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Mahāyāna — Northern Canon · Linh Sơn Vietnamese Mahāyāna Canon
法集要頌經
Chinese title:法集要頌經
📖5,793 words · ~23 min read
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Interpreted by Inti AI (English)
🪷 AI interpretation
CHAPTER 24: EXPOUNDING AT LENGTH
[1]Though one recite a hundred verses,What use is it if one does not understand?To penetrate but a single line,Hearing which, one shall attain the Path.
[2]Though one recite a thousand verses,What use is it if one does not understand?Better to understand a single line,Hearing which, the mind becomes still.
[3]Though one understand a thousand verses,What use is it if one does not practice?Better to uphold a single line,For through practice alone is the Path attained.
[4]Though one should live a hundred yearsBreaking the precepts, the mind unsettled,Better to live a single dayMaking offerings to one who keeps the precepts.
[5]Though one should live a hundred yearsSlothful and lacking in diligence,Better to live a single dayVigorously practicing with diligence.
[6]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot knowing the dharma of arising and ceasing,Better to live a single dayClearly understanding the dharma of arising and ceasing.
[7]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot knowing the matter of success and failure,Better to live a single daySeeing the cause and knowing the result.
[8]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path free of outflows,Better to live a single daySeeing the Path free of outflows.
[9]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path of non-movement,Better to live a single daySeeing the Path of non-movement.
[10]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the subtle and wondrous Path,Better to live a single daySeeing the subtle and wondrous Path.
[11]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path of non-arising,Better to live a single daySeeing the Path of non-arising.
[12]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path of non-action,Better to live a single daySeeing the Path of non-action.
[13]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the supreme Path,Better to live a single daySeeing the supreme Path.
[14]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path of quiescent extinction,Better to live a single daySeeing the Path of quiescent extinction.
[15]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path of ambrosia,Better to live a single dayDrinking the Path of ambrosia.
[16]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path of stainlessness,Better to live a single daySeeing the Path of stainlessness.
[17]Though one should live a hundred yearsNot seeing the Path that departs from defilement,Better to live a single dayDeparting from defilement and attaining liberation.
[18]Though one should live a hundred yearsIn the mountains and forests worshiping the fire-god,Better, in a single moment,To contemplate the body and practice the Path.
[19]Though one should live a hundred yearsIn the mountains and forests worshiping the fire-god,Better, in a single moment,To attain liberation through right view.
[20]Month after monthThe fool partakes of food and drink;Yet that one has no faith in the Buddha—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[21]If one seeks at the shrine of spirits,For many years hoping for the reward of merit,Of that merit, in four parts,Not even one part does he possess.
[22]Month after monthThe fool partakes of food and drink;Yet he gives rise to no compassionate heart—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[23]Month after monthThe fool partakes of food and drink;Yet that one does not know the Dharma—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[24]Month after monthHe constantly attends the Dharma assembly;Yet that one has no faith in the Buddha—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[25]Month after monthHe constantly attends the Dharma assembly;Yet that one has no faith in the Dharma—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[26]Month after monthHe constantly attends the Dharma assembly;Yet that one has no faith in the Sangha—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[27]Each month he goes to the shrine,Giving alms always with equanimity;Yet his heart has no compassion—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[28]Each month he goes to the shrine,Giving alms always with equanimity;Yet for insects and worms he has no kindness—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[29]Each month he goes to the shrine,Giving alms always with equanimity;Yet if his heart has no compassion—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[30]Each month he goes to the shrine,Giving alms always with equanimity;Yet his heart harbors resentment and hatred—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[31]Each month he goes to the shrine,Giving alms always with equanimity;Yet he does not see the Dharma of discerning cessation—Not one part in sixteen does he gain.
[32]Each month he goes to the shrine,All his life without ceasing or resting—This cannot match, in a fleeting moment,Single-mindedly recollecting the True Dharma.A single thought's merit of the PathSurpasses one who worships a whole life long.
[33]Though for a full hundred yearsOne serves and worships the fire-god's shrine,Better, in a single moment,To make offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.The merit of one act of cultivationSurpasses one who worships a hundred years.
CHAPTER 25: VIRTUOUS FRIENDS
[1]The faithless harbor jealousy and hatred;That one delights in strife and contention.The wise abandon enmity and resentment,While the herd of fools take it for joy.
[2]With faith and free of jealousy,Diligent, faithful, and learned—The wise ever hold such a one in esteem;The sages and saints call this joy.
[3]Do not draw near the wicked and evil;Do not go to places of unrighteousness.Keep close to virtuous friends;Ever go to the places of the True Dharma.
[4]On the road, remember to weigh and consider;Uphold the precepts, be learned.Reflect upon boundless realms,Heed those excellent teachings—Then all matters are clearly known.
[5]Drawing near the evil, one sinks and drowns;Cultivating the good, one gains fair renown.The sages and saints are ever wondrous,By reason of an upright self.
[6]The good person ever does goodBy reason of drawing near virtuous friends.Wisdom is supreme;Keeping the precepts is the eternal quiescent extinction.
[7]As fish gather a foul, fishy stench,The greedy struggle and contend to seize;The defiled mind does not know its own foulness—The habit of evil is just the same.
[8]The fragrant wood and leaves of the patchouli plant—Living beings come and pluck them.The fragrant leaves spread their scent far and wide;Doing good is just the same.
[9]Drawing near the wicked and evil,The karma of sin grows day by day,Like a pig that lives in filth,Soiling itself and soiling others too.
[10]Though one does no evil oneself,By drawing near those who do evil,One will be mocked and derided by others,And an evil reputation grows day by day.
[11]Habituation becomes one's very nature.To know evil yet draw near to itIs like a poisoned arrow lodged within,Causing one to be defiled.The true man skillfully eradicates it,Casting off evil and not befriending it.
[12]Therefore, knowing the fruits of retribution,The wise one surely discriminates.Do not habituate to evil deeds,But rather draw near the sages and saints.The bhikṣu who cultivates the PathEndures hardship and cleanses all outflows.
[13]The fool, though all his lifeHe attends upon one of clear wisdom,Still does not know the True Dharma,Like a ladle scooping up food.
[14]The wise one, in but a momentAttending upon a sage and saint,Knows the True Dharma clearly and thoroughly,Like a tongue tasting the flavor.
[15]The wise, with a single line,Expound boundless meanings;The fool recites a thousand lines,Yet understands the meaning of none.
[16]Accomplishing the meaning of a single line,The wise delight to cultivate and learn;The fool prefers to shun and avoidThe true words taught by the Buddha.
[17]The wise overcome enmity and hatred,Not following the bonds of affection;The fool, following unrighteousness,Advances step by step into hell.
[18]The fool who deems himself a foolShould be known to have some wisdom;The fool who deems himself clever—That one is a fool indeed beyond measure.
[19]If, moreover, one praises the foolAnd the wise one disparages,Disparaging the wise may seem a victory,But praising the fool is no superior thing.
[20]Do not heed the words of the fool,Nor dwell together with the fool.To be with the fool is to suffer calamity,Like sharing a place with an enemy.Choose rather to dwell togetherAs though reunited with kin.
[21]Therefore revere the learnedTogether with those who keep the precepts—Honored and noble among people,Like the moon among the stars.
CHAPTER 26: QUIESCENT EXTINCTION
[1]Like a turtle drawing in and hiding itself,The bhikṣu gathers in his thoughts and notions;Not relying on, not harming others,In quiescent extinction, free of words.
[2]Patient endurance is foremost;Quiescent extinction is supreme.Harboring no affliction in the heart,Doing no harm—this is the śramaṇa.
[3]Do not speak coarse, evil words.Let your speech be eloquent and skilled.The poorly understanding are hard to debate with;Contrary words, then, bring submission.
[4]Ever giving rise to affliction within,Like that shattered, broken vessel,One forever drifts through birth and death,Ever sinking, never escaping.
[5]If one gives rise to no affliction,Like a vessel still whole and intact,Thus one reaches quiescent extinction,Where the dust of defilement no longer obscures.
[6]Freedom from sickness is the greatest gain;Knowing contentment is the greatest wealth;Kinsfolk are the closest of intimates;Quiescent extinction is the greatest joy.
[7]Hunger and thirst are the greatest affliction;The formations are the greatest suffering.Whoever knows this as it truly is—Quiescent extinction is their greatest peace and joy.
[8]How wondrous are the words of the Buddha!Handed down inexhaustibly,Spread throughout all the world,Never growing outdated.
[9]None can equal the Buddha,Who proclaims words true and good.The body is oppressed and pressed by suffering—What suffering equals hunger and thirst?
[10]Few there are who reach the good destinies;Most go to the evil paths.Whoever knows this as it truly is,Let him swiftly seek quiescent extinction.
[11]
Through conditions one is born in the good realms;
Through conditions one is born in the evil paths;
Through conditions one attains quiescent extinction—
Thus all things come about through conditions.
[12]The deer dwells in the wilderness;The bird flies through the sky;The myriad dharmas arise through causes and conditions;The one of the Path returns to quiescent extinction.
[13]Not with a slothful mind,Nor through cowardice, can one arrive.Wishing to seek the Path of quiescent extinction,Burn away every fetter and bond.
[14]The bhikṣu paddles his boat;The empty boat glides lightly along.Extinguishing greed, hatred, and delusion,He shall then reach quiescent extinction.
[15]The self, the existent, was fundamentally empty.Once there was a self; now there is none.Neither without nor with—As it now is, it cannot be grasped.
[16]The Ultimate Truth is most hard to see;Skillfully contemplate it and discriminate.Thoroughly understanding the root of craving and desire,Suffering shall be eradicated.
[17]Severing craving, removing the passions of desire,The river dries up and flows no more.Skillfully understanding the root of craving and desire,Suffering shall be eradicated.
[18]Without the body, perception eradicated,Anguish and suffering grow cool.The formations forever cease and rest;Consciousness and perception arise no more.Whoever knows this as it truly is,Suffering shall be eradicated.
[19]Dwelling in a secluded place brings stillness;Do not draw near the joys tainted by outflows.Through non-movement one gains tranquil ease;Only through stillness does one attain quiescent extinction.
[20]Neither through coming nor through going—Coming and going utterly cease their arising and ceasing.Aging, death, and affliction are removed;Severing suffering, one attains quiescent extinction.
[21]I have not come back again,Neither departing nor arriving,Neither dying nor being born—This is the realm of quiescent extinction.
[22]Know the root and tip of birth;Through the conditioned, know the unconditioned.Bound fast by birth and death,Whoever is bound is hard to subdue.
[23]Thus this body of the four great elements,The five aggregates—gathered suffering and affliction.Abiding and contemplating true suffering,One ends suffering and realizes quiescent extinction.
[24]The dharmas neither come nor go;Coming and going ever arise and cease.Aging, sickness, and death shift and change;Free of outflows, one attains quiescent extinction.
[25]O bhikṣu! Wherever there is birth,There surely will be doing and making.In non-arising there is no more existence;In non-action there is no place for activity.
[26]O bhikṣu! I have already known:No longer entering the various Bases—Not the Base of Boundless Space or Consciousness,Nor the Base of Nothing Whatsoever.
[27]Not entering Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception,Neither this life nor the life hereafter;Nor the perception of sun and moon;Neither coming nor going.
[28]Through food, the causes and conditions arise;Through food there is joy and sorrow.Whoever can remove and extinguish this matter,All sufferings shall be utterly removed.
[29]Without food, life is hard to sustain;Who is there that does not need to eat?People regard food as foremost,And only afterward comes the Path.
[30]Earth and water and fire—At that time the wind does not blow,The bright fire casts no light,Nor are any sights to be seen.
[31]Neither does the moon shed its glow,Nor does the heaven shine its light.Whoever contemplates this thoroughly and in detailShall attain the Path of quiescent extinction.
[32]Upright, he relinquishes form,Escaping every suffering and yoke.Neither form nor formlessness—He escapes the foremost suffering.
[33]At the ultimate, he is without fear;Self-mastered, he harbors no doubt.Until the thorn of craving and desire is severed,How can one know the body to be an affliction?
[34]He is called one who has reached the ultimate;Quiescent extinction is foremost.Having utterly severed all attachment,His words and phrases are without error.
[35]The ordinary person does not contemplate;The wise one relinquishes the formations.The mind itself contemplates the formations,As though emerging from an eggshell.
[36]The gift of Dharma surpasses every gift;The joy of Dharma surpasses every joy;The strength of patience surpasses every strength;The exhaustion of craving ends all suffering.
CHAPTER 27: CONTEMPLATION
[1]Skillfully contemplate your own faults;Your own faults do not show themselves.The faults of others are very easy to see,Like dust drifting in the air.
[2]If one claims oneself to be without fault,Both sin and merit come together;Seeing only the faults of others,One ever harbors a harmful heart.
[3]Knowing shame, one lives long;Why be led and bound by greed?The strong man fears nothing,While the ordinary person's life is shortened.
[4]Knowing modesty, one receives offerings,Ever seeking pure conduct;With deportment lacking no part,Contemplate the truly pure reception.
[5]Darkness and obscurity shroud the world;The eye of wisdom is exceedingly rare.The flock of birds falls into the net—How few are those born in the heavens.
[6]Contemplating that worldly dharmas decay and dwindle,One sees only that forms transform.The fool binds himself,Hemmed in and bound by darkness;He does not even see the formations,Much less that which has no place.
[7]Living beings all possess a self;For its sake affliction arises.Each does not see the other;They do not see the thorn of false view.
[8]Contemplating this thorn of causes and conditions,Living beings are much defiled by attachment.What I make is not another's;What that one makes is not mine.
[9]Living beings are bound fast by sloth,Defiled by attachment to pride and conceit,Deluded and confused by their views,Never escaping the suffering of birth and death.
[10]What has been gained and what shall be gained—Both receive the dust of defilement.Habituation is the root of disease;Together they understand the various trainings.
[11]Contemplate those who keep the precepts,Those of pure conduct, pure and clean;Behold the sick and the emaciated—They shall reach the unconditioned.
[12]Contemplate the foam upon the water;Contemplate also the wild horse of the mirage.If thus one does not contemplate the body,Neither does one see death's approach.
[13]Contemplate the foam upon the water;Contemplate also the wild horse of the mirage.If thus one does not contemplate the world,Neither does one see the lord of death.
[14]Thus should one contemplate the bodyAs the fine chariot of a king.The fool is defiled by attachment to it;Skillfully seek to depart far from it.
[15]Thus should one contemplate the bodyAs the fine chariot of a king.The fool is defiled by attachment to it;Let the wise one depart far from it.
[16]Thus should one contemplate the body:The many diseases are its cause.When sickness and folly gather together,How can one protect it?
[17]Contemplate the painted image,The maṇi jewel, the dark-green hair.The fool makes of these a condition,Not hoping to cross to the far shore.
[18]Contemplate the painted image,The maṇi jewel, the dark-green hair.The fool makes of these a condition;The wise one soon wearies and departs.
[19]Forcing on it a fair painted appearance,Adorning a foul and filthy body,The fool makes of it a condition,Not even hoping to deliver himself.
[20]Hair and nails divided into eight parts,Earrings and the two eyes—The fool is defiled by attachment to these,Not even hoping to deliver himself.
[21]
Craving and desire are defiled by attachment to desire;
Without examination, conditions bind as fetters.
Not employing the arising of fetters,
One crosses the flood of the outflows of desire.
[22]Not in the garden, he comes out of the garden;Out of the garden, he enters the garden again.One should contemplate such a one:Unbound, he is bound once more.
[23]Now relinquishing the throne of the king of heaven,Not creating the root of birth and death,Seeking to depart the suffering of hell,I pray to speak of the joy of quiescent extinction.
[24]A pure white robe covers the body;He drives a single-wheeled cart.Contemplate that one whose defilement is not yet severed;Let him seek to sever the binding fetters.
[25]
Many people go and take refuge
In tree-spirits and the spirits of rivers and mountains,
Building shrines and offering sacrifices to spirits,
Hoping to be spared from suffering and calamity.
[26]Therein there is nothing supreme,Nor is there any benefit.Whoever takes refuge in such thingsDoes not escape every suffering and yoke.
[27]If one takes refuge in the Buddha,Takes refuge in the Dharma and the Sangha,And cultivates the Four Noble Truths,One surely sees true wisdom.
[28]
Suffering, and the causes and conditions whence suffering arises—
Let one transcend this yoke of suffering.
The Noble Eightfold Path of the sages and saints
Brings utter extinction and the realization of ambrosia.
[29]Taking refuge in the Three JewelsIs the supreme and most auspicious thing.If anyone takes refuge thus,He shall escape every suffering.
[30]What has been contemplated, in time he shall contemplate;What is not contemplated, that too he shall contemplate.Having contemplated, he contemplates again;Having contemplated, he contemplates no more.
[31]Having contemplated, he contemplates again,Discriminating its fundamental nature.Reckoning the day to be night,Ere long the precious body decays.
[32]Having contemplated, he contemplates no more;Though he sees, yet he sees not.As though seeing, yet not seeing;Contemplating, yet not seeing.
[33]Why does he see, yet not see?Why speak of seeing, yet not seeing?By what cause does he see, yet not see?By what does seeing bring forth deliverance?
[34]If one does not contemplate suffering,Let one ever contemplate it clearly for oneself.Thoroughly understanding the root of suffering—That is the bright and wondrous contemplation.
[35]Who is it that drives the ordinary person?He does not contemplate the root of the formations.Through that he contemplates and discerns,Abandoning darkness and seeing the radiant light.
CHAPTER 28: THE OBSTRUCTION OF SIN
[1]Do not commit any evil;Reverently do every good deed;Purify your own mind and intention—This is the teaching of all the Buddhas.
[2]Bestowing gifts brings the reward of merit;Anger is not harbored in the heart.Using good to extinguish evil,One is freed of greed, hatred, and delusion.
[3]Alone, do not follow the fool;Let the deluded follow the wise.The wise extinguish evil,As the crane selects the milk to drink.
[4]Contemplate the world's myriad changes,Knowing the traces of arising and ceasing.The sages and saints do not delight in the world;The fool keeps far from the sages and saints.
[5]Understanding the savor of recollection,Reflecting on the meaning of ceasing and resting,Free of fever, with no thought of hunger,Drink the savor of the Dharma.
[6]Whoever does not harm their hearts,Nor injures their intentions,Using good to extinguish all evil,Need not fear falling to the evil paths.
[7]Whoever wishes to cultivate and refine the mindMust ever select with care.The wise are easy to carve and engrave;Such a one is called a hero of the world.Whoever skillfully draws near to themIs at peace and free of sorrow.
[8]Still and tranquil, none surpassing him,Gentle and harmonious, not rash,He blows away all evil dharmasAs the wind blows away falling leaves.
[9]He who deliberately terrorizes othersAnd slanders the pure—The force of his evil karma pursues himAs clouds are driven by the wind.
[10]The good and evil of each person—Each one knows clearly for himself.Doing good, one gains good fruit;Doing evil, one falls to the evil paths.
[11]Look to whether you yourself are pure or not;Why worry whether others are pure?The fool does not refine himself,Like rusty iron grinding upon steel.
[12]If the eye sees nothing perverse,The clear-sighted seek skillful means;The wise one skillfully lives in the world,And does no evil deeds.
[13]A merchant on a dangerous road,Deserted of people but laden with goods,Passing through a place of peril—With a broken axle, surely he frets and worries.
[14]If the body has no abscess,And is not harmed by poison,As poison brings no pain,There is no evil one will not commit.
[15]Many people commit evil deeds;The body must then be implicated.To cultivate good and bestow kindness and virtue—This matter shall be very hard.
[16]How fine is one who cultivates good!Alas for the one who creates evil!It is very easy to do evil oneself;The evil person finds it hard to do good.
[17]The fool deems himself rightBecause his evil is not yet ripe;But when his evil has ripened,All sufferings will come crowding in.
[18]The worthy one, seeing evil deeds,Is not harmed by evil.When evil is not yet ripe,The evil person thinks it is of no consequence.
[19]The worthy one contemplates evil deedsAnd forever does no evil.When old evil has ripened,The worthy one contemplates it for himself.
[20]Though one should do evil deeds,He does not do them again and again;His intention takes no peace or joy in it,Knowing that evil is suffering.
[21]Whoever skillfully does meritorious goodWill do it again and again;His intention vows for peace and joy,And skillfully receives the reward of that merit.
[22]First skillfully discipline the mind,Gathering and holding the root of evil.Then merit will grow and increase;For evil karma is created by the mind.
[23]Though the evil done be very slight,In the life hereafter one suffers much affliction;The retribution will be boundless,Like poison entering the heart.
[24]Though the merit done be very slight,In the life hereafter one receives great merit;One will gain a great reward of merit,Through having sown a true fruit.
[25]Faultless, yet to be despised;Without anger, yet to be assailed and robbed—That one must undergo ten kinds of suffering;He shall come to them straightway:
[26]Pain, coarse and evil words,The body suffering injury,Sickness and disease pressing grievously,The mind in turmoil and unsettled;
[27]Kinsfolk parted and scattered,Wealth and possessions dwindling away,Plundered and seized by bandits,And one's wishes left unfulfilled.
[28]Or beset by countless calamities,Burned and consumed by fire,And at death falling into hell—These are the ten disasters.
[29]Doing evil, say not it was nothing;Having done it, claim no innocence.To conceal it and declare it no sin—It all bears its retribution.
[30]Doing evil, the voice grieves and worries;Having done it, one bears sorrow and gloom;Concealing it, one is anxious again;And the retribution too is sorrowful grief.
[31]Causing sorrow, in the life hereafter one sorrows;Creating evil brings sorrow and gloom;Fear and dread ever afflict and trouble;Seeing one's sin, the heart is laden with grief.
[32]Creating joy, in the life hereafter one rejoices;Practicing good brings delight and gladness;Joyful, one is ever cheerful;Seeing one's merit, the mind is at peace.
[33]Causing suffering, in the life hereafter one suffers;Creating sin brings anguish and pain;The retribution is ever painful;Seeing one's sin, the heart is laden with grief.
[34]Cultivating merit and doing no evil—All is created by one's own karma.One never fears when death comes,Like a boat gliding across the river.
CHAPTER 29: CORRESPONDENCE
[1]The moon's light shines in the darknessBefore the sun has yet appeared;When the sun's radiance shines everywhere,The moon's light at once grows dim.
[2]The heterodox paths shed their lightBefore the Buddha has appeared in the world;When the Tathāgata casts forth his great brightness,The heterodox paths at once grow dim.
[3]Taking the real to be the false,Taking the false to be the real—This is the mind of false view,Which gains no good benefit.
[4]Knowing the true to be true,Knowing the false and counterfeit to be false—This is the mind of right view,Which surely gains good benefit.
[5]The fool grasps firmly and stubbornly,And must be bound by the nine fetters,Like a bird falling into the net,All through indulgence in craving and desire.
[6]Those who harbor doubtConcerning this life and the life hereafter,Through meditative absorption skillfully extinguish it;With pure conduct, free of affliction.
[7]If the poisonous nature is not uprooted,And craving and desire course through the heart,One cannot yet discipline oneself,And is unworthy to wear the Dharma robe.
[8]If the poisonous nature is skillfully uprooted,And keeping the precepts, the mind is at peace,That mind has been disciplined—He is worthy to wear the Dharma robe.
[9]It is not by gentle, harmonious wordsOr a name resounding everywhere,Nor by a fair and lovely countenance,That a heart full of guile and craft is concealed.
[10]Whoever skillfully departs from evil deeds,Uprooting them to the very root,The wise one removing all defilements—He is called one of good complexion.
[11]Do not deem fair the outer appearance;A brief encounter, and you know the heart.In the world are many wicked onesWho roam at ease throughout the world.
[12]Like that counterfeit gold,Inside all brass and base metal,Crying its wares as it travels everywhere,Defiled within and impure without.
[13]Greedy for food, not knowing when to stop,All day long merely lying about,Like a sty for raising pigs—Thus one forever receives the womb.
[14]Whoever's intention skillfully focuses on one thing,Knowing measure in food and drink,Food being a branch of desire,Restrains it and cultivates the right Path.
[15]False view holds the body to be pure;The faculties are not gathered and subdued;Food and drink without measure—This is the dharma of the ordinary person.The intent of desire grows ever stronger,Like a rotting house leaking and dripping.
[16]Contemplate the body as impure;The faculties are gathered and subdued;Food and drink in due measure;With a faithful heart practicing diligence,The intent of desire is not let loose,Like the wind blowing against Mount Tai.
[17]The secluded place is most peaceful and joyful,Yet people care little for it.The sages and saints ever dwell there—It is the abode of the one of the Path.
[18]Hard to move and hard to shake,Like the Snow Mountains range on range;The unholy then do not appear,Like night entering a darkened house.
[19]The worthy number in the thousands;The wise abide in the grove and forest.The meaning is exceedingly deep and profound;The wise one skillfully discriminates.
[20]Living beings are of myriad kinds;Not cultivating, they do not realize.Now contemplate this meaning:Breaking the precepts, one is despised by others.
[21]Contemplating the outflows, one knows fear;Transforming, they are not constant.Being tainted by outflows, do not delight in them;Remember to depart from the three realms.
[22]The faithless, without shame,Bore through walls to steal and rob;Severing such notions—He is a person of the highest sort.
[23]First sever the heart of craving and attachment,Pride, conceit, and false view;Utterly extinguish all the fetters,And free of defilement, cultivate pure conduct.
[24]Knowing measure in food and drink,Storing up no wealth or goods,Wishless, empty, signless,Cultivating to deliver living beings.
[25]Like a bird flying through the sky,Whose trace cannot be seen,So is that one who cultivates—His wondrous words cannot be known.
[26]Whoever skillfully severs the root of outflows,Not relying on impermanent dharmas,Wishless, empty, signless,Cultivating to deliver living beings.
[27]Few are the living beings,And most do not accord with the Path.Even should there be such a person,It is very hard to realize extinction and deliverance.
[28]The right and wrong of the human world—Contemplate every dharma.Sweep away all the fetters,And the fever of affliction is forever no more.
[29]Cultivating without sorrow,One day he shall attain liberation;Sweeping away all the fetters,Affliction arises no more.
[30]Like a bird flying through the sky,Nothing causes it hindrance,That one attains freedom from outflows—Wishless, empty, signless.
[31]Like a bird flying through the sky,Nothing causes it hindrance,The practitioner crosses to the far shore—Wishless, empty, signless.
[32]Evil deeds should not be done;Whoever does them suffers affliction.Wrong deeds should not be done;Sorrowing before, one sorrows after too.
[33]Good deeds should be done;Whoever does them has no sorrow.Joyful deeds should be done;Born in heaven, one receives joy and delight.
[34]Empty space leaves no trace;The śramaṇa has no defiled intention.Worldly people delight in doing evil;The Buddha alone is pure and free of defilement.
[35]Empty space leaves no trace;The śramaṇa has no defiled intention.The world is all impermanent;The Buddha is free of self and what belongs to self.
[36]The devas together with the human world,In correspondence with all formations,Escape every suffering,And departing craving, are spared from saṃsāra.
[37]The devas together with the human world,In correspondence with all formations,Skillfully keep far from evil karma,And do not fall to the three evil paths.
[38]Moreover, not knowing how to discourse,The wise and the foolish cannot be told apart;But if, again, one knows how to discourse on meaning,One's words are without error.
[39]Discourse upon the True Dharma;Raise up the banner of the Buddha's Dharma.The Dharma-banner is the Great Sage;The Great Sage is the Dharma-banner.
[40]Some are blamed for keeping silent;Some are blamed for speaking much;Some are blamed for not yet speaking—There is none who is not blamed.
[41]Now praised, now slandered,Only for the sake of gain and fame;Neither possessing nor lacking—Even this cannot be known.
[42]Praised by the wise,Whether for good or for ill,The wise one is without flaw,Through concentration and wisdom attaining liberation,Like pure gold of a purple hue,Pure and translucent within and without.
[43]Just as the Wondrously High MountainIs not shaken by the wind,So too is the wise one:Unmoved by blame or praise.
[44]Like a tree without roots—No branches, much less leaves?The wise one unties the binding fetters;Their virtue—who would dare disparage?
[45]Free of defilement, relying on nothing,The body of outflows plants the cause of suffering;The supremely victorious one has craving no more—Devas and humans cannot know him.
[46]Just as in a net within the dense forest,Free of craving, much less anything beyond?The Buddha has boundless conduct,Trackless—what track does he tread?
[47]If existence gives no rise to desire,And with birth one receives no existence,The Buddha has boundless conduct,Trackless—what track does he tread?
[48]If one wishes to extinguish false thoughts,With no causes within or without,And no clinging to the perception of form,The four responses receive no birth.
[49]Casting off the before and casting off the after,Casting off the middle, transcending all the realms,Relinquishing everything,One receives birth and aging no more.
Sūtra of the Collected Essential Verses of the Dharma ♦ End of Scroll Three
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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)
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