Parallel Reading (paragraph granularity) of The Buddha's Path of Wisdom-- Dhammapada (Dhp.) Chapter 1. The Pairs; 1. Yamakavaggo (Dhp.1-20)

(Ven. Nārada 01-03) These two parallel verses were uttered by the Buddha on two different occasions to show the inevitable effects of evil and good Kamma respectively.

Man reaps what he has sown in the past or in the present. What he sows now he reaps in the present or in the future at the opportune moment. Man himself is mainly responsible for his own happiness and misery. He creates his own hell and heaven. He is the architect of his own fate. What he makes he can unmake.

Buddhism teaches self-responsibility and the inevitability of the law of cause and effect. What one reaps accords with what one has sown but one is not bound to reap the effects of all that one has sown. If one were, emancipation would become an impossibility.

(Ven. Nārada 01-16) Sàra means the core or essence. Asàra are the unessentials like the necessaries of life, false beliefs, etc. Sàra are the essentials like right beliefs, (sammà diññhi) morality (sãla), concentration (samàdhi), wisdom (pa¤¤à), etc. The essence of the Holy Life cannot be achieved by caring for unessentials.

In the Mahà Sàropama Sutta (Majjhima Nikàya, No. 29) the Buddha has compared the leaves and branches of a tree to gain and fame, the bark to morality, the greenwood to concentration, the fruits to the five kinds of super-intellect (abhi¤¤à) and the core to Arahantship.

(Ven. Nārada 01-28) Sàma¤¤assa = lit. the state of a monk or ascetic, i.e., the Holy life. According to Buddhism learning is of no avail without actual practice.

As such Buddhism is not a mere philosophy, but a unique Path of Enlightenment.

(Ven. Thanissaro V. 1-2) The fact that the word mano is paired here with dhamma would seem to suggest that it is meant in its role as "intellect," the sense medium that conveys knowledge of ideas or mental objects (two possible meanings for the word dhamma). However, the illustrations in the second sentence of each verse show that it is actually meant in its role as the mental factor responsible for the quality of one's actions (as in mano-kamma), the factor of will and intention, shaping not only mental events, but also physical reality (on this point, see SN 35.145 ). Thus, following a Thai tradition, I have rendered it here as "heart."

The images in these verses are carefully chosen. The cart, representing suffering, is a burden on the ox pulling it, and the weight of its wheels obliterates the ox's track. The shadow, representing happiness, is no weight on the body at all.

All Pali recensions of this verse give the reading, manomaya = made of the heart, while all other recensions give the reading manojava = impelled by the heart.

(DLMBS Commentary V003) This verse speaks about the very well known fact, so stressed by the modern psychology. If we succumb to thoughts of injustice done to us, if we always consider ourselves "poor things" that the "strong ones" play with, our suffering and hatred will never disappear, but it will increase, because "they" will feel our insecurity and will enjoy inflicting pain on us even more. "Oh, how could he (or she, for that matter) do this to me? It is so unfair!" By this thinking we will certainly not prevent these things to happen in the future again.

How to deal with this situation is spoken about in the following verse.

(DLMBS Commentary V004) This verse is a "twin verse" of the previous one. If we can not conquer the hatred and suffering by crying and feeling powerless, it is exactly by the absence of such thoughts, that our hatred will disappear and dissolve. And when those people who enjoy making us suffer, see that we are not intimidated and do not give in to their way of thinking, they will eventually stop this kind of behavior.

Indeed, it is said very easily and the majority of people will quickly agree with it, but it is extremely difficult to bring this idea to life. Therefore, we must practice this more often in our daily lives -- and our effort must bear its fruits.

(DLMBS Commentary V005) This pair of verses (DhP 5 and 6) is very close in meaning to the previous pair (DhP 3 and 4). Again, a very simple truth, that most of the religions in the history have stressed again and again. The only cure for hatred is the abstention from it. Never can we stop people from hating us by hating them. In this way, mutual hatred will rise -- often to the point when hatred gives way to violence.

The only way to stop this chain of hatred is to stop hating, of course. As the verse says, this is an eternal law. It was always so and always will be. One can only wish that we could remember this verse in all situations and deal accordingly. How many wars, how much suffering could be easily averted just by taking the advice of this short verse seriously.

(DLMBS Commentary V006) This verse is related to the previous one (DhP 5), even if this relation is not apparent immediately. In DhP 5 we are told that hatred can not be appeased by hatred but only by abstention from hatred. Here it says that some people do not understand this, do not know that we should restrain ourselves, that we should not give in to hatred. Those who realize that, of course, stop their enmity and quarreling, thus stopping hatred completely.

By the word "others" the authors probably meant the people, who do not realize this eternal law (that hatred can be appeased by non-hatred only). The use of the word "here" ("that we should restrain ourselves here") suggests this world, our present situation. It can also point to the previous verse -- then we should understand "here" as "this" (meaning this eternal law of appeasing hatred by non-hatred).

(DLMBS Commentary V008) Here, on the other hand (in contrast to DhP 7) is described the way, how to nourish the roots of meditative life, how to destroy the bad tendencies, how to become immune to Mara, to the evil part of our mind. We must not dwell with our minds only on the pleasant things and indulge in enjoying pleasurable things (asubhānupassiṃ viharantaṃ). Another way to understand this phrase is that we should contemplate the unpleasant things, to understand that there is really nothing to be attached to, that attachment to pleasant things brings about the strength of "Mara", of our bad habits and tendencies.

We must also be well restrained (indriyesu susaṃvutaṃ) in senses and know moderation in food (bhojanamhi ca mattaññuṃ). Thus, senses are guarded, we do not take everything in indiscriminately, and we contemplate on what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. We are not attached to pleasant sense-impressions, we do not hate unpleasant sense-impressions, and we are observant and concentrated and thus able to bring meditation to everyday life.

Important part is also trust (saddhaṃ). Trust in the way, that the Buddha taught us, trust in the methods that are part of the way, trust in the goal that can be reached by following this way. Without this basic trust (which is not blind faith, for it is easily verified, as we go forward on the way) no progress is possible.

We must also be firm in effort (āraddhavīriyaṃ). Effort is of course a basic necessity. We must make an effort to put everything that was said above into our daily lives. It is only by this constant effort, that we are able to progress towards the goal.

If we practice in this way, the roots of meditation will flourish, will become strong and invincible. Eventually, the tree of our practice will bear its fruit, our mind will reach the peaceful state of Nirvana. Mara, the dark side of our mind has no way to influence us, no way to overcome us, just like the wind is not able to blow away a rocky mountain.

(DLMBS Commentary V009) This verse as well as the following one (DhP 10) talks about who is and who is not worthy to wear a monk's robe. One, who did not get rid of defilement (anikkasāvo), who is full of these impurities, who does not know self-control and restraint (dama) and who is far away (apeto) from truth (sacca), does not deserve to wear a yellow robe. Such a person can not call himself a monk, even if he should be dressed in the monk's robe.

As defilement (kasāva) are usually understood so called three roots of evil: lobha (greed), dosa (hatred) and moha (delusion).

(DLMBS Commentary V013) A roof is the most important part of any house. If the roof is not well done, if we try to "cheat" and use cheap material of poor quality, we can be surprised when a strong rain comes. The roof will not be able to hold off the water and it will leak. Everything inside the house then becomes wet instantly - and after the rain we can start building again.

In the same way, the mind is the most important part of the human being. If it is not "well developed", if we have not practiced meditation earnestly, it will also "leak". The passions, hatred and other stuff will enter our mind and make it difficult for us to purify our minds. After one such "rain" we can start "rebuilding" our mind again.

(DLMBS Commentary V014) And (continuing from DhP 13) if the roof on our house is well done, if we have made careful plans and executed them well, if we paid enough attention to the roof, then we do not have to be afraid of any rain, no matter how strong. The roof will hold it and the inside of the house will not become flooded, not even wet.

And in the case of mind, the same rule applies. If we made a conscious decision to develop it, to keep high level of mindfulness and alert, if we sharpen our mind in meditation, all the passions have no way of entering. The "roof" holds and we can concentrate on our main goal -- cleansing the mind, without a need to repair the roof after every light shower.

(DLMBS Commentary V015) Doing evil deeds is a sure way to grief and despair. As we know from modern history, the greatest evildoers of this century (Stalin, Mao, Hitler, etc.) did not have an easy life. Their were troubled personalities, seeing enemies behind every shadow. The amount of evil they created hunted them mercilessly and efficiently.

If we commit an evil deed (a definition of evil deed is that it is an action which harms other living beings in any way -- physical or mental) not only our consciences bothers us (or at least it should, if we are to call ourselves human beings), but it will also bring us a bad rebirth. Thus, when we see our evil deeds, we will grieve both in this life and in the next one.

(DLMBS Commentary V017) This pair of verses (DhP 17 and DhP 18) is closely related to the previous pair (DhP 15 and DhP 16).

Here again, the evildoer is tormented both here and in the next life. Not only does the very idea that he has done evil torment him, but even more grief awaits him in his next life, where he will go to the undesirable states of being -- as an animal, to the hell etc.

(DLMBS Commentary V019) The teacher must act according to his own words. A monk, who talks nice, true words, but his acts are not in accordance with them, does not really share the blessings of monk's life. He is like a hireling, doing work for others.

A cowherd is poor, he usually does not have his own cows, and he just takes others' cows out to the pasture. He does not have a real profit out of his actions. In the same sense, the monk who only talks about the Buddha's teachings, but does not put them into practice himself, does not reap the fruit thereof, is just like the cowherd. Thus he neglects his own practice and as we will soon hear in coming verses, the negligence is not a good path to take.