21. The World (T210.21)

As a cart traveling on the road,
Which, leaving the level, broad road,
Turns onto a small side road and is crashed
—There is the sorrow of the breaking of the axles.

Likewise, leaving the Dharma
To follow and develop that opposed to Dharma,
The fool keeps his way till death
—And there is also the sorrow of being broken.

Fare in accordance with dhamma,
Do not accord with evil deed;
The dharma-farer sleeps well,
And there is no sorrow in every existence.

All things are like foam,
The mind is like a wild horse;
Living in a world like a mirage,
How can one delight in it?

If one can break away from this,
Cutting the tree at its roots,
And persisting thus day and night,
One will surely achieve concentration.

Some give in accordance with faith,
Like people who are happy;
Others, from a perturbed mind,
Offer food to the [monk-] community
—Such people, day and night
Achieve no mental concentration.

The worldlings have no eyes;
They see not the truth of the Way.
Those with even a little clarity of vision,
Should nurture good thoughts.

Like a goose heading its group,
To fly high in avoidance of the net;
The wise one leads the world,
To get freed from the evil ones.

All worldlings must die,
There is no security in the three spheres.
Though the gods may enjoy themselves,
They too die when their merit is exhausted.

Observe the worldlings:
No birth does not come to an end.
If one wishes to escape the cycle of rebirth,
One should practice the true Path.

Delusion covers up the whole world;
Greed causes the loss of sight.
False [views] and doubt lead to rejecting Truth.
—The afflicted fool accords with these.

He who has transgressed one dharma,
Namely, the liar,
Will not escape future existence,
And there’s no evil that he will not further do.

Though one may pile up treasure,
To as high as the heavens,
Thus filling up the whole world;
It’s better to gain insight into the Path.

What is not good appears to be good,
Lust appears to be not lust;
Suffering is taken for happiness
—The insane is devoted to [these false views].

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.