DHP 235–255  Mala vagga - Chapter 18 - Stain

235

Paṇḍupalāsova dānisi,
Yamapurisāpi ca te upaṭṭhitā;
Uyyogamukhe ca tiṭṭhasi,
Pātheyyampi ca te na vijjati.

You are now like a withered leaf,
and the messengers of death await you;
you stand at the |door of departure::mouth of death [uyyogamukha]|,
and |provisions for the journey::this is a reference to the cultivation of the spiritual qualities [pātheyya]| are nowhere to be found.

236

So karohi dīpamattano,
Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava;
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo,
Dibbaṁ ariyabhūmiṁ upehisi.

Make an |island for yourself::yourself as your own support, refuge [dīpamattano]|,
strive swiftly, be |wise::astute, intelligent, learned, skilled [paṇḍita]|;
having blown away |impurities::defilements, pollutants, stains [mala]| and |free from blemish::spotless [anaṅgaṇa]|,
you will arrive at the divine abode of the Noble Ones.

237

Upanītavayo ca dānisi,
Sampayātosi yamassa santikaṁ;
Vāso te natthi antarā,
Pātheyyampi ca te na vijjati.

You are now |advanced in age::come to the last stage of life [upanītavaya]|,
headed to the presence of death;
there is no resting place for you in the interval,
and provisions for the journey are nowhere to be found.

238

So karohi dīpamattano,
Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava;
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo,
Na punaṁ jātijaraṁ upehisi.

Make an island for yourself,
strive swiftly, be wise;
having blown away impurities and free from blemish,
you will not come again to birth and aging.

239

Anupubbena medhāvī,
thokaṁ thokaṁ khaṇe khaṇe;
Kammāro rajatasseva,
niddhame malamattano.

The |discerning one::who has good judgement [medhāvī]|, |gradually::step by step [anupubbena]|,
little by little, moment by moment,
should blow away one’s own impurities,
just as a smith blows away the dross of silver.

240

Ayasāva malaṁ samuṭṭhitaṁ,
Tatuṭṭhāya tameva khādati;
Evaṁ atidhonacārinaṁ,
Sāni kammāni nayanti duggatiṁ.

Just as rust arising from iron
|corrodes::consumes [khādati]| the very metal from which it arose;
in the same way, their own deeds lead
the transgressor to a |state of misery::bad destination [duggati]|;

241

Asajjhāyamalā mantā,
anuṭṭhānamalā gharā;
Malaṁ vaṇṇassa kosajjaṁ,
pamādo rakkhato malaṁ.

Non-recitation is the stain of |chants::mantras [mantā]|,
non-effort is the stain of households;
laziness is the stain of |beauty::good looks [vaṇṇa]|,
|negligence::carelessness, heedlessness [pamāda]| is the stain of a |guardian::who watches over [rakkhati]|.

242

Malitthiyā duccaritaṁ,
maccheraṁ dadato malaṁ;
Malā ve pāpakā dhammā,
asmiṁ loke paramhi ca.

|Immorality::bad conduct [duccarita]| is the stain of a woman,
|stinginess::selfishness, meanness, tight-fistedness [macchera]| is the stain of a giver;
indeed, |harmful::injurious, bad, or evil. Encompasses the deceptively alluring that is ultimately detrimental or ruinous [pāpaka]| qualities are stains,
both in this world and the next.

243

Tato malā malataraṁ,
avijjā paramaṁ malaṁ;
Etaṁ malaṁ pahantvāna,
nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo.

But worse than these stains,
is |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|—the ultimate stain;
having put an end to this stain,
be |spotless::stainless [nimmala]|, bhikkhus.

244

Sujīvaṁ ahirikena,
kākasūrena dhaṁsinā;
Pakkhandinā pagabbhena,
saṅkiliṭṭhena jīvitaṁ.

Easy is the life of one who is |shameless::lacking sense of right and wrong, without conscience [ahirika]|,
brazen as a crow, destructive;
|intrusive::lit. jumping forward [pakkhandī]|, |brash::impudent [pagabbha]|,
and |defiled::tainted, corrupted [saṅkiliṭṭha]| in livelihood.

245

Hirīmatā ca dujjīvaṁ,
niccaṁ sucigavesinā;
Alīnenāppagabbhena,
suddhājīvena passatā.

Hard is the life of one |with a sense of right and wrong::having conscience [hirīmant]|,
|continuously::regularly, reliably [nicca]| |seeking purity::seeking the good [sucigavesī]|;
|not sluggish::not stuck [alīna]|, |unassuming::courteous, respectful [appagabbha]|,
living a pure life and seeing clearly.

246

Yo pāṇamatipāteti,
musāvādañca bhāsati;
Loke adinnamādiyati,
paradārañca gacchati.

Whoever takes life,
speaks falsehood;
takes what is not given in the world,
and goes to another’s partner;

247

Surāmerayapānañca,
yo naro anuyuñjati;
Idheva meso lokasmiṁ,
mūlaṁ khaṇati attano.

and the person who indulges
in drinking liquor, wine, and beer—
right here, in this very world,
they |uproot::dig up [khaṇati]| their own foundation.

248

Evaṁ bho purisa jānāhi,
pāpadhammā asaññatā;
Mā taṁ lobho adhammo ca,
ciraṁ dukkhāya randhayuṁ.

Know this, O good man:
the |unrestrained::uncontrolled [asaññata]| are of harmful character;
let not |greed::a grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment [lobha]| and |wrong-doing::wrong views, unjust means, something opposed to the Dhamma [adhamma]|
|afflict::harm, oppress [randhayi]| you with suffering for a long time.

249

Dadāti ve yathāsaddhaṁ,
yathāpasādanaṁ jano;
Tattha yo ca maṅku bhavati,
paresaṁ pānabhojane;
Na so divā vā rattiṁ vā,
samādhimadhigacchati.

A person gives |according to their faith::according to what one has confidence in [yathāsaddhaṃ]|,
and according to what |inspires them::makes them happy, pleases them [pasādana]|;
but whoever is |troubled::upset, disturbed [maṅku]|
about others receiving food and drink,
does not attain |collectedness::stability of mind, stillness of mind, mental composure [samādhi]|,
whether by day or by night.

250

Yassa cetaṁ samucchinnaṁ,
mūlaghaccaṁ samūhataṁ;
Sa ve divā vā rattiṁ vā,
samādhimadhigacchati.

But for one in whom this envy
is cut off at the root, uprooted entirely;
they attain collectedness,
whether by day or by night.

251

Natthi rāgasamo aggi,
natthi dosasamo gaho;
Natthi mohasamaṁ jālaṁ,
natthi taṇhāsamā nadī.

There is no fire like |passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]|,
no grip like |aversion::hatred, hostility, mental attitude of rejection, fault-finding, resentful disapproval [dosa]|;
no net like |delusion::illusion, misperception, erroneous belief, false idea, misapprehension; a fundamental distortion of reality that sustains confusion, clouds discernment, and fuels further doubt [moha]|,
and no river like |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇhā]|.

252

Sudassaṁ vajjamaññesaṁ,
attano pana duddasaṁ;
Paresaṁ hi so vajjāni,
opunāti yathā bhusaṁ;
Attano pana chādeti,
kaliṁva kitavā saṭho.

It is easy to see the |faults::errors, mistakes [vajja]| of others,
but |difficult to see::hard to perceive [duddasa]| one’s own;
one |sifts through::goes through finely, winnows [opunāti]| the faults of others,
just like |chaff::husk [bhusa]|;
but hides one’s own faults,
like a crafty gambler conceals |a losing throw::bad luck [kalī]|.

253

Paravajjānupassissa,
niccaṁ ujjhānasaññino;
Āsavā tassa vaḍḍhanti,
ārā so āsavakkhayā.

For one who looks for the faults of others,
always finding something to blame;
their |taints::outflows, discharges; (comm) mental defilements [āsavā]| increase,
and they are far from the |wearing away of the taints::gradual exhaustion and elimination of the mental defilements or deep-seated afflictions such as sensual desire, craving for existence, views, and ignorance [āsava + khaya]|.

254

Ākāseva padaṁ natthi,
samaṇo natthi bāhire;
Papañcābhiratā pajā,
nippapañcā tathāgatā.

Just as there is no path in the sky,
there is no ascetic outside; ^[1]
while people |delight in proliferation::enjoy various opinions, delight in speculation, engage in conceptual proliferation [papañcābhirata]|,
the |Tathāgatas::those who have arrived at the truth, epithet of the Buddha [tathāgata]| are free from proliferation.

255

Ākāseva padaṁ natthi,
samaṇo natthi bāhire;
Saṅkhārā sassatā natthi,
natthi buddhānamiñjitaṁ.

Just as there is no path in the sky,
there is no ascetic outside;
conditioned things are not |everlasting::eternal [sassata]|,
and the Buddhas never |waver::are disturbed, experience agitation [iñjita]|.