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The thirteen sections begins with this Invocation:
Quote:
1. Invocation
1 No faults in any way are found in him;
All virtues in every way dwell in him.
2 To go to him for refuge, to sing his praise,
to do him honour and to abide in his Dharma
is proper for one with understanding.
3 The only Protector,
his faults are gone without residue.
The All-knowing One,
his virtues are present without fail.
4 Even the most spiteful man
cannot with justice find fault
in the thoughts, words or deeds of the Lord.
5 To be born human and encounter the great joy
of the good Dharma is a chance rarer than
a turtle thrusting its neck through a yoke
floating freely in the great ocean.
6 So how could I not put voice to good use now,
for it is impermanent and may soon be liable
to change.
7 Though I know that the Sage’s virtues
are beyond all human calculation,
still I will recount a portion of them,
if only for my own delight.
8 Homage to you, O Self-developed One
whose good works are many and wondrous,
whose virtues are too numerous and awesome
to define.
9 Their number? They are infinite.
Their nature? Words must fail.
But to speak of them bestows great good,
so I shall speak much.
If one is only mildly interested in Buddhism this book is great. From chapter one of Book One of the Library of Wisdom and Compassion, Approaching the Buddhist Path:
Quote:
Exploring Buddhism
A SPIRITUAL PATH IS ESSENTIAL to human life. Although advances in
medicine, science, and technology have done much to improve the quality
of human life, they have not been able to free us from all suffering and
bring us secure and lasting happiness. In fact, in many cases, they have
brought new problems that we did not face in the past, such as
environmental pollution and the threat of nuclear war. Therefore, external
improvements in our world are not sufficient to bring the happiness and
peace that we all desire. For this, internal transformation through spiritual
development is essential. For this transformation to occur, we need to
follow a spiritual path.
Spiritual practice involves transforming our mind. Although our body
is important, satisfying it does not bring lasting happiness. We must look
inside ourselves, examining our attitudes and emotions to understand how
profoundly they influence and shape our experiences. The Buddha
comments (SN 1.62):
The world is led by mind and drawn along by mind. All
phenomena are controlled by one phenomenon, mind.
The mind includes not only our intellect, but also all our cognitions,
emotions, and other mental factors. The Sanskrit word for “mind,” citta, can
also be translated as “heart.” It refers to all our consciousnesses — sensory
and mental — and to the variety of mental states we experience. By
subduing the afflicted aspects of our mind, our experience of the world is
transformed, whereas if we seek to change only the external environment
and the people in it, we continually meet with frustration and
disappointment because we cannot control the external world. It is only by
developing the great potential of our mind/heart that we will be able to find
a way out of our suffering and to truly benefit others as well.
The Dalai Lama in Following in the Buddha's Footsteps:
Quote:
Based on his own experience, the Buddha taught a path in accord with reality.
He did not teach anything illogical or contradictory to the laws of nature or the
way things are. Through his teachings and his living example, he demonstrated
the ability to eliminate unrealistic and harmful mental states — such as
ignorance, animosity, and attachment — from their root and to develop good
qualities limitlessly. All of this accords with the way things function, and by
practicing the Buddha’s instructions we can verify the path to awakening and its
resultant awakening through our own experience.
Some people read the biographies of the Buddha or other Buddhist sages
and, inspired by their sublime lives, follow their teachings. That is wonderful. But
the most important reason for following the Buddha’s teachings is that we have
studied and investigated them and have found them to be reliable and effective.
In this way, we confirm for ourselves that the Buddha’s philosophical teachings
are the result of deep contemplation, sincere practice, and genuine meditation.
They were not made up quickly to impress others. The faith that arises from
understanding the teachings is stable and reliable, whereas the faith that derives
from admiration of the Buddha’s life or amazement at his supernormal abilities
can easily change.
Among the several Dhammapada versions I have read, this 2013 one by Peter Feldmeier is growing on me. He also gives a Reflection after each of the sections. Buddhist Publication Society prints it.
Here is how he begins the text:
Quote:
1. All phenomena are preceded by the mind,
Created by the mind,
And have the mind as their master.
If one speaks or acts from a corrupted mind,
Suffering follows as the cart-wheel follows the ox’s foot.
2. All phenomena are preceded by the mind,
Created by the mind,
And have the mind as their master.
If one speaks or acts with a pure mind,
Happiness follows as an ever-present shadow.
3. He insulted me; he struck me;
He defeated me; he robbed me.
For those who dwell on such resentments,
Enmity never ceases.
4. He insulted me; he struck me;
He defeated me; he robbed me.
For those who do not dwell on such resentments,
Enmity subsides;
5. For enmities are never appeased by enmity.
They are appeased by peace.
This is an eternal law.
Buddha confronts, in Sutta Nipata 3.2 Striving, the Jailer Mara and lists Demon Mara's tenfold army:
Quote:
436. “Sensual pleasures are your first army;
the second is called discontent.
Hunger and thirst are the third;
the fourth is called craving.
437. “The fifth is dullness and drowsiness;
the sixth is called cowardice.
Doubt is your seventh;
your eighth, denigration and pride.
438. “Gain, praise, and honor,
and wrongly obtained fame [is ninth];
[the tenth is when] one extols oneself
and looks down at others.
439. “This is your army, Namucī,
the squadron of the Dark One.
A weakling does not conquer it,
but having conquered it, one gains bliss."
Depending on how one counts, there are 10-15 major themes of practice that this book, Lamrim Year, outlines. The need for the guru is a basic one. Here is Lama Yeshe on the inner & outer guru:
Quote:
The tantric texts often mention that all realizations come from the guru. This is true, but we have to understand that “guru” has two different levels of meaning. The relative, objective guru is the teacher who, by communicating with us in different ways, shows us how to act so that we can discover our own totality. But on a deeper, more subjective level, our guru is none other than our own inner wisdom, our own fundamental clarity of mind.
Practically speaking, there is only so much the relative, external guru can do for us; they cannot guarantee that we gain insight and realizations. But our inner guru, our own clear wisdom, can accomplish everything. The practice of guru yoga, therefore, is primarily a method for learning how to listen to this inner guru.
Ordinarily, even though we do possess this inner voice of wisdom, we do not listen to it. We do not even hear it! We are too busy listening to the garbage conversation of our gross dualistic minds. We are so accustomed to this that even when wisdom does arise, as an intuitive insight, we often reject it. By practicing guru yoga we are able progressively to cut through our superficial ways of relating to the world and make contact with the innate wisdom at the heart of our being. When we have done this, then we can communicate deeply with the outer guru as well. But as long as we are out of touch with our inner guru, no matter how profound the teachings of the outer guru may be, we will never be able to integrate them.
The Land of Ultimate Bliss Is Right Before Our Eyes - talk given in 1958
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