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Mahāyāna — Northern Canon · Linh Sơn Vietnamese Mahāyāna Canon
法集要頌經
Chinese title:法集要頌經
📖6,613 words · ~26 min read
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Interpreted by Inti AI (English)
🪷 AI interpretation
CHAPTER 1: IMPERMANENCE
[1]Having rightly awakened from afflictions,One should give rise to joy.Now hear this collection I have compiledOf Dharma verses proclaimed by the Buddha.
[2]Thus did the Buddha, the World-Honored One,The Teacher endowed with omniscience,Out of compassion for sentient beings,Expound true words far and wide.
[3]All conditioned phenomena are impermanent;They are subject to arising and decline.Once arisen, they must cease;Quiescent cessation is the highest bliss.
[4]As when a torch blazes,Illuminating a place of darkness,If the torch of wisdom is not kindled,One remains ever veiled by afflictions.
[5]The human body is like a vesselWhose parts will scatter everywhere;Its bones are pale as pigeons.Look—what joy is there in this?
[6]As in the early part of night,Consciousness enters the mother's womb;Day by day it undergoes myriad changes,And what has passed never returns.
[7]At dawn one sees auspicious things,Yet by evening they are seen no more.Yesterday one still saw that person;Who knows whether they remain this evening?
[8]Glory and splendor may blaze brilliantly,But impermanence arrives without warning.It makes no distinction between noble and lowly;All are ever pursued by the lord of death.
[9]Some die within their mother's womb,Some die at the moment of birth;Even the strong cannot escape,While the aged must submit and endure.
[10]Whether old or still a child,Or one in the prime of life,All are continually assailed by death;How could one not be afraid?
[11]Life is like fruit ripening by itself,Ever in danger of falling.Whatever is born must surely die;Who can ever be exempt?
[12]It is like a potterMixing clay and shaping vessels:All of them will eventually break apart;Human life is just the same.
[13]As one who plucks a luteAnd produces myriad wondrous tones:When the strings break, all sound falls silent;Human life is just the same.
[14]It is like a prisoner condemned to death,Bound and dragged through the city;However he struggles, he is soon slain.Human life is just the same.
[15]Like the swift current of a river,Flowing downstream and never back,Human life is also thus:Once gone, it never returns.
[16]Many afflictions gather to form this body;From birth it undergoes much suffering.Human life is also thus:Old age and death forever lie in wait.
[17]One expends immeasurable effortAnd labors a lifetime to attain things,Yet they are like a staff striking water:The gap opens briefly, then closes again.
[18]As a herdsman holding a whipTends cattle and lets them graze,So do old age and death:They rear beings, then carry them away.
[19]Ordinary people who wish to establish virtueMust not be heedless by day or night.Having gained birth in a human body,They should single-mindedly contemplate impermanence.
[20]Long is the night for one who cannot sleep;Long is the road for one who is weary.Fools wander endlessly through samsara,Not knowing the Buddha's true Dharma.
[21]“I have wealth; I have children”—Thus the fool is forever troubled.Even this self does not belong to oneself;How much less wealth and children?
[22]Not one in hundreds of thousands,No matter how rich or noble,Who hoards and stores possessions,Can keep anything from decay.
[23]Wealth is not the treasure of the noble ones;It is ever pursued by impermanence.The wealthy are like those born blind,Unable to contemplate for themselves.
[24]Gatherings end in separation;Whatever rises high must fall.All who are born must die;Sentient beings are also thus.
[25]Those who do evil fall into hell;Those who do good are born in heaven.Whoever skillfully cultivates virtue,Exhausting the outflows, attains quiescent cessation.
[26]Buddhas and bodhisattvas,Pratyekabuddhas and shravakas,Even they relinquish conditioned bodies;How much more so other sentient beings?
[27]Though one enters the sea or dwells in the sky,Though one ascends to the summit of a rocky mountain,There is nowhere at allWhere one may escape death.
[28]Whether in the present,The past, or the future,All conditioned phenomenaUltimately come to complete cessation.
[29]The wise, freed from bonds,Ever contemplate with right mindfulnessAnd reflect upon the path free from outflows;Such are truly wise ones.
[30]Prisoners tightly boundLong to escape, but to no avail;They are also like an aged cartThat before long will decay.
[31]Beauty and form grow old,Yet one clings to the prison of household life,Unaware that death approaches;What fool can comprehend this?
[32]Though one lives a hundred years,Death still follows close behind.Old age and sickness continually oppress,And calamities reach into the life to come.
[33]The frailty of age entwines the body;Day and night one suffers greatly.There are a thousand kinds of bitterness,Like a fish cast into burning ashes.
[34]Rivers and streams flow without cease,Rushing onward and never returning.Though one cherishes this body of foul pus,It will not remain forever.
[35]The four great elements gather to form the body,Impermanent and unable to endure.When the earth element disintegratesAnd consciousness departs, what use is it then?
[36]This body has many afflictions,Is filled with foul pus, and is ever diseased.Fools deludedly cherish and preserve it,Yet do not seek quiescent cessation.
[37]Though this year still remains,Winter and summer do not linger long.Ordinary people crave sensual pleasureAnd feel no fear amid it.
[38]Parents and siblings,Wives, children, and relatives—When impermanence comes to lead one away,No one is able to save them.
[39]Thus do sentient beingsGive rise to thoughts craving glory and splendor.Bound by impermanence, age, and sickness,They do not understand the suffering of birth.
[40]Having shaved the head and become a bhikshu,One should cultivate calm and insight.Then Mara cannot discern one's course,And, ending birth, one crosses to the further shore.
CHAPTER 2: CRAVING AND DESIRE
[1]The root of sensual desireArises from deluded thought.If the mind does not conceive such thoughts,Craving and desire will not arise.
[2]From desire arise afflictions;From desire arises fear.Freed from desire, one gains liberation,Without fear and without affliction.
[3]From craving arise afflictions;From craving arises fear.Freed from craving, one gains liberation,Without fear and without affliction.
[4]The fruit is sweet at first, then bitter;Craving and desire are also thus.Later one suffers in hell,Burning for countless kalpas.
[5]Fools are deluded by craving and desire,Fondly attached to wives and children.Bound by defiled affection,They find these firm bonds hard to leave.
[6]Noble sages abandon craving and desire,The adornments of the circle of kin.Leaving wives and children far behind,With a concentrated mind they skillfully benefit themselves.
[7]Sensual desire is difficult to escape;Abandoning desire is true renunciation.Not coveting the enjoyment of pleasures,The wise remain free from craving.
[8]Worldly people crave sensual pleasuresAnd give no thought to anything else.Whoever skillfully subdues them—That person has truly abandoned desire.
[9]Whoever continually craves sensual pleasuresIs bound and finds liberation difficult.Only through wisdom and skillful discernmentAre afflictions cut off and prevented from arising.
[10]Right mindfulness is continually aroused;In tranquility, evil is easily removed.Restraining oneself through the Dharma of precepts,One commits no transgression, and goodness increases.
[11]Whoever continually craves sensual pleasuresWill keep company with fools.Through mindfulness, concentration, and diligence,One progressively attains freedom from outflows.
[12]Cultivating calm and insight for even one thought-moment,One skillfully abandons every stain of wrongdoing.Pride is naturally extinguished,And liberation's peace and bliss are attained.
[13]If one does not cut off desire,It is like skin touching a flame.One thought-moment burns everything away,And one undergoes punishment for countless kalpas.
[14]A bhikshu must guard against sensual pleasure;Heedlessness brings abundant sorrow.If craving and desire are abandoned,Right mindfulness brings peace and joy.
[15]Without disenchantment, how can one know contentment?Without contentment, how can there be happiness?Without happiness, how can craving arise?With craving, how can there be happiness?
[16]Tranquil, with wisdom complete,One increases the path free from outflows.Craving is never satisfied;Those who act contrary to Dharma die before their time.
[17]Seeing forms, the mind becomes deludedAnd does not contemplate impermanence.Fools regard them as beautiful,Not knowing they are unreal.
[18]Fools, bound by craving,Do not aspire to reach the further shore.Through greed for wealth and through attachment,They harm others and also themselves.
[19]The pleasures of the worldAre very slight indeed.Compared with pleasures in the heavens,They fall short a thousand myriad times.
[20]Even if the mountains became gold,As abundant as Mount Cakravada,They would not satisfy a greedy person;Only the Perfectly Awakened One understands this.
[21]All the painful consequences of the worldArise from sensual desire.The wise skillfully subdue it;One should train in this way.
CHAPTER 3: GREED AND DESIRE
[1]Greed readily manifests,Causing sentient beings doubt and anxiety.If thoughts of greed increase further,Their bonds become still more secure.
[2]Abandon greed and contemplate skillfully;Then anxiety and doubt are ended.Relinquish that greed and craving,And the constricting bonds dissolve by themselves.
[3]The net of desire winds itself around one;The canopy of craving covers one over.Indulgence binds one within a prison,Like a fish entering the mouth of a trap.Old age and death continually oppress,Like a calf longing for its mother's milk.
[4]Whoever heedlessly indulges desireIs like an ape encountering fruit trees.Thoughts of greed grow ever stronger;After departing, one returns again.
[5]One soaked through by cravingLets thoughts spread ever farther.Craving and desire are a bottomless depth;Old age and death only increase.
[6]Greed gives rise to false speech;Greed gives rise to stinginess.If one distinguishes these with wisdom,Right contemplation brings peace and bliss.
[7]Because of greed, one undergoes birth and death,Roving about in pursuit of sensual pleasure.Sentient beings lack the eye of wisdomAnd cannot contemplate for themselves.
[8]Deluded fools cling to greed and desire;How can those sunk in samsara understand?If they practice even for a brief moment,Mara cannot discern their course.
[9]Greed and desire are difficult to relinquish,Like a calf affectionately attached to its mother.Abandoning greed, one escapes samsara;Abandoning greed, one gains liberation.
[10]Greed increases disputes;Craving increases slander.A bhikshu who cultivates calm and insightRealizes the path of quiescent cessation.
[11]Thoughts of greed are like fertile fields;Meeting wind and rain, they swiftly grow.If greed and craving are abandoned,Afflictions cannot invade.
[12]When greed and desire are but slight,Like water falling upon a lotus leaf,Those afflictions are easily removed;Only then is one called wise.
[13]If a tree is cut but not its root,Though cut down, it grows again.If greed is not severed at the root,Though destroyed, it will arise again.
[14]Greed and desire are like cultivating a field,Tending and fertilizing accumulated defilements.If the shoots of craving are not uprooted,Wholesome fruit will not endure.
[15]The greedy mind and the craving mind,When distinguished, have roots that are not two.All who do evil undergo suffering;Why does the mind not repent?
[16]The nature of greed serves as the seed;The nature of craving receives the embryo.Sentient beings remember without cease,And in coming and going find them hard to leave.
[17]Devas and human beingsRemain in existence dependent upon craving.When craving comes, bonds follow;They do not cease for even one thought-moment.Once it has passed, sorrow arises;Only upon entering prison does one understand.
[18]Conditions of craving flow without cease;The five faculties are veiled by desire's net.Branches and leaves increase thirst and hunger;The suffering of craving forever grows.
[19]It is like making an arrow oneselfThat turns back and wounds one's body.The arrow of the mind is also thus;The arrow of craving harms sentient beings.
[20]Whoever skillfully understands in this wayThe suffering of craving throughout the three realms,Free from desire and conceptual thought—That bhikshu transcends the world.
Whoever skillfully understands in this wayThe suffering of craving throughout the three realms,Free from desire and conceptual thought—That bhikshu's mind is fixed in mindfulness.
CHAPTER 4: HEEDLESSNESS
[1]The precepts are the path to the deathless;Heedlessness is the path to death.Those without greed do not die;Those who lose the path destroy themselves.
[2]The wise practice the supreme pathAnd are forever free from heedlessness.They rejoice through freedom from greed;The bliss of Dharma arises from this.
[3]Reflecting and ever mindful of the path,They courageously cultivate right conduct.The noble person transcends the world;No blessing is greater than this.
[4]Forever restraining one's own heedlessnessAnd skillfully eliminating it, one becomes a noble sage.Having ascended the tower of wisdom,One leaves danger and immediately finds safety.
[5]The wise regard foolsAs a mountain regards the earth below.With right mindfulness, they abandon arrogance;The wise cultivate lucid wisdom.
[6]Diligent and free from heedlessness,One restrains and disciplines one's mind.From wisdom arises luminous concentration,And one no longer falls into the abyss.
[7]Right mindfulness is continually aroused;Through purity, evil is easily destroyed.Restraining oneself in accordance with Dharma,One does not transgress, and one's good name spreads.
[8]Be single-minded and do not be heedless;Practice the Buddha's precepts.Then one will forever be free from sorrow and suffering,And every distracted thought will cease.
[9]Do not approach phenomena with outflows;Do not associate with heedlessness.Do not plant the root of wrong views;Do not commit evil in the world.
[10]Through right view, training in the path increases;Wisdom illuminates the world.Blessings arise for hundreds of thousands of lives,And one never falls into an evil realm.
[11]Heedless people who practiceAre like fools gathered together.Those of right contemplation are undistracted,Like a wealthy lord guarding treasure.
[12]Do not crave and do not contend;Nor should you covet sensual pleasures.When the mind is not heedless,Great peace and happiness are attained.
[13]When the mind is not unrestrained,The outflows are exhausted and the mind is liberated.Mara takes advantage of heedlessness,As a lion pounces upon a deer.
[14]Heedlessness entails four things:One delights in violating another's spouse,Meets disaster and gains no merit,Is reviled, and lust increases.
[15]Without merit, one falls into evil realms;One fears evil and gains but little pleasure.The law punishes adultery,And after death one falls into hell.
[16]The original nature does not act by itself;The six faculties do not act by themselves.Fools, unconcerned about the deviant path,Exert themselves in seeking it.
[17]The wise are like a bright lamp;In darkness, one sees by a torch's light.The learned guide the people of the world,As one with sight guides the blind.
[18]If one's deeds are unwholesome,One is like a person without eyes,Walking upon a difficult road,A perilous path filled with terror.
[19]If wholesome qualities increase,The hosts of Mara find no opportunity.Exhausting the outflows, one realizes quiescent cessation;Only then does one attain the true fruit.
[20]If evil qualities increase,The hosts of Mara continually seize their chance.One loses the path of quiescent cessationAnd undergoes suffering without end.
[21]One is called a bearer of DharmaNot because one recites much.Though one may have heard only a little,One personally practices in accordance with Dharma.
[22]Though one recites many scriptures,If heedless and not practicing the Dharma,One is like a man counting another's cattle,And can hardly attain the fruit of a shramana.
[23]If, upon hearing abuse, one patiently endures,Those who honor the Dharma will praise one.Eliminating greed, anger, and delusion,One attains the fruit of a shramana.
[24]Praise those who are diligent;Reprove those who are heedless.One will continually gain the blessings of devas and humans,The supreme and most excellent blessings.
[25]Whoever is free from heedlessnessIs continually praised by the wise.Their wholesome deeds increase,Skillfully giving rise to wholesome qualities.
[26]Whoever remains heedlessPerforms deeds without benefit.When the six faculties rest, unmoving,Only then is one called wise.
[27]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Heedlessness brings much sorrow.You shall escape the peril of the deep sea,As an elephant emerges from the mud.
[28]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Heedlessness brings much sorrow.Cast off all evil qualities,As the wind blows down leaves.
[29]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Heedlessness brings much sorrow.The fetters bind and constrain,As fire consumes dry wood.
[30]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Heedlessness brings much sorrow.Study the Dharma in proper sequenceAnd completely eradicate every fetter.
[31]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Heedlessness brings much sorrow.Discern the meaning and distinguish each phrase;In tranquility, abide forever in peace.
[32]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Heedlessness brings much sorrow.When afflictions have been eliminated,One gains the peace and bliss of quiescent cessation.
[33]Do not allow heedlessness to arise;Wholesome qualities should be cultivated.In this life and the life to come,Those who practice Dharma gain peace and joy.
[34]Do not allow heedlessness to arise;Discipline afflictions yourselves.Diligently cultivate and study wholesome qualities,And you will certainly attain quiescent cessation.
[35]When heedlessness increases,It does not cease for even one thought-moment.At life's end, one falls into hell,Where suffering does not cease for even one thought-moment.
[36]Forgetfulness and heedlessness,Failure to maintain dignified conduct,And indulgence in sleep are not conducive to the path;These things will become obstructions.
[37]Always avoid evil things;Do not allow them to cause destruction.Because the mind is continually disciplined,Its dust and defilements are eliminated.
[38]Bhikshus, be vigilant;Uphold the precepts and do not violate them.Skillfully guard your own mindsIn this life and in the life to come.
[39]Bhikshus, do not be heedless;Having renounced home, obey the Buddha's words.Amid ascetic practice, remember impermanence,As an elephant leaves a lotus pond.
[40]Rely upon this treasury of Dharma and discipline;Do not let the mind become heedless.Destroy the cycle of birth and death,And suffering will forever be eradicated.
CHAPTER 5: AFFECTION
[1]Affection gives rise to anxiety;Affection gives rise to fear.If affection does not exist,How could anxiety and fear arise?
[2]From craving arises anxiety;From craving arises fear.If thoughts of craving are abandoned,The maddened, deluded mind is cast away.
[3]Ordinary people are forever sorrowful;Life holds much bitterness.All arises from thoughts of affectionate attachment;Without such thoughts, there would be no anxiety.
[4]Therefore, do not give rise to such thoughts,For thought increases evil.When constricting bonds have been removed,In freedom from thought, such thoughts do not arise.
[5]Right mindfulness serves as skillful means;Without meaning, expedient means are not revealed.When expedient wisdom enters the great meaning,One naturally becomes foremost and honored.
[6]One should not be entangled in affection,Nor should one harbor hatred.Not meeting those one loves brings anxiety;Seeing those one hates brings sorrow.Amid such sorrow and anxiety,Wholesome roots are destroyed.
[7]Thoughts of affection extend into future lives,Toward friends and relatives.Throughout the long night, one grieves and worries;How painful separation is!
[8]Perceptions of form and beautiful appearance—Devas dwelling in those realmsEnjoy pleasure, yet it too comes to an end,And they are again pursued by the lord of death.
[9]Whoever, both day and night,Destroys thoughts of attachment to formUproots their deepest rootAnd does not tread the road to death.
[10]The unwholesome is declared wholesome;Sensual craving is declared not to be craving.Whoever clings to formIs misled by heedlessness.
[11]Whoever thinks of sensual pleasureYet does not wish to associate with evilWill find this difficult to accomplish,For sensual pleasure is the root of evil.
[12]Whoever wishes to guard their thoughtsShould skillfully protect themselves,As one guards a fortified cityWith a deep moat and solid walls.
[13]Whoever wishes to guard their thoughtsMust remain secure even in concealment,As one defends a cityMade secure both within and without.
[14]Skillfully guard yourselves,And later you will have no regret.Distraction gives rise to sorrow;In an instant, one falls into hell.
[15]Though one searches everywhere,One will find no oneWho does not cherish their own lifeAnd regard themselves as dear.Therefore, do not harm others.
[16]All fear death;None are unafraid of pain.Taking oneself as an example,Do not strike or kill.
[17]As when someone who has journeyed longReturns safely from afar,Their relatives come forth to welcome them,Warmly rejoicing at their return.
[18]Whoever skillfully cultivates merit and virtue,Going from this world to the next,Personally receives meritorious bliss,As relatives come forth in welcome.
[19]Practice according to the noble teachingAnd prevent what is unwholesome.Honor and cherish those near the path;Do not be intimate with those far from it.
[20]The right path may be near or far,And dwelling places accordingly differ.Those near the path are born in heaven;Those far from it fall into hell.
[21]Upholding the Dharma, accomplished in precepts,Sincere in faith and delighting in cultivation—Whoever skillfully guards the preceptsIs honored, cherished, and loved by others.
[22]The reason one is honored and lovedLies entirely in wholesome deeds.In this life one gains a good name;In the next one is born in heaven.
[23]Always uphold and practice the teaching;Put an end to acts contrary to Dharma.Be mindful of good people;Keep far away from evil people.
[24]Good people and evil people—What is the difference between the two?Good people are born in heaven;Evil people fall into hell.
CHAPTER 6: UPHOLDING THE PRECEPTS
[1]The wise who skillfully guard the preceptsWill receive three blessed rewards:Wholesome benefit, a renowned good name,And birth in heaven at life's end.
[2]One should seek out those who uphold the precepts;By guarding the precepts, wisdom arises.Accomplishing right knowledge and view,They gain wholesome peace and joy.
[3]Upholding the precepts brings peace and blissAnd keeps the body free from distress.At night one lies down calmly and peacefully;Upon waking, one is ever joyful.
[4]The precepts continually bring peace and joy;Observing them brings security.Luminous wisdom is a person's greatest treasure;Merit and virtue cannot be taken away.
[5]What is supremely wholesome?What cultivation brings peace and bliss?What is most precious?What cannot be taken away?
[6]Virtuous conduct is supremely wholesome;Upholding the precepts brings peace and bliss.Wisdom is most precious;Merit and virtue cannot be taken away.
[7]Observe the precepts and practice generosity;Cultivate merit and develop fields of merit.Passing from here to the further shore,One continually arrives at a place of peace and joy.
[8]A bhikshu establishes the virtue of precepts,Guards and restrains all the faculties,Knows moderation in food and drink,And keeps the mind attuned in sleeping and waking.
[9]The mind remains ever wakeful;Morning and evening, one diligently trains.Exhausting the outflows, the mind is liberated,And one attains the path of quiescent cessation.
[10]The wise observe the prohibitory preceptsAnd single-mindedly cultivate wisdom.A bhikshu free from feverish afflictionEliminates every suffering and pain.
[11]Using the precepts to subdue the mind,One guards the intention of right concentration.Single-mindedly cultivating calm and insight,One does not forget; this is right wisdom.
[12]Remove completely every stain of wrongdoing;Uproot them all and do not give rise to doubt.Throughout life, seek the Dharma of precepts;Do not depart from noble mindfulness.
[13]Precepts, concentration, wisdom, and liberationShould be skillfully contemplated.When dust and defilement have all been abandoned,The calamities of the three realms are destroyed.
[14]Liberated from every bond,With delusion completely destroyed,One transcends all realms of MaraAnd shines like the sun.
[15]Pride and mad delusionMust be kept far away by bhikshus.Cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom;Be diligent and never depart from them.
[16]Having ceased to be heedless oneself,One should not dwell upon phenomena with outflows.Therefore, relinquish the skandhas and hindrances;In this way, there will be no obstruction.
[17]A bhikshu who observes the prohibitory precepts—Whoever continually trains in this way—Proceeds directly into quiescent cessationAnd swiftly attains a purified mind.
[18]
The fragrance of flowers does not travel against the wind,
Nor does the scent of hibiscus or sandalwood;
But the fragrance of virtue travels against the wind,
And the fragrance of the virtuous spreads everywhere.
[19]The scent of fragrant wood and sandalwood,And the fragrance of the blue lotus flower—Though truly sweet when smelled,Cannot equal the fragrance of moral virtue.
[20]Whoever diligently upholds the precepts,Pure and free from heedlessness,Is liberated through right wisdom;That is a place of peace and joy.
[21]This path is supreme;Meditative concentration dispels deviant Maras.The virtue of noble sages is difficult to fathom;They penetrate the Noble Eightfold Path.
CHAPTER 7: CULTIVATING GOODNESS
[1]Eliminate evil bodily conduct;Guard yourself through right conduct.Whoever guards bodily karmaAlways cultivates wholesome deeds with the body.
[2]Eliminate evil speech;Guard yourself through right speech.Whoever guards verbal karmaAlways speaks gentle words.
[3]Eliminate evil thoughts;Guard yourself through right mindfulness.Whoever guards mental karmaAlways keeps wholesome thoughts in mind.
[4]Abandon bodily evil;Abandon verbal evil;Also abandon mental evilAnd every unwholesome phenomenon.
[5]Always perform wholesome deeds with the body;Always speak wholesome words;Always keep wholesome thoughts in mind;Free from desire, purify all outflows.
[6]Always perform wholesome deeds with the body;The karma of speech and mind should be likewise.In this life and the life to come,One will forever be born in good destinations.
[7]With loving-kindness, do not kill or harm;Always skillfully restrain bodily karma.This is the deathless state,A destination free from calamity.
[8]With loving-kindness, do not kill or harm;Guard verbal and mental karma.This is the deathless state,A destination free from calamity.
[9]If the body formerly committed evil,One should feel remorse oneself.Now let the body be free from heedlessness;When wisdom arises, wrongdoing is destroyed.
[10]If verbal karma formerly created evil,One should feel remorse oneself.Now, if one speaks no falsehood,When wisdom arises, wrongdoing is destroyed.
[11]If the mind formerly created evil,One should feel remorse oneself.Now let the mind remain ever pure;When wisdom arises, wrongdoing is destroyed.
[12]Carefully guard the body;Carefully guard speech;Carefully guard the mind;Guard all fetters likewise.This is the deathless state,A destination free from calamity.
[13]Excellent is the skillful guarding of the body;Excellent is the skillful guarding of speech;Excellent is the skillful guarding of the mind;Excellent is the guarding of all.A bhikshu who guards allSkillfully removes every suffering and affliction.
[14]Guard speech and purify the mind;Let the body never commit evil.Skillfully purify these three kinds of karma;This is the path taught by the Great Sage.
CHAPTER 8: SPEECH
[1]False speech brings one near to hell:One acts, yet claims one did not.Both offenses are suffered afterward;That karma itself drags one away.
[2]Whoever continually harbors an evil heartCarries an axe within the mouth;Thus one cuts down oneselfBy speaking evil words.
[3]Teaching the Dharma brings people joy;Such words contain immeasurable meaning.Though I may be humiliated and wronged,I am not ashamed of this observance.
[4]Praising evil and extolling wicked deeds—Both are themselves evil.A tongue that delights in contentionWill certainly know no peace afterward.
[5]Contending to seize a trifling gainIs like losing hidden treasure.From this, disputes ariseAnd turn the mind toward evil paths.
[6]Whoever slanders noble sagesAnd utters evil vows in speech and thoughtWill fall into freezing hellsFor hundreds of thousands of lifetimes.
[7]Without the path, one falls into evil realmsAnd increases one's suffering in hell.Abandon delusion and cultivate patient endurance;With right mindfulness, one does not transgress.
[8]If one relies upon an inner treasury of wealthAnd lives dependent upon noble sages,Yet creates wrong views,That fool falls into evil realms.
[9]Having now lost the assembly of wholesome Dharma,Though one establishes vows and seeks it,One will never behold the Four Noble Truths,Much less see the ultimate goal.
[10]When bamboo and reeds bear dry fruit,It turns back and destroys their own bodies.Let your speech be wholesome;Do not speak cruel and evil words.
[11]Doing good brings liberation;Doing evil brings bondage.Understanding thoroughly, one becomes a noble sage;This is freedom from affliction.The understanding of noble sages is unlikeThe understanding attained by fools.
[12]A bhikshu restrains the mindAnd does not speak hastily.When meaning and principle accord with Dharma,Such words are sweet and gentle.
[13]Words of right teaching are foremost;Words of Dharma and meaning are second;Words of loving-kindness are third;Words of sincerity and truth are fourth.
[14]Whoever uses speech skillfullyWill surely incur no calamity,Nor come into conflict with others;This is skillful speech.
[15]Speech should accord with one's intentionAnd also bring joy to others.Do not cause minds to turn toward evil;Let your words inspire trust and happiness.
[16]With utmost sincerity, expound the deathless;In accordance with Dharma, be free from error.Speech that accords with Dharma and meaningDraws near to the Great Path.
[17]Whoever teaches as the Buddha instructedAttains the blessing of cessation.Such a person skillfully cuts off afflictions;This is the supreme speech.
CHAPTER 9: KARMIC ACTION
[1]One should abandon a single quality:The conduct of speaking falsely.There is no evil a liar will not do;In the next life, suffering will not spare them.
[2]Better to swallow a red-hot iron ballOr, when thirsty, drink molten copperThan to violate the precepts with one's bodyAnd accept offerings.
[3]A heedless violator of the preceptsIs like a piece of meat cast into the world.Without fear of wrongdoing and without shame,One later undergoes suffering in hell.
[4]If one fears painful retributionAnd does not delight in suffering,One should not commit evil deedsThat must later bring regret.
[5]Delighting in evil deeds,One performs them and tells others to do so.One cannot escape their painful result;What use is trying to flee?
[6]In the heavens, beneath the deep sea,Or hidden upon a lofty rocky mountain,There is nowhere at allTo escape evil karma formerly committed.
[7]Sentient beings undergo suffering and affliction;None can escape old age and death.Only those of supreme wisdom,Free from conceptual thought, cut off evil and error.
[8]Those who lie and covet bribes,Whose deeds are not upright,Who falsely accuse virtuous peopleAnd unjustly punish good persons—Sin binds such people,And they fall by themselves into a perilous pit.
[9]Whatever ordinary people do,Whether good or evil,Is all done for their own sake;The corresponding result always follows.
[10]When one moves or bends one's body,Only the shadow continually follows the body.Whether walking or rising to stand,The shadow never departs.Not only does the shadow follow the form;The form itself also follows the shadow.Because one performs wholesome or evil deeds,Their karma never departs from the body.
[11]Craving and desire consume a poisonous tasteAnd refuse to heed instruction.Only after poison has caused injuryDoes one awaken by oneself.
[12]Fools do not understand clearly;Doing evil, they do not heed instruction.Only when suffering in hellDo they remember the counsel given.
[13]Delighting in evil deeds,Having committed them, the body bears the result.Wailing, one undergoes retribution for wrongdoing,As punishment surrounds one according to karma.
[14]Evil retribution does not come at once,Just as milk is drawn from a cow.The karma of wrongdoing remains unseen,Like fire beneath cold ashes.
[15]Evil retribution does not arrive immediately,Like the edge of a sharpened sword.Those unconcerned about future livesWill undergo painful retribution.
[16]Doing evil, one is bound by evil;Doing evil, one does not awaken.Through extreme evil, one comes to know evil;One undergoes the evil fruit of evil's root.
[17]As rust arising from ironTurns back and consumes the iron itself,So evil arising from the mindTurns back and destroys that body.
CHAPTER 10: RIGHT FAITH
[1]Faith, precepts, conscience, and shame are treasures,Qualities praised by noble sages.This path is taught by the wiseAnd helps people soon be born in heaven.
[2]Fools do not cultivate goodness,Nor do they praise generosity.The upright rejoice in others' givingAnd gain peace and joy in the life to come.
[3]Faith nurtures the path;Mindfulness of Dharma abides in peace and bliss.Whoever draws near attains supreme wisdomAnd longevity among noble sages.
[4]What karma is noble?What cultivation brings peace and bliss?What Dharma affords deliverance?What life is supreme?
[5]Faith nurtures the path;Mindfulness of Dharma abides in peace and bliss.Through truthfulness, one attains supreme wisdomAnd longevity among noble sages.
[6]Through faith one first attains the pathAnd personally realizes the Dharma of cessation.Wisdom is attained through skillful hearing,And every bond is cast off.
[7]Faith and the Dharma of precepts,With a wisdom-mind skillfully cultivated—The noble person cuts off afflictionsAnd thereby escapes samsara.
[8]Faith brings the precepts to fulfillmentAnd also brings life and wisdom.Wherever one skillfully practices the path,People everywhere make offerings.
[9]Giving and contentious struggle—The wise do not abide in such karma.When giving, do not contend over the proper time;Give promptly—why hesitate?
[10]Compared with supramundane benefit,Faith and wisdom are the mother of knowledge.These treasures are supremely noble;Family possessions are inherently impermanent.
[11]Those who wish to see noble sagesAnd delight in hearing the wondrous teachingSkillfully relinquish the defiled mind;Only this is profound faith.
[12]Only through faith does one cross the river;Such merit is difficult to seize.It skillfully wards off bandits and thieves;Tranquil is the joy of the shramana.
[13]When shramanas continually come here,The wise rejoice upon seeing them;And those of profound faithGive rise to joy upon hearing the Dharma.
[14]If one harbors the afflictionsWhile hoping people will offer robes and food,One sleeps throughout day and nightAnd cannot enter right concentration.
[15]If one wishes to cut off desire,As one severs a palm tree,That person, both day and night,Will certainly enter right concentration.
[16]Those without faith do not practiceAnd delight in rejecting truthful words.They are like one clumsily drawing water,Stirring up mud from the spring.
[17]The wise cultivate faith and wisdomAnd thirst for the lofty, pure path.They are like one skillfully drawing spring water,Gently, without stirring it up.
[18]With faith and wisdom, one is undefiled by evilAnd draws near only to the virtuous and wise.One should inquire into what is goodAnd keep far away from what is bad.
[19]With reverent faith, be free from sensual desire;In tranquility, reflect for yourself.Keep far away from those without faith;Faith should be maintained and practiced.
Impermanence, Craving and Desire, and Greed and Desire;
Heedlessness, Affection, and Upholding the Precepts;
Cultivating Goodness, Speech, and Karmic Action;
Together with Right Faith, these are the ten chapters.
CHAPTER 11: THE SHRAMANA
[1]Eliminating the outflows, one subdues others;Abandoning desire is pure conduct.One who does not violate the Buddha's preceptsHas no aspiration that will not be fulfilled.
[2]If one's cultivation is lax,Mixing wholesome and unwholesome deeds,Then pure conduct is not pure,And no great reward will be obtained.
[3]Completely eliminate all negligent karmaAnd every inferior intention.Cultivating pure conduct,One attains the fruit and ends birth and death.
[4]It is like holding a sharpened sword:If held loosely, it will cut the hand.A shramana who does not observe the preceptsIs bound and dragged away to hell.
[5]It is like holding a sharpened sword:If held firmly, it will not cut the hand.A shramana who observes the prohibitory preceptsDraws near to the path of quiescent cessation.
[6]Without understanding, one cannot comprehend;Such a shramana is deficient in wisdom.With thoughts greatly disturbed and confused,The fool comes to suffering and affliction.
[7]What Dharma does a shramana cultivateIf the mind is not subdued?At every step one is stained by worldly dustAnd merely runs after thought.
[8]Cultivation is difficult; abandoning evil is difficult;Living as a householder is also difficult.Gathering in shared benefit is difficult;Most difficult is transcending the three realms.
[9]With the kashaya robe draped over the shoulder,One commits evil without cease.Whoever continually does evilFalls into hell at death.
[10]Ever afraid and terrified of punishment,One falsely assumes the name of shramana.The body wears the kashaya robe,As though clad in strips of palm bark.
[11]One is called an elderNot merely because one is advanced in years.Though aged and white-haired,A fool does not understand wrongdoing.
[12]Whoever skillfully knows wrongdoing and merit,Continually cultivates pure conduct,And is learned, refined, and pure—Such a person is called an elder.
[13]One is called a shramanaNot merely because the hair and beard are shaved.One who speaks falsely and abounds in cravingHas the desires of an ordinary person.
[14]People of the world call one a shramana,And one also claims to be a shramana.Though the body resembles a shramana,One is like a crane waiting to catch fish.
[15]One seems to have left, yet has not truly left;The kashaya has not removed what must be removed.One seems to hold the alms bowl, yet does not truly hold it;One is neither a layperson nor a shramana.
[16]Who is called a shramana?One who eliminates offenses, great and small,And guards all wholesome facultiesIs a true practitioner of pure conduct.
[17]
One is called a shramana
When the mind is at peace and deluded thoughts are extinguished,
And every stain and defilement is completely eliminated;
Such a person is worthy of being called one who has renounced home.
Essential Verses of the Dharma Collection Sutra ♦ End of Volume 1
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Translation source: Linh Sơn Pháp Bảo Đại Tạng KinhLicense: Linh Sơn Pháp Bảo Đại Tạng Kinh (Việt dịch) · nguồn: rongmotamhon.net (Liên Phật Hội) · EN: AI translation from Vietnamese source, awaiting source English
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