Bhikkhuvaggo : Chapter 25.
Bhikkhu is a fully ordained disciple of the Buddha. They are ordained ascetics who live on alms and practice liberation, observing sīla (precepts) and vinaya (discipline) and living a pure and right ascetic life.
“Bhikkhu” originally means “beggar“, but Bhikkhus do not beg.
They only stand silently at the door for alms. They receive what is spontaneously given by the supporters.
DhP.25-360
Cakkhunā saṃvaro sādhu, by-eyes restraint good sādhu sotena saṃvaro; good by-ears restraint Ghānena saṃvaro sādhu, by-nose restraint good sādhu jivhāya saṃvaro. good by-tongue restraint
Good to restrain the eyes.
Good to restrain the ears.
Good to restrain the nose.
Good to restrain the tongue.
explanation
We have six sense organs: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. Even when we are silent, information touches our sense organs and we perceive it as an external stimulus. If we did not have the senses to receive these stimuli, we would just be objects. It is only because we have senses that we can say that we are alive. In other words, life is the presence of sensation in an object.
Humans, animals, insects and amoebas are the same. Life continues by automatically perceiving and reacting to stimuli, whether they make an effort or not. If the reaction stops, it is death.
DhP.25-361
Kāyena saṃvaro sādhu, by-body restraint good sādhu vācāya saṃvaro; good by-say restraint Manasā saṃvaro sādhu, by-think restraint good sādhu sabbattha saṃvaro; good everywhere restraint Sabbattha saṃvuto bhikkhu, everywhere restraint bhikkhu sabbadukkhā pamuccati. every-suffering release
Good to restrain the body.
Good to restrain one’s words.
Good to restrain the mind.
Good to exercise self-control in all parts.
The Bhikkhu who restrains himself
in all parts will be free from all suffering.
explanation
Control of all the senses = the six senses (five senses + mind) is one of the basic requirements for beneficial meditation. Without this control, meditation cannot proceed. This is because the input of stimuli from these very six sense organs distracts us from meditation. Bhikkhus must train concentration and awareness in daily life and apply them to meditation practice.
DhP.25-362
Hatthasaṃyato pādasaṃyato, hand-restraint leg-restraint vācāsaṃyato saṃyatuttamo; say-restraint restraint-highest Ajjhattarato samāhito, innor-delight established-in eko santusito tamāhu bhikkhuṃ. alone-pleased they-have-said-bhikkhu
One who is in control of one’s hands, feet and words.
One who is in complete control of himself.
One who has established the mind,
finds inner pleasure
and is content in solitude.
Such a person is called a Bhikkhu.
explanation
As ordained practitioners, bhikkhus have a number of detailed precepts. Some of these precepts relate to limbs, such as not running, not waving loudly when walking and not climbing trees.
Humans, as social beings, prefer to be in groups and dislike solitude, but Bhikkhus are rather content to be solitary. This is because there are no various stimuli from outside and they do not have to bother with their emotions.
People try to find enjoyment by focusing their interest on their outside, but Bhikkhus pay thorough attention to their own mind and enjoy inner pleasures. The enjoyment that comes from the outside is finite, but the enjoyment that comes from within is infinite.
DhP.25-363
Yo mukhasaṃyato bhikkhu, who mouth-restraint bhikkhu mantabhāṇī anuddhato; speaking-wisely not-puffed-up Atthaṃ dhammañca dīpeti, reason truth-and make-clear madhuraṃ tassa bhāsitaṃ. sweet it spoken
Bhikkhus should examine their words
and speak calmly and meaningfully.
Words that speak clearly
of the Dhamma’s reason are sweet.
explanation
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who want to talk more, and those who want to talk as little as possible. There are three points in common with those who want to talk as little as possible.
1: Speak one-sidedly about what they want to say
Words are what a person feels and thinks. The mind is like water. If the coffee ingredients are dissolved, it tastes like coffee. Similarly, if there is a lot of ego in the mind, the person’s speech will be ego-driven and hard to listen to.
2: Harsh in language and tone of voice
This is from self-conceit. If there is a lot of self-conceit in the mind, the person’s speech will be prideful and difficult to listen to.
3: Sarcasm or unnecessary remarks
The words of one with anger in the mind can be offensive. If there is a lot of anger melting in the mind, the person’s speech will be angry and difficult to listen to.
Human beings are connected by language and support each other through language. Words are sounds. The sounds a person makes as a result of the actions it performs can make us like or dislike that person.
The Buddha advised the bhikkhus on how they should speak to others as follows.
- Do not deviate from the theme you have chosen.
- Speak shortly.
- Pronounce words clearly
- Do not raise your voice
- Choose words and phrases that can be understood by the audience
- Make points that are difficult to understand easy to understand by giving examples and episodes.
- Use dignified language.
Words are essential for human beings, but it is difficult to talk to others. This is because words are the mind of each person itself. Talking to people at length cannot be done without training. People who are not trained should try to state only short, to the point.
DhP.25-364
Dhammārāmo dhammarato, Dhammārā delight-of-dhamma dhammaṃ anuvicintayaṃ; dhamma examined Dhammaṃ anussaraṃ bhikkhu, dhamma remember bhikkhu saddhammā na parihāyati. true-dhamma not fall-away
Dhammārāma is familiar with and follows the Dhamma.
The Bhikkhu who has insight into the Dhamma
will not deviate from the correct Dhamma.
episode
Dhammārāma is one of Buddha’s disciples.
When the 80-year-old Buddha informed his disciples that he would soon die, they became depressed and refused to leave his side. But only Dhammārā was different. He did not appear to Buddha.
He had been meditating diligently with the aim of becoming an Arahant by the time the Buddha died. Because he thought that the Buddha’s wish for his disciples is for them to be liberated.
When the Buddha heard this, he said: Sādhu(that’s right), sādhu, sādhu. My son, Dhammā rāma, you are doing very well. A disciple who respects me should act like you. Only those who practise the Dhamma are the ones who truly pay homage to me.
explanation
Dhamma is the truth discovered by the Buddha. This truth is the truth of all life, the law of the universe and an unchanging truth no matter what anyone says. However, worldly truths change with time and culture, and according to human convenience.
In the world of our life, unfair and unreasonable things often happen and trouble us. This is because the worldly truth is not the real truth. So we should live freely according to the real truth (Dhamma), without getting caught up in such small things. But our minds are weak and we easily follow the majority.
DhP.25-365
Salābhaṃ nātimaññeyya, own-gain not-despise nāññesaṃ pihayaṃ care; not-other's-gain envy walk Aññesaṃ pihayaṃ bhikkhu, other's-gain envy bhikkhu samādhiṃ nādhigacchati. concentration not-obtain
Do not make light of what you have gained.
Do not envy others.
Bhikkhus who envy others do not gain concentration.
explanation
Samādhi is the concentration and mental unification achieved through meditation.
If it doesn’t seem like an advantage to you, but you’re working hard at it, that’s perfectly fine. What may not seem like a big deal from one direction can be a great thing from another perspective.
Even if there are no advantages, that’s just the way things are at the moment, and everything changes, so there can’t be no advantages forever.
Envying others is a state in which the consciousness turns outside and does not look at one’s own mind. It is a state of one-sidedly comparing yourself with others and evaluating yourself on your own. Because you are concerned about the outside, you are naturally not concentrating on your own mind.
DhP.25-366
Appalābhopi ce bhikkhu, little-gain-if but bhikkhu salābhaṃ nātimaññati; own-gain not-despise Taṃ ve devā pasaṃsanti, he sure gods praising suddhājīviṃ atanditaṃ. living-a-pure-life not-lazy
Even if gained is little,
the gods will surely praise the Bhikkhu
who does not despise what he has gained,
and lives pure life without neglect.
explanation
Material benefits and comforts should not be important for Bhikkhus. They should not be bound by all material benefits, but concentrate only on spiritual benefits. Material comforts are instead an obstacle to practice.
This does not only apply to ordained practitioners. For anyone who practices the Buddha’s teachings, material wealth is of little importance, only spiritual wealth is of real value.
DhP.25-367
Sabbaso nāmarūpasmiṃ, altogether name-colour yassa natthi mamāyitaṃ; which no cherished Asatā ca na socati, not-existing and not mourn sa ve ‘‘bhikkhū’’ti vuccati. he surely bhikkhu called
One who has no thought of “mine”
in any spirit and matter,
who does not grieve
when “I do not exist”,
is the real Bhikkhu.
explanation
Both nāma (name / mind = spirit) and rūpa (colur / body = matter) are not “objects” but energy flows, nāma (mental flow) rūpa (material flow).
To not be attached to one’s body(matter) and mind(spirit) at all means that one has reached a state where there is no ‘I‘ itself. The non-existence of I means that the distinction between ‘I and the other‘ ceases to exist. This is not a sad but a joyous situation.
DhP.25-368
Mettāvihārī yo bhikkhu, abiding-in-kindliness who bhikkhu pasanno buddhasāsane; clear buddha's-teaching Adhigacche padaṃ santaṃ, attain step calmed saṅkhārūpasamaṃ sukhaṃ. reaction-colour-tranquillity comfortably
A Bhikkhu who is convinced by Buddha’s teachings
and lives with compassion
will attain a state of peace and tranquillity
without reacting to anything.
explanation
‘Living with compassion‘ means living with consideration for other living beings in all situations. It means that people who are ego-driven by nature live as people who live with compassion. It means living altruistically, not selfishly, putting others first.
DhP.25-369
Siñca bhikkhu imaṃ nāvaṃ, bail-water-out this boat sittā te lahumessati; poured-it quick-out this boat Chetvā rāgañca dosañca, cut off desire-and anger-and tato nibbānamehisi. moreover Nirvana-comes
Bhikkhu,
pump water out of the boat.
Then you will become lighter.
Cut off greed and anger
and you will attain Nirvana.
explanation
The boat is the mind. The water is greed and anger. When we are angry at others, our own mind is first filled with anger. Before we hurt others, our own mind is hurt by destructive thoughts. We are unhappy before others. We destroy ourselves with our thoughts.
DhP.25-370
Pañca chinde pañca jahe, five cut-off five giving-up pañca cuttari bhāvaye; five pursue further Pañca saṅgātigo bhikkhu, five attachment-over-come bhikkhu ‘‘oghatiṇṇo’’ti vuccati. overcome-the-flood called
Refuseing the five,
leaving the five,
training the five.
A bhikkhu who has overcome the five attachments
is called a person who has crossed the river.
explanation
The five to refuse and the five to abandon are the 10 fetters.
The five to refuse
1. sakkāya-diṭṭhi : personality-belief
2. vicikicchā : sceptical doubt
3. sīlabbata-paramāsa : clinging to mere rules and ritual
4. kāma-rāga (kāmacchanda) : sensuous craving, sensual desire
5. vyāpāda : ill-will
The five to abandon
1. rūpa-rāga : craving for fine-material existence
2. arūpa-rāga : craving for immaterial existenc
3. māna : conceit
4. uddhacca : excitement
5. avijjā : ignorance
The five to be trained = pañc’ indriya (the Five faculties)
1.saddha : belief
2.sati : mindfulness
3.viriya : effort
4.samadhi : concentration
5.pañña : wisdom
The five attachment
rāga : desire
dosa : anger
moha : ignorance
māna :
diṭṭhi :
DhP.25-371
Jhāya bhikkhu mā pamādo, Meditate bhikkhu don't carelessness mā te kāmaguṇe ramessu cittaṃ; don't you sensual-pleasure enjoy mind Mā lohaguḷaṃ gilī pamatto, Don't metal-ball swallow careless mā kandi ‘‘dukkhamida’’nti ḍayhamāno. don't cried suffer-this-is burning
Bhikkhu,
meditate without neglect.
Be careful that your mind is not driven by the five desires.
Don’t carelessly swallow a burning iron ball
and cry, “I’m in pain!”
explanation
Do you know what it is to live?
The body has five sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body. Five kinds of information – colour, sound, smell, taste and touch – come into contact with them. This is how perception is born and continues. This is living. This happens whether there is a will or not. We can say that we are living naturally.
But in reality, in order to live, we have to choose that information. We have to use our will to select and take in colour, sound, smell, taste and touch. We choose and take in what we want to see, hear, smell, taste and touch, and we cook, build house, work and perform many other actions.
Some aspects of the act of living occur naturally, while others have to be done with intention.
These two types of action are only followed by perception when the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body are in contact with colour, sound, smell, taste and touch. Kāmaguna (5 desires = preferred stimuli) is these colour, sound, smell, taste and touch.
Dependence on colour, sound, smell, taste and touch is a way of life. Life is controlled by greed and fear.
DhP.25-372
Natthi jhānaṃ apaññassa, no meditation non-wisdom paññā natthi ajhāyato ; wisdom no non-meditate Yamhi jhānañca paññā ca, who meditate-and wisdom and sa ve nibbānasantike. he really nirvana-meditate
Wisdomless people do not practise.
Wisdom does not appear to those who do not practise.
Those who gain wisdom through practice
will certainly approach nirvana.
explanation
Wisdom is to appear through insight meditation. It is unfortunately not possible to gain wisdom in any other way. On the other hand, to understand the necessity of meditation, one must first have a little wisdom. That is why most people either don’t start meditating or, if they do, they soon get tired and stop. Only those who have wisdom and are willing to use the wisdom gained through meditation to gain further wisdom can reach the goal of Nirvana.
DhP.25-373
Suññāgāraṃ paviṭṭhassa, empty-place enter santacittassa bhikkhuno; tranquil-mind bhikkhu Amānusī rati hoti, non-human pleasure be sammā dhammaṃ vipassato. rightly truth insight
In a quiet place,
when Bhikkhu calms his mind
and correctly practices insight into Dhamma,
he experiences a joy
that transcends the human level.
explanation
Why is practice necessary?
We think it is because what we experience in meditation is different for each of us. The experience of meditation or anything else is similar but very different: 100 people will have 100 different meditations. So a person’s meditation can only be experienced by that person.
Listen to other people’s experiences, no matter how detailed they are, it doesn’t help. So there is no other way but to find out for oneself.
DhP.25-374
Yato yato sammasati, whenever whenever touch-know khandhānaṃ udayabbayaṃ; 5-groups rise-fall Labhatī pītipāmojjaṃ, get delight-gladness amataṃ taṃ vijānataṃ. deathless he know
Whenever the five groups
that make up the body
are correctly understood
through experience to arise and pass away,
joy and rapture are attained
and deathlessness (nirvana) is known.
explanation
The five groups (khandha) are the elements that make up the human being: the corporeality group (rūpa-kkhandha) = body, the feeling group (vedanā-kkhandha) = sensation, the perception group (saññā-kkhandha) = thought, the mental-formation group (sankhāra-kkhandha) = reaction and the consciousness group ( viññāna-kkhandha) = consciousness‘ that make up human beings.
DhP.25-375
Tatrāyamādi bhavati, there-beginning touch-know idha paññassa bhikkhuno; here wise bhikkhu Indriyagutti santuṭṭhi, senses-keeping contentment pātimokkhe ca saṃvaro. monk's-rules and restraint
Wise Bhikkhus,
the first step to do here is
to pay attention to one’s senses,
to know what is enough,
to observe the Pāṭimokkha.
explanation
The Pāṭimokkha is the basic code of monastic discipline, consisting of 227 rules for fully ordained monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhuṇīs).
There are: not to marry, not to eat food after 12 noon, not to touch money, not to eat food served with one hand, not being alone with women. Theravada Buddhism, the mainstream of Southeast Asian Buddhism, such as in Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, is still strictly observed today.
You may think it is hard and non-free to have 227 precepts, but in fact this is more freedom. You may think that freedom is “following your own will and nature, without compulsion, restraint or control from others”, but ask your mind, “What do I really want to do?” The mind will only think of things that make you unhappy, such as “I want to play, drink, be lazy, want this and that.”
True freedom is ‘a state of being untroubled, calm and without the mind feeling constrained’. A moral way of life makes the mind free, carefree and peaceful. The precepts are there to control the acts of the body and words, to avoid doing wrong and being unhappy.
DhP.25-376
Mitte bhajassu kalyāṇe, friend befriend morally-good suddhājīve atandite; pure-life active Paṭisanthāravutyassa , friendly-behavior ācārakusalo siyā; versed-in-good-manners will-be Tato pāmojjabahulo, therefore happiness-much dukkhassantaṃ karissati. suffering-end will-make
Keep your life pure and righteous
without neglect,
and have good friends.
Be rightly disciplined in your actions
and behave amicably.
Then you will have much happiness
and end suffering.
explanation
What kind of friend is a good friend?
It is not a friendly and agreeable friend. A good friend is someone who cares about you, who makes you a better person. A good friend is a good example and helps you on the path to awakening. When you associate with good friends, you can grow day by day. Bad friends only drag you down and lead you towards bad habits and laziness.
So, a good friend would be someone who is honest, simple and unselfish, and who lives calmly, cheerfully and correctly, no matter what happens. To learn from good friends, it is also important to be polite and to follow them honestly.
If a good friend points out a mistake with good intentions, we must accept it with a flexible attitude, without preconceived notions or stereotypes, and without being stubborn or arguing back.
DhP.25-377
Vassikā viya pupphāni, jasmine like flower maddavāni pamuñcati; there-beginning touch-know Evaṃ rāgañca dosañca, thus desire-and anger-and vippamuñcetha bhikkhavo. free-oneself-from bhikkus
As jasmine flowers wilt and fall.
Bhikkhus,
Drop your greed and anger
and be free.
explanation
Jasmine flowers are small, white and exotically fragrant. They start to bloom in the evening and give off a sweet fragrance at midnight, but they are short-lived and the white petals wilt to brown and fall off to the ground.
This is the teaching that just as the petals of a wilting flower fall off, so Bhikkhus should also be free from the defilements of the mind (greed and anger).
DhP.25-378
Santakāyo santavāco, calmed-body calmed-word santavā susamāhito; calm well-restrained Vantalokāmiso bhikkhu, leave-worldly-material bhikkhu ‘‘upasanto’’ti vuccati. calm called
Calm in action,
calm in speech,
calm and quiet in mind.
Bhikkhu,
who has left the world behind,
is called ‘a calm and quiet person’.
explanation
The Buddha spoke of this verse and said, “All Bhikkus should behave in this way. Like a lion, Bhikkus should be calm and quiet“.
DhP.25-379
Attanā codayattānaṃ, oneself admonish paṭimaṃsetha attanā; reflect-on oneself So attagutto satimā, he self-guarded mindful sukhaṃ bhikkhu vihāhisi. happy bhikkhu will-live
Self-disciplined and self-reflective.
Mindfulness and protects himself.
Such a Bhikkhu will live happily.
explanation
If you take a close look at your mind, you will find yourself helpless, sloppy and indecisive. It is a foolish self full of dirty thoughts. It is a self that you want to pretend you didn’t see it as it is. Everyone is like that.
However, only you can help yourself. No one else can check you. You have to remind yourself and keep a hard check on yourself. That is ‘sati = mindfulness‘. If you are aware, you will protect yourself. Every moment and moment you find yourself defiled, instead of pretending not to see it, you realise it. In this way, your personality will gradually improve.
DhP.25-380
Attā hi attano nātho, oneself only own master Attā hi attano gati; oneself only own career Tasmā saṃyamamattānaṃ, therefore self-control-like assaṃ bhadraṃva vāṇijo. be good-horse trader
You are your own master and protector.
Train your own mind
as a trader trains his horse.
explanation
You are the one who decides your own life. There is no special force that intervenes from somewhere to bring us happiness. We create it moment by moment through our actions (acts of the body), words (acts of speech) and thoughts (acts of the mind). So we must control our mind and tame it like a horse. Then the mind will be well behaved and happy.
DhP.25-381
Pāmojjabahulo bhikkhu, joy-much bhikkhu pasanno buddhasāsane; belive buddha's-teaching Adhigacche padaṃ santaṃ, attained step calm saṅkhārūpasamaṃ sukhaṃ. phenomena-stop peace
The joyful Bhikkhu is convinced of the Buddha’s teachings,
stops the phenomena in the mind
and attains a state of peace and tranquillity.
explanation
What exactly is joy?
General joy is when the mind is stimulated by information entering through the eyes ears nose tongue and body, making it feel happy and joyful. When joy arises, the mind becomes active and motivated.
The source of this pleasure is the stimulation from the five desires: colour, sound, smell, taste and touch. However, this stimulation is not sustainable and always gets bored. Even beautiful things become boring if you keep looking at them. If you keep listening to the same song, you will get bored. If you keep smelling the same fragrance, you stop smelling it. If you keep having a pleasant massage, you will also get tired of it.
As the stimulation obtained from the five desires is unsatisfactory, we fantasise in order to compensate for the stimulation. By repeatedly fantasising about what we see, hear, smell, eat and feel, we keep our minds stimulated. There are two types of these fantasies: enjoyable and not-so-enjoyable. Pleasant fantasies produce greed, while unpleasant fantasies produce aversion, which becomes anger.
This delusions is the ‘phenomena of the mind = saṅkhāra‘. If we practise the Buddha’s teachings, we can stop the mind from reacting and creating delusions. It is very easy and simple, but it is not possible. Something inevitably comes to mind. But if we do not give up and practise this thoroughly, it becomes more and more enjoyable.
DhP.25-382
Yo have daharo bhikkhu, person surely young bhikkhu yuñjati buddhasāsane; join-with buddha's-teaching Somaṃ lokaṃ pabhāseti, he-this world illumine abbhā muttova candimā. cloud free-as moon
Even at a young age,
Bhikkhu practising the Buddha’s teachings
illuminate the world
as the moon freed from the clouds.
explanation
Age is not a factor in practising the Dhamma diligently.
Bhikkhuvaggo pañcavīsatimo niṭṭhito. Bhikkhu-chapter 25th finish
25. The Bhikkhu chapter is endrd.
This concludes the translation of the Dhammapada. Please note that the final chapter, Chapter 26, will not be published. Thank you so much for reading.