Chapter 1

Pairs

20 verses

1 Global #1

Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, and produced by mind. If one speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows even as the cart-wheel follows the hoof of the ox (drawing the cart).
2 Global #2

Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, and produced by mind. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow that never departs.
3 Global #3

Those who entertain such thoughts as ‘He abused me, he beat me, he conquered me, he robbed me,’ will not still their hatred.
4 Global #4

Those who do not entertain such thoughts as ‘He abused me, he beat me, he conquered me, he robbed me,’ will still their hatred.
5 Global #5

Not by hatred are hatreds ever pacified here (in the world). They are pacified by love. This is the eternal law.
6 Global #6

Others do not realize that we are all heading for death. Those who do realize it will compose their quarrels.
7 Global #7

As the wind blows down a weak tree, so Māra¹ overthrows one who lives seeing the (unlovely as) lovely, whose senses are uncontrolled, who is immoderate in food, lazy, and of inferior vigour.
8 Global #8

As the wind does not blow down the rocky mountain peak, so Mara does not overthrow one who lives seeing the (unlovely as) unlovely, whose senses are controlled, who is moderate in food, and whose faith and vigour are aroused.
9 Global #9

He is not worthy of the yellow robe who takes it (while still) not free from impurity, and lacking in self-restraint and truth.
10 Global #10

He is worthy of the yellow robe who has made an end to all impurity, who is well established in virtuous conduct (sῑla), and who is endowed with self-restraint and truth.
11 Global #11

Those who take the unreal for the real, and who in the real see the unreal, they, wandering in the sphere of wrong thought, will not attain the real.
12 Global #12

Those who have known the real as the real, and the unreal as the unreal, they, moving in the sphere of right thought, will attain the real.
13 Global #13

As the rain penetrates the badly thatched house, so lust enters the (spiritually) undeveloped mind.
14 Global #14

As the rain does not penetrate into the well-thatched house, so lust does not enter the (spiritually) well-developed mind.
15 Global #15

The evildoer grieves in both worlds; he grieves ‘here’ and he grieves ‘there’.² He suffers and torments himself seeing his own foul deeds.
16 Global #16

The doer of good rejoices in both (worlds); he rejoices ‘here’ and he rejoices ‘there’. He rejoices and is glad seeing his own pure deeds.
17 Global #17

The evildoer burns in both (worlds); he burns ‘here’ and he burns ‘there’. He burns (with remorse) thinking he has done evil, and he burns (with suffering) having gone (after death) to an evil state.
18 Global #18

The doer of good delights in both (worlds); he delights ‘here’ and he delights ‘there’. He delights (in this life) thinking he has done good and he delights (after death) having gone to a state of happiness.
19 Global #19

He who for his own benefit constantly recites the (canonical) literature³ but does not act accordingly, that heedless man, like a cowherd that counts the cows of others, is not enriched by the asketic life.
20 Global #20

He who for his own benefit recites even a little of the (canonical) literature but lives in accordance with its principles, abandoning craving, hatred, and delusion, possessed of right knowledge, with mind well freed, clinging to nothing in this or any other world, he is enriched by the asketic life.

Footnotes

1. In Buddhist mythology, Mara is the ruler of the realm of sense desire (kāmaloka) as Brahmā is the ruler of the realm of archetypal form (rūpaloka). He is the Evil One (pāpimā), representing as he does the forces that obstruct the attainment of Enlightenment.

2. ‘Here’ (idha) refers to this world and ‘there’ (pecca) to the next world.

3. A.P. Buddhadatta Maha Thera (Dhammapadaṃ: An Anthology of the Sayings of the Buddha, Colombo, n.d., p.6) comments: ‘This is the only place in the Pāli where where this word [sahitaṃ] occurs to indicate “literature”. It is doubtful whether this was used here to mean the same thing. Another possibility here is to take this as two words sa and hitam instead of one. If we take it as two words we have to translate it as: “Though much he speaks about beneficial things”.’