1. Pairs

1 Intention is the leader of things;

2 intention is first, they’re made by intention.

3 If with corrupt intent

4 you speak or act,

5 suffering follows you,

6 like a wheel, the ox’s foot.

1 Intention is the leader of things;

2 intention is first, they’re made by intention.

3 If with pure intent

4 you speak or act,

5 happiness follows you

6 like a shadow that never leaves.

1 “They abused me, they hit me!

2 They beat me, they robbed me!”

3 For those who bear such a grudge,

4 hatred is never laid to rest.

1 “They abused me, they hit me!

2 They beat me, they robbed me!”

3 For those who bear no such grudge,

4 hatred is laid to rest.

1 For never is hatred

2 laid to rest by hate,

3 it’s laid to rest by love:

4 this is an ancient teaching.

1 When others do not understand,

2 let us, who do understand this,

3 restrain ourselves in this regard;

4 for that is how conflicts are laid to rest.

1 Those who contemplate the beautiful,

2 their faculties unrestrained,

3 immoderate in eating,

4 lazy, lacking energy:

5 Māra strikes them down

6 like the wind, a feeble tree.

1 Those who contemplate the ugly,

2 their faculties well-restrained,

3 eating in moderation,

4 faithful and energetic:

5 Māra cannot strike them down,

6 like the wind, a rocky mountain.

1 One who, not free of stains themselves,

2 would wear the robe stained in ocher,

3 bereft of self-control and truth:

4 they are not worthy of the ocher robe.

1 One who’s purged all their stains,

2 steady in ethics,

3 possessed of self-control and of truth,

4 they are truly worthy of the ocher robe.

1 Thinking the inessential is essential,

2 seeing the essential as inessential;

3 they don’t realize the essential,

4 for wrong thoughts are their habitat.

1 Having known the essential as essential,

2 and the inessential as inessential;

3 they realize the essential,

4 for right thoughts are their habitat.

1 Just as rain seeps into

2 a poorly roofed house,

3 lust seeps into

4 an undeveloped mind.

1 Just as rain doesn’t seep into

2 a well roofed house,

3 lust doesn’t seep into

4 a well developed mind.

1 Here they grieve, hereafter they grieve,

2 an evildoer grieves in both places.

3 They grieve and fret,

4 seeing their own corrupt deeds.

1 Here they rejoice, hereafter they rejoice,

2 one who does good rejoices in both places.

3 They rejoice and celebrate,

4 seeing their own pure deeds.

1 Here they’re tormented, hereafter they’re tormented,

2 an evildoer is tormented in both places.

3 They’re tormented thinking of bad things they’ve done;

4 when gone to a bad place, they’re tormented all the more.

1 Here they delight, hereafter they delight,

2 one who does good delights in both places.

3 They delight thinking of good things they’ve done;

4 when gone to a good place, they delight all the more.

1 Much though they may recite scripture,

2 if a negligent person does not apply them,

3 then, like a cowherd who counts the cattle of others,

4 they miss out on the blessings of the ascetic life.

1 Little though they may recite scripture,

2 if they live in line with the teaching,

3 having given up greed, hate, and delusion,

4 with deep understanding and heart well freed,

5 not grasping to this life or the next,

6 they share in the blessings of the ascetic life.