235
Now you are 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
Make |yourself as your own island::yourself as your own support, refuge [dīpamattano]|,
strive swiftly, be |wise::astute, intelligent, learned, skilled [paṇḍita]|;
Blowing away |impurities::defilements, pollutants [mala]|, and |blemish free::spotless [anaṅgaṇa]|,
you will arrive at the divine abode of the Noble Ones.
237
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
Make yourself as your own island,
strive swiftly, be wise;
Rid of impurities, and without blemish,
you will not be born again, aging no more.
239
The |discerning one::who has good judgement [medhāvī]| |gradually::step by step [anupubbena]|,
little by little, moment by moment;
Blows off impurities from oneself,
just as a smith purifies silver.
240
Just as rust arises from iron,
and |corrodes::consumes [khādati]| the very metal from which it arose;
In the same way, for the |overly negligent person::who indulges oneself too much [atidhonacārī]|,
their actions lead them to a |bad destination::state of misery [duggati]|.
241
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 |protecting::guarding, watching over [rakkhati]|.
242
|Immorality::bad conduct [duccarita]| is the stain of a woman,
|stinginess::selfishness, meanness, tight-fistedness [macchera]| is the stain of giving;
Indeed, the stains are |harmful::injurious, destructive, bad, or evil [pāpaka]| qualities,
both in this world and the next.
243
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
Easy is the life of one who is |shameless::lacking sense of right and wrong, without conscience [ahirika]|,
brazen as a crow, destructive;
|Audacious::forward [pakkhandī]|, |brash::impudent [pagabbha]|,
|defiled::tainted, corrupted [saṅkiliṭṭha]| in livelihood.
245
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 attached::not stuck [alīna]| and |unassuming::courteous, respectful [appagabbha]|,
living a pure life and seeing clearly.
246
Whoever takes life,
speaks falsehood;
takes what is not given in the world,
and goes to another‘s partner.
247
Drinking liquor, wine, and beer,
such a person gives oneself up;
Right here, in this very world,
they |uproot::dig up [khaṇati]| their own foundation.
248
Know this, O good man,
|unrestrained::uncontrolled [asaññata]| and with harmful mental qualities;
Let not |greed::lust, wanting, desire [lobha]| and |false teaching::wrong views, unjust means, wrongdoing and misconduct [adhamma]|,
|afflict::harm, oppress [randhayi]| you with suffering for a long time.
249
A person gives |according to what they have faith in::according to what one has confidence in [yathāsaddhaṃ]|,
and according to what |inspires one::pleases one [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
But for one in whom this envy,
has been cut off at the root, uprooted entirely;
They attain collectedness,
whether by day or by night.
251
There is no fire like |passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]|,
no grip like |aversion::ill will, hate, hatred, fault, resentment [dosa]|;
No net like |illusion::delusion, hallucination, misapprehension, distorted view; that which fuels further confusion and doubt [moha]|,
and no river like |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇhā]|.
252
It is easy to see the |faults::errors, mistakes [vajja]| of others,
but |difficult to see::hard to perceive [duddasa]| one’s own;
One exposes the faults of others,
as easily as |chaff::husk [bhusa]| is sifted through;
But hides one‘s own faults,
like a crafty gambler conceals |a losing throw::bad luck [kalī]|.
253
For one who looks for others’ faults,
always finding something to blame;
Their |defilements::mental outflows, discharges, taints [āsava]| grow,
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
Just as there is no path in the sky,
there is no ascetic outside [the Buddha‘s Dhamma];
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
Just as there is no path in the sky,
there is no ascetic outside [the Buddha’s Dhamma];
Conditioned things are not |everlasting::eternal [sassata]|,
and the Buddhas never |waver::are disturbed, experience agitation [iñjita]|.