11. Mind (T210.11)

Mind rushes to echoes,
It is difficult to guard, to restrain.
The wise straightens its base,
And its brightness then becomes great.

[Mind] is fickle, hard to take care of
It complies with every desire.
To subdue the mind is excellent
One’s mind tamed, there will be calm.

[Mind] travels alone, going far off,
It moves according with craving.
The wise always protects his own mind;
When it is guarded, there will be peace.

[Mind] travels alone, going far off,
Is concealed and incorporeal;
Those who restrain this mind, drawing near the way,
Will be released from Mara’s bonds.

If the mind does not settle down,
Or know the Dharma;
And is deluded in worldly affairs;
There will be no proper understanding.

Thoughts do not stop where they should;
They are ceaseless and endless.
Meritorious actions can halt evil,
He who is aware [of this] is noble.

Though the mental events taught by the Buddha,
Are subtle and not [ultimately] real;
One must beware of the indulgent thoughts,
And not let the mind go as it likes.

Seeing the Dharma, one is happiest;
One’s aims will be fulfilled.
The wise guards the subtle thoughts,
And breaks the causal conditions for suffering.

The body cannot be had for long,
It will return completely to the ground;
Body decayed and consciousness departed
—What can one covet as a boarder therein?

The mind strives to build dwelling places,
To come and go endlessly.
[If] one’s thoughts are mostly devious,
One incurs troubles for oneself.

It is one’s own mind which causes [suffering]
Not one’s father or mother.
One must then work hard to align with the right,
And not turn back from meritorious actions.

Conceal the six [senses] like a tortoise.
Guard the mind like [the army guarding] the capital,
Fight Māra with wisdom;
And if victorious, there will be no more trouble.

Translated from the Chinese by Bhikkhu Kuala Lumpur Dhammajoti

From his book The Chinese Version of Dharmapada, Translated with introduction and annotations.

Published here with the kind permission of the author.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.