Buddhavaggo : Chapter 14. Buddha
Chapter 14 of the Dhammapada is about “Buddha“.
What is Buddha?
The Buddha is an enlightened person.
The historical Buddha in modern society is one Gautama Buddha, but at that time he was only one of many enlightened persons (Buddhas) who had attained nirvana themselves. Before Gautama Buddha, there were other enlightened persons who had attained the final stage of enlightenment, and when they became enlightened, they took the title of Buddha and were called Buddha by those around them.
This chapter talks not only about Gautama Buddha, but also about the teachings common to all of these Buddhas.
DhP.14-179
Yassa jitaṃ nāvajīyati, who conquer not-to-be-conquered jitaṃ yassa no yāti koci loke; conquer he not go who world Taṃ buddhamanantagocaraṃ, such buddha-limitless-suitable-place apadaṃ kena padena nessatha. not-footprint what track lead
He is a conqueror.
No one in the world can conquer him.
How can we lead Buddha,
who comes and goes freely
and does not even leave tracks?
episode
Māgandya, a Brahmin class living in the Kuru Kingdom, had a very beautiful daughter. She had many suitors, but she refused them all. One day, early in the morning, Māgandya happened to meet Buddha, who recognised his extraordinary nobility and decided that he was the right man for his daughter.
He begged Buddha to wait for him there and hurried back to pick up his wife and daughter. When the family returned, they found only Buddha’s footprints there. When his wife saw the footprints, she said they were the footprints of someone who had been liberated from worldly desires.
When Māgandya found Buddha, he offered to give his daughter in marriage to him. However, Buddha did not accept the offer, nor did he refuse, but first told him how he had been seduced by the beautiful women of Mara (an incarnation of his own vexations) just after he had reached the final stage of enlightenment.
The Buddha then said, “How can you tempt one who has no craving, clinging and passion? I don’t even want to touch my feet on what is nothing but a sack full of excrement (faeces and urine)”, he admonished.
Māgandya and his wife were convinced, moreover, they understood that Buddha would not be moved by their daughter. However, the daughter felt insulted by her beauty and secretly resented Buddha.
DhP.14-180
Yassa jālinī visattikā, who lust attachment taṇhā natthi kuhiñci netave; craving nothing where lead Taṃ buddhamanantagocaraṃ, such buddha-limitless-suitable-place apadaṃ kena padena nessatha. not-footprint what track lead
He has no craving, clinging and passion
anywhere to be tempted.
How can we lead Buddha,
who comes and goes freely
and does not even leave tracks?
explanation
The Buddha has destroyed all craving, clinging and passion, so he cannot be tempted. Having lost the energy of his impulses, he will no longer be reborn.
DhP.14-181
Ye jhānapasutā dhīrā, they concentration-of-mind wise nekkhammūpasame ratā; renunciation-appeasement delighted-in Devāpi tesaṃ pihayanti, gods-too them envy sambuddhānaṃ satīmataṃ. perfectly-enlightened aware-person
A wise one who diligently practices meditation,
whose mind is free from greed,
enjoys tranquillity.
An fully enlightened one,
is the envy of the gods.
explanation
Quiet and calm person without ego, liked by all.
DhP.14-182
182. Kiccho manussapaṭilābho, difficult human-obtaining kicchaṃ maccāna jīvitaṃ; difficulty human life Kicchaṃ saddhammassavanaṃ, difficulty true-dhamma-hearing kiccho buddhānamuppādo. difficult buddha-appearance
It’s difficult to be born human.
Just to be alive is difficult.
The chance to hear Buddha’s teachings
is even more difficult.
When it comes to the appearance of the Buddha,
it is really difficult.
explanation
When we die, we are reincarnated into another life at that moment, but the reincarnation destination may be an animal, an insect or many other things. It is very rare to be reincarnated as a human being.
DhP.14-183
Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, all-evil not-make kusalassa upasampadā; virtue obtaining Sacittapariyodapanaṃ, own-mind-purification etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ. these buddhas' teaching
Do not do evil at all
Do good deeds
Purify your own mind.
These are the teachings of the Buddhas.
explanation
These three are fundamental to the teachings of the Buddhas.
DhP.14-184
184. Khantī paramaṃ tapo titikkhā, patient best training endurance nibbānaṃ paramaṃ vadanti buddhā; nirvana best speaking buddha Na hi pabbajito parūpaghātī, not really become-monk Injuring-others na samaṇo hoti paraṃ viheṭhayanto. not samana to-be others annoy
Patience and endurance are best practices.
Buddha says nirvana is the best.
Monks do not harm others.
Practitioners do not do what others do not like.
explanation
Khantī and titikkhā are both “enduring“.
Khantī: To be careful not to let the mind be defeated by greed, anger and ignorance. It is to practise with a focus on reason and wisdom.
Titikkhā: To endure bad conditions. It is also about controlling the feelings of anger, jealousy, hatred and regret that arise in the mind.
These are not about enduring what you don’t want to do or what you don’t like, but about enduring the pain of striving for yourself and for others.
DhP.14-185
Anūpavādo anūpaghāto, not-blaming non-violence pātimokkhe ca saṃvaro; rules and restraint Mattaññutā ca bhattasmiṃ, moderation and for-meal pantañca sayanāsanaṃ; distant-and resting-place Adhicitte ca āyogo, higher-mind and occupation etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ. these buddhas' teaching
No blame Non-violence
Observe precepts and moderate meals
Live in a secluded place
Concentrate the mind and unify the mind
These are the teachings of the Buddhas.
explanation
Pātimokkha is a collection of precepts contained in the Vinaya.
Blaming others is because you think you are right. There is no guarantee that you are right. We cannot see everything as it is unless we are enlightened, so we are always seeing subjectively. We must not think that the “facts” we see subjectively are correct. Then it is impossible to blame others.
Where is a secluded place? In the forest? It means living in a quiet place. The mind cannot concentrate in noise, clamour and bustle. Living in the city and can’t do it? OK. Turn off the TV and PC. Keep your own voice down and making no noise. Please try them!
DhP.14-186
Na kahāpaṇavassena, not money-rain titti kāmesu vijjati; satisfaction by-greed be-found Appassādā dukhā kāmā, little-enjoyment suffering greed iti viññāya paṇḍito. thus know-exactly wise
Even if money rains down,
it cannot satisfy the greeds.
The wise knows that greed gives
little pleasure and is suffering.
explanation
Why is greed suffering?
Because there is no limit to greed. Greed cannot be satisfied. Therefore, if you try to live according to greed, you will lead a dissatisfied life.
Rather than a life of “I want, I want” greed, it is better to live a life based on “do I need it?“. This is because if you have what you need, you will be satisfied. There is a limit to need. You do not have to work forever to have it.
DhP.14-187
Api dibbesu kāmesu, even celestial by-greed ratiṃ so nādhigacchati; pleasure he not-to-acquire Taṇhakkhayarato hoti, cravibg-destruction-delighted-in to-be sammāsambuddhasāvako. perfectly-enlightened-one's-disciple
Even the celestial pleasures find no joy.
For the disciple of Sanmasambuddha,
the destruction of craving is joy.
explanation
The heavenly world is a pleasure-centred world with little suffering. If we do no evil deeds at all in the human world and accumulate good deeds, it is possible to go to the heavenly world in the next life. But, the disciple of Sammāsambuddha, their interest is to escape samsara and attain nirvana by stopping craving.
DhP.14-188
Bahuṃ ve saraṇaṃ yanti, much truly shelter they-go pabbatāni vanāni ca; to-mountain to-forest and Ārāmarukkhacetyāni, park-trees-collects manussā bhayatajjitā. people fear-scared
Fearful people seek help
from mountains, forests,
sacred woods, trees and shrines.
explanation
People want to depend on something. We depend on religion, gods and Buddha, power spots, amulets, fortune-telling and superstition as objects to distract us from our mental anxieties and fears.
DhP.14-189
Netaṃ kho saraṇaṃ khemaṃ, not-this really refuge safe netaṃ saraṇamuttamaṃ; not-this refuge-best Netaṃ saraṇamāgamma, not-this refuge-having-come-to sabbadukkhā pamuccati. all-suffering be-freed
There is no place of healing
or the best power spot.
Going to such places
does not free from all suffering.
explanation
However much you believe or depend on some power, you will never stop being anxious or fearful. The reason is that this is the nature of the mind. Unless you remove the nature itself from within your own mind, anxiety and fear will not disappear. It is useless to seek outside help.
DhP.14-190
Yo ca buddhañca dhammañca, one and budda-and truth-and saṅghañca saraṇaṃ gato; sanga-and refuge going Cattāri ariyasaccāni, 4 noble-truths sammappaññāya passati. rightly-wisdom see
One who has taken refuge in the Buddha,
the Dhamma and the Sangha
discovers right wisdom
through the Four Noble Truths.
explanation
“Saraṇa” means to take refuge in the mind, but not in dependence or salvation, but in autonomy with the encouragement of the three jewels.
What are the Four Noble Truths? The answer is the next verse.
DhP.14-191
Dukkhaṃ dukkhasamuppādaṃ, suffering suffering-arising dukkhassa ca atikkamaṃ; for-suffering and going-over Ariyaṃ caṭṭhaṅgikaṃ maggaṃ, noble 8-constituents path dukkhūpasamagāminaṃ. suffering-quiet-leading-to
(The Four Noble Truths are:)
What is suffering?
What causes suffering?
How to overcome suffering.
The eight right paths
that lead suffering to a halt.
explanation
The Four Noble Truths are a compilation of Buddha’s thoughts on reaching nirvana as a “way for man to be free from suffering“.
DhP.14-192
Etaṃ kho saraṇaṃ khemaṃ, this really refuge safe etaṃ saraṇamuttamaṃ; this refuge-best Etaṃ saraṇamāgamma, this refuge-having-come-to sabbadukkhā pamuccati. all-suffering be-freed
This is the place of healing
and the best refuge.
Make this the mental refuge
does free from all suffering.
explanation
It is not that you have taken refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha) and you can’t get by. That is where it starts. Neither Buddha, Dhamma nor Sangha can do anything on your behalf. It is from there that you get motivation and wisdom, which you then put into practice for liberation. Do it yourself.
DhP.14-193
Dullabho purisājañño, difficult-to-obtain man-noble-birth na so sabbattha jāyati; not he everywhere be-born Yattha so jāyati dhīro, where he be-born wise taṃ kulaṃ sukhamedhati. it house happiness-prosper
Noble person is difficult to obtain.
He is not born everywhere
and at all times.
The house where
such a wise man is born
is happy and prosperous.
explanation
Only Sanmasambuddha can teach the truth. He is not born anywhere at any time, but it seems that only one person is born every 2,500 years. The true happiness is to be able to know and learn his teachings.
DhP.14-194
Sukho buddhānamuppādo, happy buddhas appearance sukhā saddhammadesanā; happy true-dhamma-discourse Sukhā saṅghassa sāmaggī, happy by-sangha harmony samaggānaṃ tapo sukho. with-harmony training happy
The birth of Buddhas is a blessing.
True Dhamma preached is happiness.
Harmony of the Sangha is happiness.
Happy to be able to practise with harmony.
explanation
A sangha is a group of ordained persons who practise Buddha’s teachings. The role of this sangha is to uphold Buddha’s teachings and pass them on to others.
DhP.14-195
Pūjārahe pūjayato, venerable respect buddhe yadi va sāvake; buddhas if or disciples Papañcasamatikkante, obstacle-removed tiṇṇasokapariddave. crossed-over-grief-wailing
Pay homage to Buddhas or disciples worthy of respect.
To those who have removed obstacles
and overcome sorrow and grief.
explanation
What is Papañca?
Papañca means ‘obstacle, expansion or delusion‘. It is conceptual proliferation that is “fabricated” by thinking this and that in the mind.
We think that we see and know the outside world, but we do not see the facts as they are: the moment information touches the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and will), fabrication (papañca) begins in the mind.
For example, when we see a friend who is smiling, some of us feel that he looks happy and cheerful, while others think that he is noisy, that he never smiles like that to me, or that they are making fun of me. These thoughts that each of us has in our minds are papañca (fabricated). There may be similar thoughts, but there is no perfect match.
The only fact here is that “the eyes caught the image of a friend smiling“.
The friend may not really be happy, or may not be well. A deaf person cannot hear the noise. What is the “smile like that“? Maybe it’s just a feeling and doesn’t really know what it is. Of course, it is also impossible to know whether they are making fun of you or not, it is just a delusion.
Thus, we only “know” a fabricated concept of the outside information that touches our sense organs, to which we have added our own interpretation (colour). And we think papañca (fabrications) are facts, and we are saddened and grieved.
Papañca is always accompanied by one’s likes and dislikes. It is either the desire to like or the anger to dislike.
We create a fabricated world through “likes (greed), dislikes (anger) and wrong views (ignorance)”. Then it becomes “my opinion is right” and “you are wrong“.
So papañca is an obstacle to enlightenment.
Continued in verse 196.
DhP.14-196
Te tādise pūjayato, them such respect nibbute akutobhaye; was-extinguished no-fear Na sakkā puññaṃ saṅkhātuṃ, not possible merit agreed-on imettamapi kenaci. this-now-and by-something
The benefits of homage to them
who are no longer fear,
will be immeasurable.
explanation
All problems arise from what we see, hear, think and feel. Our problems and suffering arise from the six sense organs that sense and receive external information. These are the cause of all suffering. Domestic violence, marital quarrels, power struggles, wars, and all problems originate from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and will.
This is due to the recognition system. When we experience something, we recognize it by checking it against what we already know. We perceive things based on existing data, so we do not understand the facts as they are.
We are always chasing after immediate pleasures and stimuli and finally suffer from being caught up in them. If we get caught up in things and obsess about them, we end up suffering all kinds of pain. This is “our biggest problem“.
Buddhavaggo cuddasamo niṭṭhito. buddha-chapter 14th finish
The Buddha chapter is ended.