The Chapter about the Buddha (DHP179-196)

He whose victory cannot be undone,
whose victory no one here approaches,
the Buddha, whose range is endless,
by what path can you lead the pathless one?

For him there is no desire, attachment,
or craving to lead him anywhere,
the Buddha, whose range is endless,
by what path can you lead the pathless one?

Those wise ones intent on meditation, who delight in the peace of renunciation,
even the gods are envious of them, the Sambuddhas, the ones who are mindful.

It is rare to acquire birth as a human, rare is the life of mortals,
it is rare to hear the True Dhamma, rare the arising of Buddhas.

The non-doing of anything wicked, undertaking of what is good,
the purification of one’s mind - this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

Enduring patience is the supreme austerity,
Nibbāna is supreme say the Buddhas,
for one gone forth does not hurt another,
nor does an ascetic harass another.

Not finding fault, not hurting, restraint by the regulations,
knowing the right measure of food, living in a remote dwelling,
devotion to meditation - this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

Not through a rain of coins is satisfaction found for sense desires,
the wise one knowing: “Sense pleasures have little joy, much suffering,”
does not find delight even in heavenly pleasures.
The disciple of the Perfect Sambuddha delights in craving’s destruction.

Many people shaken by fear go for refuge
to woods and mountains, to tree shrines in pleasure parks.
That is not a secure refuge, that is not the refuge supreme,
that is not the refuge to come to that liberates from all suffering.

Whoever has gone refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saṅgha,
and who sees with right wisdom the four noble truths:
Suffering, arising of suffering, and the overcoming of suffering,
the eightfold noble path leading to the stilling of suffering.
That is a secure refuge, that is the refuge supreme,
that is the refuge to come to that liberates from all suffering.

A person of good breed is rare, that one is not born everywhere,
wherever that wise one is born, that family gains happiness.

The arising of the Buddhas is good, the teaching of the True Dhamma is good,
the harmony of the Saṅgha is good, devotion to harmony is good.

For those who worship those worthy of worship, whether Buddhas or disciples,
who have overcome the impediments, crossed over grief and lamentation;
for those who worship such as these, the emancipated, the fearless,
no one is able to measure their vast merit, saying: it is as much as this.

Translated by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu.

2nd edition, November 2017.

The text and translation, together with detailed notes and discussions, may be found in multiple formats on the translator’s website, Ancient Buddhist Texts.

Used by kind permission of Bhikkhu Ānandajoti.

The original translation was released under the following licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Aminah Borg-Luck.