29. Day and Night (UV-KG29)

As long; as the sun has not risen the glow-worm doth shine; when the sun has risen he is without brightness, and becomes as he formerly was.

As long as the Tathāgata had not appeared the sophists did shine; when the perfectly Enlightened One appeared in the world, teachers and disciples shined no more.

He who considers that which is not precious as precious, and who thinks that what is precious is not precious, his whole understanding entirely subverted, he will not find what is precious.

He who perceives that what is not precious is not precious, and that what is precious is precious, his whole understanding properly arranged, he will find what is precious.

They who are again and again adding to their bonds through their fondness for these (theories), and giving ear to them, flitting about in the orb of transmigration, they like the moths fall into the fire.

When one in this world has any kind of uncertainty about the enjoyment here (of the maturity of one's actions) or the enjoyment hereafter, if he is living a life of holiness (brahmachariya), when he has thought on it, (his doubts) will be entirely removed.

He whose (mind) is like troubled water, and who wears the saffron-coloured gown, being without restraint, he is not worthy of the saffron-coloured gown.

He who has cast off all impurities, whose mind is attentive to the moral laws, being thus restrained, he is worthy of the saffron-coloured gown.

The artful, deceitful, and avaricious man, notwithstanding the colour (of his gown), his appearance, and what he may say, has not become the best of men.

He who has cut down these three characteristics (of the sinner) as he would the top of a tāla-tree, intelligent and cleansed of sins, he is called the best of men.

He who in this world, not being well controlled, deceitfully, for some interested motive, produces the incorrect idea that he is well controlled by the general appearance of his garb (lit. colour and person), no confidence must be placed in him.

As deceiving as the colour of brass, like iron coated over with gold is he whose inside is poison, and whose outward manner is that of the elect, and who goes about in this world with a great company.

He who is given to gourmandising, to sleeping, to going about day and night seeking for a place to lie down in, like a great hog (wallowing) in the mire, this man will be reborn again and again.

The man who is always thoughtful, who knows how to be always moderate in his food, he is subject to but little suffering, and his slow digestion prolongs his life.

He whose senses are not controlled, who does not know how to be moderate in his food, who is thoughtless and idle, who lives seeking what pleases (the eye), is overthrown by his passions as is a weak tree by the wind.

He whose senses are well controlled, who knows how to be moderate in his food, who remembers everything and is diligent, who seeks not after what pleases (the eye), is not disturbed by passions, like a mountain unshaken by the wind.

The forest is delightful, where man finds no delight; there the passionless finds delight, for he seeks not after pleasures.

In a forest or in a village, on a mountain top or in a valley, in whatever part of the earth an Ariya dwells, that (spot) is agreeable.

The holy shine from afar off, like the snowy mountains; the wicked shine not, even though near, like arrows shot in intense darkness.

If one associates with the wise, with the holy whose minds are turned to virtue, he obtains great profit, and acquires profound wisdom.

As the elephant in battle (is patient though) pierced by the arrows shot from the bows, so likewise be patient under the unkind words of the crowd.

He who makes a cave his abode, who has nothing to do with the unrighteous, who suppresses all contingencies, and who lives on refuse (?), that man is holy.

Having killed father and mother and two holy kings, having conquered their kingdoms with its inhabitants a man will be pure.

He who is without concupiscence, who is always moderate in his food, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and solitude, his way is difficult to perceive, like that of birds in the ether.

He who is without concupiscence, who is always moderate in his food, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and solitude, his track is difficult to perceive like the track of birds in the ether.

He who is without concupiscence, who is always moderate in his food, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and continual contemplation (dhyāna), his way is difficult to perceive, like the track of birds in the ether.

He who is without concupiscence, who is always moderate in his food, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and continual contemplation, his track is difficult to perceive, like the track of birds in the ether.

Repetitions of verses 24 and 25.

He who is not held to this shore, who has found out the cessation of the asravas, the field of whose activity is tlie void, the uncharacteristic, and solitude, his way is difficult to perceive, like the track of birds in the ether.

He who is not held to this shore, who has found out the cessation of the asravas, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and solitude, his track is difficult to perceive, like the track of birds in the ether.

He who is not held to this shore, who has found out the cessation of the asravas, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and continual contemplation, his way is difficult to perceive, like the track of birds in the ether.

He who is not held to this shore, who has found out the cessation of the asravas, the field of whose activity is the void, the uncharacteristic, and continual meditation, his track is difficult to perceive, like the track of birds in the ether.

Repetitions of verses 32 and 33.

The common of mortals run along this shore; few there are among men who go to the other shore.

Those beings who walk in the way of the law that has been well taught, reach the other shore of the great sea of birth and death, that is difficult to cross.

He who frees himself by watchfulness, who leaves in the past all sorrows, one who thus delivers himself of all his bonds, will know no affliction whatever.

When one passes beyond the road of terror and what accompanies it, and is out of the way of precipices (i.e., falling into the evil way), freed of all bonds and ties, lie has destroyed the poison of the passions.

There is no swamp like desire (trichnā); there is nothing as pernicious as hatred; there is no net like ignorance; there is no torrent like covetousness.

The Śramana who has reached the other shore is like the trackless firmament; the fool delights in his occupations, and the Tathāgata is not his occupation. The fool is led through (attachment); the wise man destroys all attachment.

The wise man destroys all attachments of gods and men, and by being free from all attachment he becomes emancipated from all suffering.

From attachment proceeds existence; without attachment there is no existence: to the acquisition of the knowledge of these two ways of existence and not existence and the way to be perfectly delivered of attachment, let the wise man apply himself.

He who has done that which is wrong, suffers for it, and when hereafter he will be in the evil way he will suffer; he who has done that which is right, is made happy, and when hereafter he will be in the happy way he will be happy.

It is better in both (this world and the other) if one has not done evil, for he who does it will suffer; it is good for one to do what is right, for he will have no affliction.

The wise man and the fool being mixed together, it is not possible to distinguish them when they have not spoken; but let one of them impart (the way) to the perfection of peace (nirvāṇa), then lie is known by his speech (to be a sage).

The expounding (of the law) is the standard of the Rischi (i.e., Bhagavat); the law being the standard of the Rischi, and the law by his explanations being made brilliant, let the Rischi raise on high his standard.

If one has not spoken he is blamed; if one has spoken much he is blamed; he who speaks slowly is blamed: there is no one in the world who is not blamed.

A man who is only to be blamed, or one who is only to be praised, there is none such; there never has been, there never will be.

They who preoccupy not themselves about existence, who have put an end to all return of suffering from attachment, and are delivered of existence, gods and men cannot understand their purpose.

(229, 230). He who is praised by those who have discriminative knowledge, as being faithful, virtuous, and of great wisdom, there is no one who can blame him; he is like a jewel of Djambudvipa gold.

As mountains and rocks are unshaken by the wind, so likewise the wise man is unmoved by praise or blame.

The earnest man without any root in the earth, without a leaf (of sinfulness) on any branch, delivered from bondage, there is no one who can blame him.

He who does not suffer from conquest, whom the world cannot conquer in the least, the Buddha, the field of whose activity is infinite, there is no being by whose steps he is guided.

who does not suffer from conquest, whom the world cannot conquer in the least, the Buddha, whose might is infinite, there is no being by whose steps he is guided.

He to whom the allurements of desires and the regions of desire have no delight, the Buddha, the field of whose activity is infinite, there is no being by whose steps he is guided.

He to whom the allurements of desires and the region of desire have no delight, the Buddha, whose might is infinite, there is no being by whose steps he is guided.

He who is illumined by perfect understanding, who having fathomed everything abides in nothing, who is delivered of all attachments, of form, and consciousness (sandjā), who has got rid of the four yogas, he has put an end to birth.

Having cast off what is before, having cast off what is behind, having cast off what is in the middle, one goes to the other shore of existence ; when the mind is free from everything, one will not be subject to birth and death.

Chapter of “Day and Night,” the Twenty-ninth.

Translated by Woodville Rockhill.

1975, Udânavarga: a collection of verses from the Buddhist canon compiled by Dharmatrâta, Oriental Press, Amsterdam (reprint of original from 1883).

Translated (into Tibetan) by the Indian Pandit Vidyaprabhakara and the Lotsāva Bande-rin-tchen-mtchog; revised and arranged by the corrector, the Lotsāva Bande-dpal-brtsegs.

Original taken from University of Oslo, faculty of humanities.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Yasoj and Ayya Vimala.