Maggavaggo : Chapter 20. The Path
Chapter 20 of the Dhammapada is about the magga “path“. People choose the path to follow from many paths in search of ease, but all paths are paths of suffering.
DhP.20-273
Maggānaṭṭhaṅgiko seṭṭho, in-path-eight-constituents best saccānaṃ caturo padā; in-truth four verse Virāgo seṭṭho dhammānaṃ, absence-of-desire best in-dhamma dvipadānañca cakkhumā. in-two legs-and having-insight
In the paths,
the Eightfold Path,
in truth,
the Four Noble Truths
is the highest.
In spirit,
the state of detachment from greed,
in the human being,
a person with insight
is the highest.
explanation
The Buddha taught that there are the Noble Eightfold Path that people should follow to achieve happiness. He also taught the truth about human suffering, the Four Noble Truths.
DhP.20-274
Eseva maggo natthañño, this-just path not-other dassanassa visuddhiyā; seeing for-purity Etañhi tumhe paṭipajjatha, this-really you walk-upon mārassetaṃ pamohanaṃ. mara-this delusion
This is the only path to correct the view.
If you walk this path, you can mislead Mara.
explanation
The eight paths are “right view, right thinking, right words, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right awareness and right concentration“. To “correct the view” means, in this first instance, to develop the ability to “see everything as it is, without prejudice.”
To “mislead Mara” means being liberated from samsara. To do this, it is necessary to walk this path.
DhP.20-275
Etañhi tumhe paṭipannā, this-really you practice dukkhassantaṃ karissatha; suffering-stop does Akkhāto vo mayā maggo, told you by-me path aññāya sallakantanaṃ. well-knowing arrow-pull-out
Practise this path
and put an end to suffering.
This is the path I show you,
as I know how to pull out the arrow.
explanation
The Eightfold Path is the only path to purify the mind and reach nirvana (the final stage of enlightenment), but it is not a difficult path. In particular, the first six paths (views, thoughts, words, actions, livelihood and effort) are morally natural. All you have to do is to keep on doing what is useful and helpful to others, without doing anything that annoys, dislikes or hurts them.
DhP.20-276
Tumhehi kiccamātappaṃ, you-really duty-ardour akkhātāro tathāgatā; one-who-tells pioneer Paṭipannā pamokkhanti, practice release jhāyino mārabandhanā. meditative mara-bound-from
The pioneer only shows the path,
it is you who should practise it diligently.
One who practises the path
is freed from the bondage of Mara.
explanation
For the remaining two paths of the Eightfold Path, “awareness and concentration“, the practice of meditation is essential. Although it is a little more difficult, it is a practice that anyone can easily do, as long as they are serious about it. Despite this, extremely few people make the effort to practise it.
It is the same as saying that no matter how carefully I give directions, if you do not go the way yourself, you can not get to the destination.
DhP.20-277
‘‘Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā’’ti, all phenomena impermanence yadā paññāya passati; when with-wisdom see Atha nibbindati dukkhe, then be-disgusted suffering esa maggo visuddhiyā. this path for-purity
When you see with wisdom that
“all phenomena are impermanent“,
suffering becomes disgusting
and this becomes a path of purification.
explanation
Anicca = impermanence
All phenomena(saṅkhāra) in this world are constantly changing(anicca). The law of nature is that everything is always changing without ceasing.
However, humans do not like change and want to be stable and unchanging all the time. So we resist trying to keep it. But the truth is that the moment we manage to do something, we can never manage it, because it has already changed further into the next phase.
Nevertheless, we try to do something about it, and then suffering arises. This may sound difficult, but it is a very simple fact. It is truth.
DhP.20-278
‘‘Sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā’’ti, all phenomena suffering yadā paññāya passati; when with-wisdom see Atha nibbindati dukkhe, then be-disgusted suffering esa maggo visuddhiyā. this path for-purity
When you see with wisdom that
“all phenomena are suffering“,
suffering becomes disgusting
and this becomes a path of purification.
explanation
Dukkha = suffering
Life, ageing, illness and death, which are the basis of human, are sufferings. Living, ageing, illness and death are things that people cannot avoid. But we want to live without dying, ageing or getting sick all the time.
As we age, our hair turns white, our faces get wrinkled, our teeth get old and fall out, and our bodies slow down. Suffering arises because we don’t want to take these things for changed.
Why do we dislike change?
Moving against suffering is the driving force of human life, because this is the basic system of life.
DhP.20-279
‘‘Sabbe dhammā anattā’’ti, all phenomena not-self yadā paññāya passati; when with-wisdom see Atha nibbindati dukkhe, then be-disgusted suffering esa maggo visuddhiyā. this path for-purity
When you see with wisdom that
“all phenomena are non-self“,
suffering becomes disgusting
and this becomes a path of purification.
explanation
Anatta = non-self
The Buddha says that the cause of all suffering is the mistaken belief that there is an ‘I‘, the self. Suffering arises because we cling to ‘my things, my thoughts and my mind‘, when all things are merely phenomena that keep changing and there is no fixed ‘I‘ in nature.
We think that we have our physical body, that we have a mind within which we think and decide, and that there is an entity called me. But what if you look at it from the perspective of an ant at your feet? What if you look at it from the perspective of people in a country you have never been to?
From the point of view of an ant, you are a phenomenon, no different from a mirage or a shadow, which buzzes around the earth. People you have never met in other countries cannot identify you as an entity. They cannot recognise you, whom they have never seen or heard of. At best, you are part of the concept of the Japanese. You do not exist.
In other words, there are only a very limited number of others who have a common concept and can recognise “me as me“. Moreover, both myself and the people around me who recognise me are all in a constant state of change. Even common concepts are constantly changing and ambiguous.
Just as the water in a river flowing in front of you is always a collection of different waters, human cells are constantly being reborn and replaced. Human beings consist of a body and a mind, but there is no human being with exactly the same body. The mind is also constantly changing, so there is no human being with exactly the same mind.
So there is no fixed entity called ‘I‘. There is only an ambiguous concept.
And yet, because of this attachment to ‘mine, my body, my thoughts‘, suffering is arised.
DhP.20-280
Uṭṭhānakālamhi anuṭṭhahāno, getting-up-when not-getting-up yuvā balī ālasiyaṃ upeto; young powerful sloth equipped-with Saṃsannasaṅkappamano kusīto, inactive-intention-mind slothful paññāya maggaṃ alaso na vindati. by-wisdom path sloth not know
Young and powerful but lazy one
who do not do things when they should do.
One who is not energetic
and lazy in thought and will.
A lazy person cannot find the path through wisdom.
explanation
The nature of the mind always moves towards the less painful and easier way. So it is the nature of the human mind to want to be lazy. And not doing things when you should be doing them is laziness, but resting when you should be resting is not laziness.
DhP.20-281
Vācānurakkhī manasā susaṃvuto, speech-guarding mind well-restrained kāyena ca nākusalaṃ kayirā; by-body and not-bad-action do Ete tayo kammapathe visodhaye, these 3 deed-way cleaning ārādhaye maggamisippaveditaṃ. can-reach path-Buddha-taught
Be careful of your words.
Control the mind for good.
Do not do bad deeds.
If you correct these three acts,
you will attain the path
taught by the Buddha.
explanation
There are three types of actions we can take: acts of the body, words and mind.
The right words: Do not lie. Do not say backbiting or bad words. Not saying harsh words. No gossip or chatter that takes up others’ time.
The right mind: Thoughts without greed, malice such as anger or hatred.
The right deeds: non-violent and do not harm others, not stealing, not having in wanton sexual acts.
DhP.20-282
Yogā ve jāyatī [jāyate (katthaci)] bhūri, meditation really be-born wisdom ayogā bhūrisaṅkhayo; not-meditation wisdom-loss Etaṃ dvedhāpathaṃ ñatvā, this 2-paths having-known bhavāya vibhavāya ca; existence non-existence and Tathāttānaṃ niveseyya, true-self establishe yathā bhūri pavaḍḍhati. like wide grow
Wisdom is born through meditation practice
and without meditation practice wisdom is lost.
Understand these two paths,
arising and passing away,
and establish them through own body
so that wisdom can grow.
explanation
Yoga means to “connect, to strive, to practice“, and is a meditation practice.
‘Arising and passing away‘ does not mean that wisdom arises and passes away, but that we should increase our wisdom by understanding through our physical senses the truth that ‘all phenomena arise and pass away‘.
Intelligence and knowledge can be acquired by understanding with the mind (thinking), but wisdom cannot be gained just by understanding. To gain wisdom, it is necessary to experience it with one’s own body(feeling).
Real understanding (wisdom) is gained by observing the sensations that are ‘arising and passing away‘ on one’s own body and all phenomena (consciousness, perceptions, thoughts and reactions) through insight meditation.
DhP.20-283
Vanaṃ chindatha mā rukkhaṃ, forest cut do-not tree vanato jāyate bhayaṃ; wish be-born fear Chetvā vanañca vanathañca, having-cut woods-and brushwood-and nibbanā hotha bhikkhavo. nirvana exist bhikkus
Fear is born from desire.
Cut down the whole forest,
not only trees.
Cut down the forest and bush of desire.
Bhikkhus,
attain nirvana.
explanation
Fear is felt because the mind is forestalled by desires (greed, lust, wishes, etc.). The teaching is that if we cut off this forest of desires, fear will disappear and you will be free from suffering.
Nirvana = the final stage of enlightenment, liberation.
DhP.20-284
Yāva hi vanatho na chijjati, until really brushwood not cut aṇumattopi narassa nārisu; at-least man for-woman Paṭibaddhamanova tāva so, attached-mind-as so-much he vaccho khīrapakova mātari. calf drinking-milk-as mother
As long as the bush of desire is not cut,
if a man has even the slightest desire for a woman,
his mind is attached to her,
like a calf suckling its mother’s milk.
explanation
Desire is the root of suffering. When we contact an object, we feel the sensation of liking or disliking it (desire or aversion). From these sensations, craving arises, which becomes attachment, and we do things with a bounded mind, which results in suffering.
DhP.20-285
Ucchinda sinehamattano, broke affection kumudaṃ sāradikaṃva [pāṇinā]; white-lotus autumnal as hand Santimaggameva brūhaya, calm-path-only develope nibbānaṃ sugatena desitaṃ. nirvana well-pass wisdom
Take the white lotus of autumn
and destroy desire.
Develop only the path of calm
leading to nirvana as preached by the Buddha.
episode
The elder Sāriputta had one young disciple. The son of a goldsmith, he had grown up seeing only beautiful things, so Sāriputta taught him the meditation technique of observing defilements. However, the disciple never progressed. So Sāriputta took him to see Buddha.
Buddha gave him a beautiful lotus flower. He then placed it before him and told him to meditate on its purity and beauty. He attained uninterrupted concentration and was able to achieve the fourth stage of jhāna.
The Buddha then wilted the lotus flower in an instant. Seeing the flower wither and change its colour in a flash, the disciple realised that everything, beautiful flower and otherwise, is constantly changing. He realised that all phenomena are impermanent, that it is impossible to be satisfied because they change the moment they are satisfied, and that they are insubstantial. At that moment, the Buddha instructed to get rid of craving (taṇhā). Furthermore, the Buddha admonished with this verse.
DhP.20-286
Idha vassaṃ vasissāmi, here rainy-season spend-time idha hemantagimhisu; here winter-summer-for Iti bālo vicinteti, thus immature thinking-over antarāyaṃ na bujjhati. danger not perceive
‘Let’s stay here during the rainy season
and spend the winter and summer here too’
is an ignorant idea.
Without knowing that danger is coming.
episode
Mahādhana was a merchant from Varanasi. One day he came for the festival of Sāvatthi to sell his goods. However, on the way he was flooded and could not cross to Sāvatthi for seven days because the river was swollen. The festival was over before he arrived.
Mahādhana decided to stay at the Sāvatthi for a while and slowly sell his goods.
Seeing him, Buddha smiled. Ananda asked Buddha the reason for the smile. Buddha replied that Mahādhana, not knowing that he was going to die in seven days, was thinking of staying leisurely at Sāvatthi, selling all his goods and then returning home.
Aananda informed Mahādhana that his death was imminent and advised him to listen to Buddha’s teachings and practise mindfulness.
Mahādhana became worried and fearful when he heard that he was about to die. He spent seven days giving alms to Buddha and his disciples and listening to the Dhamma. Then, after hearing this verse from the Buddha, he reached the first stage of enlightenment (sotāpanna) and died. After death, he was reborn in the heavenly realm of Tushita.
DhP.20-287
Taṃ puttapasusammattaṃ, my son-beast-much-delighted byāsattamanasaṃ naraṃ; clinging-mind man Suttaṃ gāmaṃ mahoghova, asleep village flood-as maccu ādāya gacchati. death having-taken go-to
Death takes the man
whose mind is attached to his children and livestock
with his pleasure.
Like a flood sweeps away a sleeping village.
explanation
We are born with nothing. We are just born and exist on the earth without even having an “I“. Then we are immediately named and the concept of ‘I’ is constructed. Then we grow up and have my family and property (livestock in these times are property).
My family and property are important things that bring me contentment. So “I” try to protect it. If “I” get satisfaction in my image, “I” am happy and joyful, but this is not always the case. Not everything that happens around me can be exactly in my image, can it?
If things don’t turn out the way “I” want them to, “I” become boring, “I” don’t like them, and “I” want to somehow make them conform to my image and enjoy the pleasure of it. This is the state of attachment to them. In reality, it is attachment to one’s ideal image.
The important thing “I” try to protect is not my family or the livestock themselves, but my own contentment.
DhP.20-288
Na santi puttā tāṇāya, not calm son shelter na pitā nāpi bandhavā; not father not-too kinsman Antakenādhipannassa, Death-caught-one natthi ñātīsu tāṇatā. not by-kinsman shelter
No one can help the children,
parents or relatives
who are dying.
explanation
The only certain future for human beings is that they will always die. This one thing can never be avoided. Death is a natural fact, but no one wants to admit it.
DhP.20-289
Etamatthavasaṃ ñatvā, this-reason having-known paṇḍito sīlasaṃvuto; wise moral-controlled Nibbānagamanaṃ maggaṃ, nirvana-lead-to path khippameva visodhaye. quick-just cleaning
Knowing this reason,
let the wise man control the mind
with precepts and practise the path
leading to nirvana promptly.
explanation
The only remedy against the fear of death is to practise Buddha’s path. When one has to face death, one cannot get any external help – relatives, friends or the gods. Only by following the path of awareness can one overcome death. This is because when you train your mind in meditation and gain insight (awareness), you will be able to keep your mind calm and peaceful in the face of death and accept the death of yourself and your loved ones without any fear.
Maggavaggo vīsatimo niṭṭhito. path-chapter 20th finish
20. The path chapter is ended.