round of many births I roamed without reward, without rest, seeking the house-builder. Painful is birth again & again. House-builder, you're seen! You will not build a house again. All your rafters broken, the ridge pole destroyed, gone to the Unformed, the mind has come to the end of craving.

Watchfulness is the path of immortality: Unwatchfulness is the path of death. Those who are watchful never die: Those who do not watch are already as dead. Those who with a clear mind have seen this truth, Those who are wise and ever watchful, They feel the joy of watchfulness, The joy of the path of the great. And those who in high thought and in deep contemplation With ever living power advance on the path, They in the end reach NIRVANA, The peace supreme and infinite joy. ~ Buddha

You are as the yellow leaf. The messengers of death are at hand. You are to travel far away. What will you take with you? You are the lamp To lighten the way. Then hurry, hurry. When your light shines Without impurity or desire You will come into the boundless country. Your life is falling away. Death is at hand. Where will you rest on the way? What have you taken with you? You are the lamp To lighten the way. Then hurry, hurry. When your light shines purely You will not be born And you will not die.

AS one instructs others, So should one do oneself: Only the self-controlled should restrain others. Truly, it's hard to restrain oneself.

Fools, their wisdom weak, are their own enemies as they go through life, doing evil that bears bitter fruit.

One who never punishes any living creature either strong or weak, who never kills or even strikes another, such a one I call brahmin.

To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual.

The fool worries, thinking, "I have sons, I have wealth." Indeed, when he himself is not his own, whence are sons, whence is wealth?

All great work—artistic, poetic, intellectual or spiritual—is produced at those moments when its creators are lost completely in their actions, when they forget themselves altogether, and are free from self-consciousness.

You are far from the end of your journey. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. See how you love.

One may conquer millions in battle, but he who conquers himself, only one, is the greatest of conquerors.

Admonish yourself strongly. Scrutinize yourself deeply.

Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool.

Do not speak harshly to anybody; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful, blows for blows will touch thee. 134.

If a traveller does not meet with one who is his better, or his equal, let him firmly keep to his solitary journey; there is no companionship with a fool. 62.

Monks, there are two kinds of immature people: those who do not see their own mistakes as mistakes, and those who do not forgive mistakes committed by someone else. The

Conquer anger with non-anger; Conquer wickedness with goodness; Conquer stinginess with giving, And a liar with truth.

Do not consider the fault of others Or what they have or haven't done. Consider rather What you yourself have or haven't done.

Conquest breeds hatred, for the conquered live in sorrow. Let us be neither conqueror nor conquered, and live in peace and joy.

Well-makers lead the water (wherever they like); fletchers bend the arrow; carpenters bend a log of wood; good people fashion themselves.

Como bella flor plena de color y también fragante, las palabras bien dichas dan fruto en aquel que las pone en práctica.

Animosity does not eradicate animosity. Only by loving kindness is animosity dissolved. This law is ancient and eternal. (attributed to Buddha)

So long as the love, even the smallest, of man toward woman is not destroyed, so long is his mind in bondage as the calf that drinks milk is to his mother. —Translated by F. Max Müller

Los sabios son maestros de sí mismos, no los conmueven las opiniones de los demás, tienen la mente clara, son pacíficos, tienen principios, son independientes y están libres de compulsiones.

Hard it is to train the mind, which goes where it likes and does what it wants. An unruly mind suffers and causes suffering whatever it does. But a well-trained mind brings health and happiness.

Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” That is the essence of the Buddha’s universe and the whole theme of the Dhammapada. If we can get hold of the thinking process, we can actually redo our personality, remake ourselves. Destructive ways of thinking can be rechanneled, constructive channels can be deepened, all through right effort and meditation. “As irrigators lead water to their fields, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their lives.

At the deepest core of your being you are part of eternity, you are not part of time. You exist in time, but you belong to eternity. You are a penetration of eternity into the world of time. You are deathless, living in a body of death. Your consciousness knows no death, no birth. It is only your body that is born and dies. But you are not aware of your consciousness; you are not conscious of your consciousness.

La sabiduría surge por medio del esfuerzo, la sabiduría desaparece por falta de esfuerzo; conociendo esta vía doble de crecimiento y declive, deberíamos organizarnos de tal modo que la sabiduría se incremente.

Los maestros taoístas huainan dicen: «No dejo que los cambios de un momento dado determinen cómo me domino a mí mismo. Lo que llamo dominio de mí mismo significa que mi naturaleza y mi vida permanecen en lugar seguro.»  

The Fourth Truth, brothers, is that selfishness can be extinguished by following an eightfold path: right understanding, right purpose, right speech, right conduct, right occupation, right effort, right attention, and right meditation.

For one who has abandoned craving and is free from grasping, who knows languages and their interpretations, the combinations of the letters and their order before and after, this is the final birth. The one is called the Great Being, the Great Sage.

Heedfulness: the path to the Deathless; Heedlessness: the path to death. The heedful do not die; The heedless are as if already dead. Knowing this as a true distinction, those wise in heedfulness rejoice in heedfulness, enjoying the range of the noble ones. Dhp 21-22

Uno de los problemas que las personas parecen experimentar en el proceso de renovación propia es el de imaginar que necesitan apartar o reemplazar lo que únicamente deben reorganizar, e imaginar que sólo necesitan reorganizar lo que verdaderamente deben apartar o reemplazar.

Sólo podemos controlar nuestras propias acciones; así como necesariamente no podemos proteger a los demás de las consecuencias de sus actos, tampoco podemos esperar honradamente que los demás nos salven de las consecuencias de nuestros propios actos una vez que hemos ejercido nuestro derecho o nuestra libertad a elegir nuestro camino.

The great ideal of Mahayana Buddhism is to remain in this world, so tempting and full of snares, but at the same time attain this awareness of the Absolute which underlies it, thus remaining free while helping others to free themselves. Nagarjuna captures the essence of this state when he proclaims, There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana;

The world is on fire! And are you laughing? You are deep in the dark. Will you not ask for light? For behold your body— A painted puppet, a toy, Jointed and sick and full of false imaginings, A shadow that shifts and fades. How frail it is! Frail and pestilent, It sickens, festers and dies. Like every living thing In the end it sickens and dies. Behold these whitened bones, The hollow shells and husks of a dying summer. And are you laughing?