27. The Spiritually Committed (T210.27)

He who is committed to the spiritual path
Does not compete for profits.
Regarding the profitable and the unprofitable,
He is desireless and undeluded.

He who is ever kind and ready to learn,
Who courses with a righteous mind
Embracing the precious [Dharma] at heart, wise;
Is indeed one cultivating the path.

One becomes a wise one
Not necessarily by arguing much.
He who is secure and fearless
And guards his goodness, is indeed wise.

One is an upholder of the Dharma
Not simply by speaking much.
He who, though not having heard much
Puts the Dharma into practice himself
And who forgets not the Teaching
May be called a Dharma uholder.

One becomes an elder
Not simply by being old,
With ripened body and grey hairs.
Such a person [can] be just a fool.

He in whom are truth, Dharma,
Restraint and kindness;
Who is wise and pure,
Is indeed an Elder.

One becomes graceful
Not by having flower-like complexion
While being miserly, jealous and deceitful,
And acting contrary to his words.

He who can renounce evil
Having cut it off by its root,
Who is wise and hatred-free
Is said to be graceful.

One becomes a śramaṇa
Not merely by shaving one’s head
While still telling lies and coveting,
Full of desires like the ordinary people.

He who can stop doing evil
Who generously propagates the Teaching
Who stills his mind and thoughts
Is indeed a śramaṇa.

One becomes a bhikṣu
Not merely by begging at times
While having evil acts and sexual indulgence
This is bhikṣu by name only.

He who abandoning bad and good
being pure, leads the spiritual life
Who is wise and destroys evil,
Is indeed a bhikṣu.

One becomes a sage
Not by [mere] silence,
Having impure intentions wihtin
And pretending externally.

He whose mind attaches to naught,
Who courses contentedly within
Having attained quiescence here and beyond
Is indeed a sage.

One is said to be spiritually advanced
Not [simply] by saving one life
He who strives for universal salvation,
Harmless, is indeed spiritually advanced.

Do not boast of your observances,
[Or that] “My actions are mostly truthful.”
[Or that] “I have attained mental concentration
By resorting to solitude.”

Be determined to seek happiness;
Don’t learn from the ordinary worldlings.
So long as your corruptions are not extinct
You will not be liberated.

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.