The Chapter about Happiness (DHP197-208)

Let us live truly happily, without hatred, amongst those who have hatred,
amongst humans who have hatred let us live without hatred.

Let us live truly happily, without sickness, amongst those who are sick,
amongst humans who have sickness let us live without sickness.

Let us live truly happily, without longing, amongst those who are longing,
amongst humans who are longing let us live without longing.

We live truly happily enough having no possessions ourselves,
we will feed on joy like the gods of Streaming Light.

The victor generates hatred, the defeated one finds suffering,
the one at peace lives happily, having abandoned victory and defeat.

There is no fire like passion, there is no offence like hatred,
there is no suffering like the components of mind and body, no happiness other than peace.

Hunger is the supreme sickness, conditions are the supreme suffering,
knowing this as it really is, know Nibbāna is the supreme good.

Health is the supreme gain, content the supreme wealth,
confidence the supreme kin, Nibbāna the supreme good.

Savouring the taste of solitude, and the taste of peace,
he is fearless, faultless, savouring the joyful taste of Dhamma.

Meeting with the noble is good, living together with them is always pleasant,
through not meeting foolish people one will constantly be happy.

For he who consorts with fools grieves for a long time,
dwelling with fools is always suffering as it is with enemies,
the wise one dwells happily as with an assembly of kin.

therefore,
the firm, the wise and the learned,
the virtuous, dutiful and noble –
accompany such a true and intelligent person
as the moon accompanies the course of the stars.

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.