Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

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M.Seiffert
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Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

Post by M.Seiffert »

CONTRASTING PAIRS

Preceded by mind
are phenomena,
led by mind,
formed by mind.
If with mind polluted
one speaks or acts,
then pain follows,
as a wheel follows
the draft ox's foot.

Preceded by mind
are phenomena,
led by mind,
formed by mind.
If with mind pure
one speaks or acts,
then ease follows,
as an ever present shadow.

"He berated me! He hurt me!
He beat me! He deprived me!"
For those who hold such grudges,
hostility is not appeased.

"He berated me! He hurt me!
He beat me! He deprived me!"
For those who forgo such grudges,
hostility ceases.

In this world
hostilities are never
appeased by hostility.
But by the absence of hostility
are they appeased.
This is an interminable truth.

Some do not understand
that we are perishing here.
Those who understand this
bring to rest their quarrels.

Living with an eye to pleasure,
unrestrained in the sense faculties,
immoderate in eating, indolent, and idle--
Mara overcomes such a person,
as the wind overcomes a weak tree.

Living without an eye to pleasure,
well restrained in the sense faculties,
moderate in eating, faithful, and energetic--
Mara does not overcome such a person,
as the wind, a rocky hill.

A stained person
who would wear the yellow-stained robe,
although neither honest nor restrained,
is not worthy of the yellow-stained.

But a person
who has dispelled his stain,
well set on virtuous ways,
both honest and restrained,
that one is worthy of the yellow-stained.

Those who hold the worthless to be of value,
and see in the valuable the worthless,
do not attain the valuable,
pasturing, as they are, in the field of wrong intention.

But having understood the valuable as the valuable,
and the worthless as the worthless,
they attain the valuable,
pasturing, as they are, in the field of right intention.

Just as rain pierces
a poorly roofed house,
so passion pierces,
an uncultivated mind.

Just as rain cannot pierce
a well roofed house,
so passion cannot pierce,
a well cultivated mind.

In this world he grieves.
In the world beyond he grieves.
In both worlds, the harm doer grieves.
He grieves, he is struck down by sorrow,
having seen the impurity of his action.

In this world he rejoices.
In the world beyond he rejoices.
In both worlds, the virtuous person rejoices.
He rejoices, he is uplifted,
having seen the purity of his own actions.

In this world he suffers.
In the world beyond he suffers.
In both worlds, the harm doer suffers.
Thinking, "I have acted destructively!" he suffers.
Taking an unfortunate rebirth,
he suffers even more.

In this world he is delighted.
In the world beyond he is delighted.
In both worlds, the virtuous person is delighted.
Thinking, "I have created value!" he is delighted.
Taking a fortunate rebirth,
he is delighted even more.

Although reciting many religious texts,
if one does not practice accordingly,
he is a heedless man.
Like a cowherd counting the cows of others,
he has no share in the religious life.

Although reciting but little from the texts,
if one is good, he lives in harmony with the teachings.
Abandoning passion, hatred, and delusion,
he possesses proper understanding, perfect purity of mind.
Showing no attachment to this world or beyond,
he has a share in the religious life.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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M.Seiffert
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Re: Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

Post by M.Seiffert »

Hoping people can discuss, maybe I will do the rest of the chapters if people would like.

The Dhammapada---translation by Glenn Wallis---Modern Library Classics

First ever Buddhist book that I have read.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

It seems like a decent enough translation. My favourite is venerable Buddharakkhita's...

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .budd.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Jechbi
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Re: Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

Post by Jechbi »

M.Seiffert wrote:maybe I will do the rest of the chapters if people would like.
Thanks for your efforts!
:thanks:
Rain soddens what is kept wrapped up,
But never soddens what is open;
Uncover, then, what is concealed,
Lest it be soddened by the rain.
André
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Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:03 pm

Re: Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

Post by André »

I bought the Dhammapada a few days ago, and today it arrived in the mailbox. "Dhammapada: Wisedom of the Buddha"(English-Pāli edition) translated by Harischandra Kaviratna.
I've added the Glenn Wallis translation for comparison :smile:

Preceded by mind
are phenomena,
led by mind,
formed by mind.
If with mind polluted
one speaks or acts,
then pain follows,
as a wheel follows
the draft ox's foot.
All the phenomena of existence have mind as their precursor,
mind as their supreme leader,
and of mind are they made. If with an impure mind one speaks or acts,
suffering follows him in the same way as the wheel follows the foot of the drawer (of the chariot)
Preceded by mind
are phenomena,
led by mind,
formed by mind.
If with mind pure
one speaks or acts,
then ease follows,
as an ever present shadow.
All the phenomena of existence have mind as their precursor,
mind as their supreme leader,
and of mind are they made. If with a pure mind one speaks or acts,
happiness follows him like his shadow that never leaves him.

"He berated me! He hurt me!
He beat me! He deprived me!"
For those who hold such grudges,
hostility is not appeased.
The hatred of those who harbor such ill feelings as, "He reviled me, assaulted me, vanquished me and robbed me",
is never appeased.
"He berated me! He hurt me!
He beat me! He deprived me!"
For those who forgo such grudges,
hostility ceases.
The hatred of those who do not harbor such ill feelings as,
"He reviled me, assaulted me, vanquished me and robbed me",
is easily pacified.

In this world
hostilities are never
appeased by hostility.
But by the absence of hostility
are they appeased.
This is an interminable truth.
Through hatred,
hatreds are never appeased;
through non-hatred are hatreds always appeased
and this is the law eternal.
Some do not understand
that we are perishing here.
Those who understand this
bring to rest their quarrels.
Most people never realize that all of us here shall one day perish.
But those who do realize that truth settle their quarrels peacefully.
Living with an eye to pleasure,
unrestrained in the sense faculties,
immoderate in eating, indolent, and idle--
Mara overcomes such a person,
as the wind overcomes a weak tree.
The pleasure-seeker who finds delight in physical objects, whose senses are unsubdued, who is immoderate in eating, indolent and listless, him Mara (The Evil One) prevails against,
as does the monsoon wind against a weak-rooted tree.
Living without an eye to pleasure,
well restrained in the sense faculties,
moderate in eating, faithful, and energetic--
Mara does not overcome such a person,
as the wind, a rocky hill.
He who perceives no pleasure in physical objects,
who has perfect control of his senses,
is moderate in eating,
who is unflinching in faith,
energetic,
him Mara does not prevail against any more than does the wind against a rocky mountain.
A stained person
who would wear the yellow-stained robe,
although neither honest nor restrained,
is not worthy of the yellow-stained.
He who dons the yellow robe without even cleansing himself of sensuality,
who is devoid of self-restraint and truthfulness,
is indeed not fit for the yellow robe.
But a person
who has dispelled his stain,
well set on virtuous ways,
both honest and restrained,
that one is worthy of the yellow-stained
.

He who is purged of all sensuality,
firmly established in moral virtues,
possessed of self-restraint and truthfulness,
is indeed fit for the yellow robe.
Those who hold the worthless to be of value,
and see in the valuable the worthless,
do not attain the valuable,
pasturing, as they are, in the field of wrong intention.
Those who take the non-real for the real and the real for the non-real and thus fall victims to erroneous notions,
never reach the essence of reality.
But having understood the valuable as the valuable,
and the worthless as the worthless,
they attain the valuable,
pasturing, as they are, in the field of right intention.
Having realized the essential as the essential and the nonessential as the nonessential,
they by thus following correct thinking attain the essential.
Just as rain pierces
a poorly roofed house,
so passion pierces,
an uncultivated mind.
As the monsoon rain pierces through the roof of an ill-thatched house,
so lust enters the undisciplined mind.
Just as rain cannot pierce
a well roofed house,
so passion cannot pierce,
a well cultivated mind.
As the monsoon rain does not enter a well-thatched house,
so lust does not enter a well-disciplined mind.
In this world he grieves.
In the world beyond he grieves.
In both worlds, the harm doer grieves.
He grieves, he is struck down by sorrow,
having seen the impurity of his action.
The sinner laments here,
laments hereafter,
and he laments in both worlds. Having seen himself sullied by his sinful deeds,
the evildoer grieves and is afflicted.
In this world he rejoices.
In the world beyond he rejoices.
In both worlds, the virtuous person rejoices.
He rejoices, he is uplifted,
having seen the purity of his own actions.
The doer of wholesome deeds rejoices here and rejoices hereafter; thus he rejoices in both places.
Having beheld his pure deeds he rejoices exceedingly.
In this world he suffers.
In the world beyond he suffers.
In both worlds, the harm doer suffers.
Thinking, "I have acted destructively!" he suffers.
Taking an unfortunate rebirth,
he suffers even more
.

He repents here,
repents hereafter,
the evildoer repents in both worlds. "Evil has been committed by me,"
thinking he repents. Having taken the path of evil he repents even more.
In this world he is delighted.
In the world beyond he is delighted.
In both worlds, the virtuous person is delighted.
Thinking, "I have created value!" he is delighted.
Taking a fortunate rebirth,
he is delighted even more.
He rejoices here,
he rejoices hereafter,
the doer of wholesome deeds rejoices in both worlds. "Good has been committed by me,"
thinking thus he rejoices. Having taken the celestial path,
he rejoices exceedingly.

Although reciting many religious texts,
if one does not practice accordingly,
he is a heedless man.
Like a cowherd counting the cows of others,
he has no share in the religious life.
A heedless man,
though he utters much of the Canon,
but does not act accordingly,
is like unto a cowherd who counts the cattle of others. He is,
verily,
not a sharer of the fruit of the monastic life.
Although reciting but little from the texts,
if one is good, he lives in harmony with the teachings.
Abandoning passion, hatred, and delusion,
he possesses proper understanding, perfect purity of mind.
Showing no attachment to this world or beyond,
he has a share in the religious life.
A man,
though he recites only a little of the Canon, but acts according to the precepts of the Sacred Law,
who,
having got rid of lust,
hatred and delusion,
has firmly established himself in liberated thought,
and clinging to no worldly possessions here or hereafter -
such a one becomes indeed a sharer of the true fruit of the monastic life.


:woohoo: That sure took some time to write. But time well-spent :)
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retrofuturist
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Re: Dhammapada: Translation by Glenn Wallis: One

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
André wrote:All the phenomena of existence have mind as their precursor,
mind as their supreme leader, and of mind are they made.
It depends I suppose what the translator meant by "existence", but if they mean it in an everyday conventional sense, then this a pretty shonky and misleading translation (though no doubt my old E-Sangha discussion partner, Sonam, would like it)

:tongue:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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