30. Happiness (UV-KG30)

From victory proceeds rancour; the defeated foe is in misery: if one casts off victory and defeat he will find the happiness of peace.

He who causes misery to others in seeking for his own welfare brings without distinction misery on friends and foes.

He who seeking happiness persecutes and punishes other beings also seeking for happiness, will not find happiness in the other world.

He who seeking happiness does not persecute and punish beings seeking for happiness, will find happiness in the other world.

Perform carefully the precepts of the law ; abstain from all evil deeds : he who keeps the law finds happiness in this world and in the other.

The observance of the law brings happiness; he who keeps the law is guarded by the law; he who keeps the law goes not on the evil way; for this is the observance of the law beneficial.

He who keeps the law is sheltered by the law, as is one in summer by a large umbrella; he who keeps the law goes not on the evil way, for this reason is the observance of the law beneficial.

The careless man who observes not the law, no matter who he may be, goes to damnation; he who keeps not the law is as surely destroyed as is the black snake that one has caught by the middle.

The rewards of the righteous and of the unrighteous are not the same; the unrighteous go to hell, the righteous find the way to happiness.

When one is charitable and when one gives battle, if well understood these (operations) are primarily alike; as I have said (or it has been said) that being charitable and fighting are alike, be careful in both cases and rely not on what is bad. A single man well equipped can conquer (a legion) of badly equipped rabble (?), so likewise if one gives through faith, even though a little, he will thereby find happiness in the other world.

He who has been victorious in a hundred battles, and who has overcome all his enemies, is not so great a conqueror, I declare, as he who gives with a pure heart.

The reward of virtue is happiness; he who has made this his goal will speedily find perfect rest and nirvāṇa.

There is nothing by which men can harm them who are virtuous; they from the world of the gods and of Māra are not able to hurt them.

He who, to put an end to misery, applies himself diligently to the acquirement of righteousness and knowledge, shall enjoy (it) through supernatural sight (vipaśyana).

He who delights in the law with a truly believing mind, finds happiness; the sage always delights in the law that has been taught by the elect.

They whose minds delight in contemplation (dhyana), who delight in no created thing, who delight in the four modes of arranging the memory, in the seven branches of the Bodhi, in the four bases of performing miracles, in the eightfold way, they wear the garment of the law and are happy in living on alms.

They move about in peace on mountains and in forests; they are happy in finding happiness, and leave sorrow behind in the perception of the law (nirvāṇa). He has left behind hatred and fear, and has crossed over from worldly existence.

To hear the law, to perceive the law, and to delight in seclusion, is happiness; to all living beings in the world to comprehend the complete cessation of death is happiness.

To abandon desires, to be free of the passions of the world, is happiness; to subdue the selfish thought of “I” is the greatest happiness.

To be virtuous unto old age is happiness; to live in perfect faith is happiness; to delight in words of sense is happiness; to do no evil is happiness.

Happy in this world is he who honours his father, so likewise he who honours his mother is happy; happy in this world he who honours Śramanas, so likewise he who honours Brāhmanas is happy.

The arising of a Buddha is happiness, the teaching of the law is happiness, the harmony of the clergy is happiness, the devotion (tapas) of those who are united is happiness.

'Tis happiness to see a virtuous man; to see one who has heard much is happiness; to see Arhats who are delivered from existence is happiness.

'Tis happiness to reach the shore of the river of happiness; happy the being who has the triumph of the law (i.e., who has attained purity); to obtain wisdom is happiness; to put an end to selfishness is happiness.

To see the elect is happiness; to associate with the righteous is happiness; not to see fools is always happiness.

'Tis as great suffering to be in the company of fools as in that of enemies; he who associates with fools will repent him of it for a long time.

An omniscient person is hard to find; he does not appear everywhere: 'tis happiness to associate with the steadfast, like unto meeting one's kinsmen; wherever such a steadfast person is born, that people finds happiness.

The Brāhmanas who have left sorrow behind, find most perfect happiness; he who has divested himself of desires, who is without āsravas, is perfectly free.

They who have destroyed all desires, who have cleansed their hearts of all cankers, their minds bring them peace, and in peace there is happiness.

If the steadfast man seeks for great happiness, and would give up little happiness, let him cast away the little happiness and look well to the great one.

“Worldly happiness and happiness in the region of the gods is not worth the sixteenth part of the happiness (resulting) from the destruction of desires.

If one has been miserable under the weight of his burden, 'tis happiness to east it down; if one has cast down his heavy load, he will not in future take up another.

He who has pnt an end to all attachment, who has cast away all affection, who perfectly understands all the skandhas, will not be subject to any subsequent existence.

To associate with those who bring one great profit is happiness; to be virtuous in the different circumstances of life is happiness; to be satisfied with no matter how mean a pittance is happiness; to put an end to all suffering is happiness.

By beating with a hammer the iron that has been burnt with fire it is finally destroyed; in like manner is the unwise man done away with.

He who, having forded the miry stream of desire, has found the unchanging place (amatam padam, nirvāṇa), there is nothing that will hold back that being who has (found) perfect emancipation.

He whom nothing agitates, who has left existence and not existence, free of terror, happy and without sorrow, even the gods on seeing (his happiness) cannot comprehend its (extent).

In this world to hear much of the law and to comprehend it, nothing is so great a happiness! Man is filled with love for his body, and see how little it takes to destroy it!

He who has understood that there is nothing commendable in the human condition, will have the happiness of never being subject to birth; man is filled with love for his body, and see how little it takes to destroy it!

While it is misery to be in subjection to another, to be one's own master is great happiness; 'tis hard to cast off attachment, and to put an end to the source of all troubles.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy, living without greed among men who are greedy, without greed in the midst of the greedy.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy, living without disease among men afflicted by diseases, without disease in midst of disease.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy, living without enmity amidst men who are inimical, without enmity among the inimical.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy, living without cruel thoughts amidst men who have cruel thoughts, without cruelty among the cruel.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy, living without hatred amidst men who hate, without hatred among haters.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy; though Mithilā burns, nothing of mine does burn, for I have nothing.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy; though there be nothing to call our own, we shall feed on happiness like the shining gods.

Ah! let us live exceedingly happy, relying on nothing perishable; and though there be nothing to call our own, we shall feed on happiness.

When one meets with the consequences of attachment (upadana) one must suffer; when there is no attachment there is nothing to meet which can cause suffering; he who has finished with both the one and the other (attachment and its consequences) and is happy, will not have to endure affliction in either forest or hamlet.

In this world the holy man is neither elated or depressed by joy or sorrow; the steadfast are not made vain by the objects of desire; the holy man forsakes everything.

Chapter on Happiness, the Thirtieth.

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.