Happiness (DHP197-208)

So very happily we live,
Without hostility among the hostile.
Among the hostile, we dwell peaceably.

So very happily we live,
Healthy among the ill.
Among the ill, we dwell in health.

So very happily we live,
Without ambition among the ambitious.
Among the ambitious, we dwell without ambition.

So very happily we live,
We who possess nothing.
We will feed on delight,
Like the radiant gods.

Victory gives birth to enmity.
The defeated lie in suffering.
Having renounced victory and defeat,
The calm one rests at ease.

There is no fire like passion.
There is no evil like ill will.
There is no suffering like the aggregates.
There is no happiness higher than peace.

Hunger is the greatest illness.
Conditioned things are the greatest suffering.
For the one who knows reality as it is,
Nibbāna is the supreme happiness.

Health is the finest possession.
Contentment is the greatest wealth.
Those trusted are the best relatives.
Nibbāna is the supreme happiness.

Having drunk the nectar of solitude and tranquility,
One becomes free of evil and fear,
Drinking the nectar of Dhamma delight.

Seeing the noble ones is good;
Their company is always pleasant.
Free from seeing fools,
One would be happy always.

By associating with fools one grieves a long time.
Living with fools is like living with an enemy;
always afflictive.
Living with the wise is like a gathering of relatives;
always a joy.

Therefore:
Follow the good, the intelligent,
One clever, wise, learned, committed in virtue,
well-practicing, and noble,
As the moon follows the path of stars.

© Peter Feldmeier, 2013.

First published in Dhammapada — The Way of Truth : A Fresh Translation and Commentary on Buddhism’s Most Beloved Text by Buddhist Publication Society.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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