Verses
Whose victory cannot be turned into defeat, whose conquered passions no one in the world can follow, that trackless Buddha of infinite range, by what track can you lead him?
Verse 1
In whom there is no entangling, sticky craving to lead him anywhere, that trackless Buddha of infinite range, by what track can you lead him?
Verse 2
Those wise ones who are devoted to meditation, who delight in the peace of renunciation, them even the gods hold dear — those fully awakened, mindful ones.
Verse 3
Hard is it to obtain human birth; hard is the life of mortals; hard is the hearing of the true Dhamma; exceedingly hard is the appearance of the Awakened Ones.
Verse 4
To avoid all evil, to cultivate wholesome goodness, and to purify one's own mind: this is the teaching of all the Buddhas.
Verse 5
Patience and forbearance is the supreme asceticism; Nibbāna is supreme, say the Buddhas. For he is no monk who harms another, nor is he a recluse who oppresses others.
Verse 6
Not insulting, not harming, restraint according to the fundamental moral code, moderation in food, living in seclusion, and devotion to higher consciousness: this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Verse 7
Not by a shower of gold coins is there satisfaction of sensual pleasures; 'Sensual pleasures yield little sweetness and much suffering' — understanding this, the wise person,
Verse 8
Finds no delight even in heavenly pleasures; the disciple of the Fully Awakened One delights only in the destruction of all craving.
Verse 9
To many a refuge do men go, driven by fear — to mountains and forests, to sacred groves and tree shrines.
Verse 10
No safe refuge is that, no supreme refuge is that; not by resorting to such a refuge is one freed from all suffering.
Verse 11
He who has taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, perceives with right wisdom the Four Noble Truths:
Verse 12
Suffering, the Origin of Suffering, the Transcending of Suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering.
Verse 13
This indeed is the safe refuge, this is the supreme refuge; having arrived at this refuge, one is liberated from all suffering.
Verse 14
Hard to find is the noble and peerless person (the Buddha); he is not born everywhere. Wherever that wise being is born, that family and clan prospers in happiness.
Verse 15
Blessed is the arising of the Buddhas; blessed is the teaching of the true Dhamma; blessed is the unity of the Sangha; blessed is the spiritual practice of those who live in harmony.
Verse 16
He who reveres those who are worthy of reverence — the Buddhas or their disciples — who have transcended all mental proliferation and crossed beyond grief and lamentation,
Verse 17
Revering such beings who are fully quenched and fearless from any quarter, the merit of that reverence cannot be measured by anyone as being 'just so much.'
Verse 18
Background
This chapter belongs to the Pali Dhammapada (Khuddaka Nikaya, Pali Canon), Buddha Vagga, verses 179–196. The verses of the Buddha Vagga were proclaimed by Gautama Buddha on landmark occasions, including the Ovāda-Pātimokkha discourse delivered at the Bamboo Grove (Veḷuvana) in Rājagaha before 1,250 Arahants on the full moon of Māgha (Verses 183–185), the encounter with Māra's seductive daughters Taṇhā, Aratī, and Ragā at the foot of the Ajapāla banyan tree (Verses 179–180), and the dialogue on true refuge with the Aggidatta brahmin assembly (Verses 188–192).
About this Text
Composed by: Gautama Buddha · Founder of Buddhism · c. 5th–6th century BCE, Northern India/Nepal
Born Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini, he attained enlightenment and spent the rest of his life teaching the Dhamma across northern India. His discourses (Suttas), preserved orally for generations before being written down in the Pali Canon, form the doctrinal foundation of Buddhism.
Did You Know?
The Universal Teaching of All Buddhas (Verse 183)
'Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, kusalassa upasampadā, sacittapariyodapanaṃ, etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ'—To abandon all unwholesome deeds, to develop wholesome goodness, and to thoroughly cleanse one's mind: this is the universal teaching of every Awakened One across time.
The Ovāda-Pātimokkha Principles (Verses 184–185)
Forbearance and patient endurance are the highest asceticism; not insulting, not harming, restraint in the moral code, and dedication to meditation form the heart of monastic living.
Four Rare Blessings in the Cosmos (Verse 182)
Rare and difficult is the attainment of human birth (kiccho manussapaṭilābho); difficult is the life of mortals; rare is the opportunity to hear the true Dhamma; and exceedingly rare is the arising of an Awakened Buddha.
Insecure vs. Supreme Refuge (Verses 188–192)
Terrified by fear, worldlings take refuge in mountains, forests, sacred groves, and tree shrines; none of these can free one from suffering. But taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, penetrating the Four Noble Truths, liberates completely from all pain.
Four Supreme Joys (Verse 194)
Joyful is the advent of the Buddhas; joyful is the proclamation of the true Dhamma; joyful is the concord and unity of the Sangha; and joyful is the spiritual devotion of those who practice in harmony.
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