Verses on the mind
Follow the Dhammapada’s paired verses on mind, hatred and heedfulness, distinguishing each verse from the story its later commentary adds.
An original introduction. This guide accompanies the work; it is neither the complete text nor a translation.
Situating the text
The text belongs to the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Pali canon, written down in Sri Lanka in the first century BCE; parallel collections survive in Gandhari, Sanskrit and Chinese. Attribution to the Buddha is traditional: communities compiled and transmitted the verses, and a later commentary attached a story to each. An anthology of 423 verses in 26 chapters, the Dhammapada condenses early Buddhist teaching on mind, conduct, heedfulness and liberation into memorable pairs and images. Its opening verses make the quality of the mind decisive for what follows from speech and action.
Following the arguments
Mind as forerunner : Speaking or acting with a corrupted mind brings suffering as the wheel follows the ox; acting with a clear mind brings happiness like a shadow that never leaves. Ending hatred : Hatred is never appeased by hatred but only by non-hatred, a principle the verse calls an ancient and lasting law. Heedfulness : Vigilant attention is called the path to the deathless, while negligence is likened to death; the wise guard heedfulness as their most precious treasure.
Continuing the reading
Read the first two chapters in two different translations, then compare one verse with a Gandhari or Sanskrit parallel and with the story the commentary attaches to it. The text belongs to the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Pali canon, written down in Sri Lanka in the first century BCE; parallel collections survive in Gandhari, Sanskrit and Chinese. Attribution to the Buddha is traditional: communities compiled and transmitted the verses, and a later commentary attached a story to each.
A verse anthology teaches through contrast and repetition; its sayings gain precision when read beside their parallels and commentary.
Your turn to think.
- Which verse links the state of the mind to the consequences of speech and action?
- How does a commentary story change the way you read the verse it explains?
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