157
Attānañce piyaṁ jaññā,
rakkheyya naṁ surakkhitaṁ;
Tiṇṇaṁ aññataraṁ yāmaṁ,
paṭijaggeyya paṇḍito.
If one considers oneself dear,
one should guard oneself well.
In one of the three watches [of the night],
the wise person should be watchful.
158
Attānameva paṭhamaṁ,
patirūpe nivesaye;
Athaññamanusāseyya,
na kilisseyya paṇḍito.
One should first establish oneself
in what is proper;
then one may instruct another,
a wise person should not be defiled.
159
Attānañce tathā kayirā,
yathāññamanusāsati;
Sudanto vata dametha,
attā hi kira duddamo.
One should act towards oneself in the same way
as one instructs another;
one who is well-tamed can tame others,
for it is hard to tame oneself.
160
Attā hi attano nātho,
ko hi nātho paro siyā;
Attanā hi sudantena,
nāthaṁ labhati dullabhaṁ.
Indeed, oneself is one’s own refuge,
for who else could be another’s refuge?
By means of a well-tamed self,
one obtains a refuge that is hard to find.
161
Attanā hi kataṁ pāpaṁ,
Attajaṁ attasambhavaṁ;
Abhimatthati dummedhaṁ,
Vajiraṁvasmamayaṁ maṇiṁ.
Indeed the wrong committed by oneself,
born from oneself, arising from oneself,
crushes the undiscerning one,
like a diamond crushes a rock-made jewel.
162
Yassa accantadussilyaṁ,
māluvā sālamivotthataṁ;
Karoti so tathattānaṁ,
yathā naṁ icchatī diso.
For the one whose conduct is extremely unprincipled,
like a creeping vine that strangles a sal tree;
he brings himself to such a state
as an enemy would wish for him.
163
Sukarāni asādhūni,
attano ahitāni ca;
Yaṁ ve hitañca sādhuñca,
taṁ ve paramadukkaraṁ.
Easy to do are things that are unwholesome
and detrimental to oneself;
but what is beneficial and good for oneself,
that is indeed hard to do.
164
Yo sāsanaṁ arahataṁ,
ariyānaṁ dhammajīvinaṁ;
Paṭikkosati dummedho,
diṭṭhiṁ nissāya pāpikaṁ;
Phalāni kaṭṭhakasseva,
attaghātāya phallati.
Whoever rejects the teachings upheld by the Arahants,
of the Noble Ones living according to the Dhamma;
the undiscerning person who refuses to accept it
by leaning on a harmful view;
like the bamboo when it bears fruit,
brings about his own destruction.
165
Attanā hi kataṁ pāpaṁ,
attanā saṅkilissati;
Attanā akataṁ pāpaṁ,
attanāva visujjhati;
Suddhī asuddhi paccattaṁ,
nāñño aññaṁ visodhaye.
By oneself is wrong done,
by oneself one becomes impure;
by oneself is wrong left undone,
by oneself one becomes purified;
purity and impurity are individual matters,
no one can purify another.
166
Attadatthaṁ paratthena,
bahunāpi na hāpaye;
Attadatthamabhiññāya,
sadatthapasuto siyā.
One’s own welfare should not be neglected
for the sake of another’s, not even for the good of many;
having directly known one’s own true welfare,
one should be devoted to that goal.