Our enemies are in truth our benefactors; they close the gate of hell and open to us the path of salvation; they are as useful as the Buddhas (110). The Buddhas identify themselves with creatures; by loving creatures, we please the Buddhas; by offending them, we offend the Buddhas (134).
1) All these good works, charity, the worship of the Buddhas, with which the holy man has enriched himself for centuries, hatred destroys [as a spark destroys a heap of straw].
2) There is therefore no sin as destructive as hatred, nor any austerity as good [and as difficult] as patience. Apply yourselves, then, to patience with all your strength and by the various methods [that we shall set forth].
3) What heart, poisoned by hatred, shall ever know calm, the joy of kindly feelings, the repose of the body, the steadfastness of thought?
4) Gifts, attentions, services, and even the protection he affords do not shield a master, whom his irritability makes unbearable, from ill will.
5) Even his friends fear him; his servants avoid him, though he is generous; in a word, there is no remedy: the angry man cannot be happy.
6) Anger produces all these evils and many others [to say nothing of the life to come]; it is an enemy that must be vigorously attacked, that must be destroyed, in order to be happy in both worlds.
1) All these good works, charity, the worship of the Buddhas, with which the holy man has enriched himself for centuries, hatred destroys [as a spark destroys a heap of straw].
2) There is therefore no sin as destructive as hatred, nor any austerity as good [and as difficult] as patience. Apply yourselves, then, to patience with all your strength and by the various methods [that we shall set forth].
3) What heart, poisoned by hatred, shall ever know calm, the joy of kindly feelings, the repose of the body, the steadfastness of thought?
4) Gifts, attentions, services, and even the protection he affords do not shield a master, whom his irritability makes unbearable, from ill will.
5) Even his friends fear him; his servants avoid him, though he is generous; in a word, there is no remedy: the angry man cannot be happy.
6) Anger produces all these evils and many others [to say nothing of the life to come]; it is an enemy that must be vigorously attacked, that must be destroyed, in order to be happy in both worlds.
7) If hatred grows strong and kills me, it is because it feeds on discontent; discontent arises when desire or aversion is thwarted.
8) I shall destroy the food on which my enemy feeds, my enemy who, day and night, plots only my ruin.
9) Even the most distressing circumstances must not disturb my joy: discontent serves only to dissipate merit.
10) If there is some remedy for suffering, why grieve? Why grieve if nothing can be done?
11) Suffering [physical and mental], insults, hurtful words, slander—these are what we fear for ourselves and for those we love. And, by a contrary effect, we suffer at an enemy’s happiness.
12) At the cost of great effort [in the practice of good], one sometimes obtains pleasures [imperfect and that feed transmigration]; [suffering, on the contrary, is everywhere, and there is no lack of occasion to grow accustomed to it; now] it is through suffering alone that one can escape from existences. Be patient, therefore, O my soul!
13) [Even pagans consent to suffer in order to obtain a great good:] the devotees of the goddess Durgâ, inhabitants of Carnatic, in the vain hope of salvation, [submit themselves to fasting on the occasion of great festivals]: they do not hesitate to burn and lacerate their bodies; and should I [who pursue, for universal salvation, the enlightenment of the Buddhas, difficult to attain] show such unworthy weakness?
8) I shall destroy the food on which my enemy feeds, my enemy who, day and night, plots only my ruin.
9) Even the most distressing circumstances must not disturb my joy: discontent serves only to dissipate merit.
10) If there is some remedy for suffering, why grieve? Why grieve if nothing can be done?
11) Suffering [physical and mental], insults, hurtful words, slander—these are what we fear for ourselves and for those we love. And, by a contrary effect, we suffer at an enemy’s happiness.
12) At the cost of great effort [in the practice of good], one sometimes obtains pleasures [imperfect and that feed transmigration]; [suffering, on the contrary, is everywhere, and there is no lack of occasion to grow accustomed to it; now] it is through suffering alone that one can escape from existences. Be patient, therefore, O my soul!
13) [Even pagans consent to suffer in order to obtain a great good:] the devotees of the goddess Durgâ, inhabitants of Carnatic, in the vain hope of salvation, [submit themselves to fasting on the occasion of great festivals]: they do not hesitate to burn and lacerate their bodies; and should I [who pursue, for universal salvation, the enlightenment of the Buddhas, difficult to attain] show such unworthy weakness?
14) There is nothing difficult [in the arts, in virtue, in endurance] that practice does not make easy; by training oneself to bear slight sufferings, one renders even the most violent harmless.
15) Mosquitoes, gadflies, flies, hunger, thirst, itchings, what do I know?—why leave fruitless [these opportunities to practise patience]?
16) Cold, heat, rain, wind, a wearying road, sickness, prison, blows... Wilt thou be a pampered child? This is to increase suffering.
17) There are soldiers whom the sight of their own blood fills with the utmost courage; others think they are dying when they see their comrades’ blood flow.
18) The minds of the former are trained to courage; those of the latter to cowardice. [Valour is therefore in thy power:] make thyself invincible to suffering and thou shalt overcome it.
19) Even when he suffers, the saint keeps his mind at peace [in the Buddha, steadfast in goodness], for [life] is a battle against the passions, and what battle is without suffering?
20) Those who triumph over the enemy by offering their breasts to the enemy’s blows, they are the victors and the heroes: those who prevail by cunning are called “slayers of corpses,”
21) Pain is infinitely advantageous: it inspires holy dread [of sin]. Pride [in youth and wealth] is brought low; one becomes compassionate toward suffering creatures; one fears sin [which ripens into pain]; and the Buddha [who has shown the path to the destruction of pain], one loves, [one adores, one believes in Him, one calms one’s mind in Him],
15) Mosquitoes, gadflies, flies, hunger, thirst, itchings, what do I know?—why leave fruitless [these opportunities to practise patience]?
16) Cold, heat, rain, wind, a wearying road, sickness, prison, blows... Wilt thou be a pampered child? This is to increase suffering.
17) There are soldiers whom the sight of their own blood fills with the utmost courage; others think they are dying when they see their comrades’ blood flow.
18) The minds of the former are trained to courage; those of the latter to cowardice. [Valour is therefore in thy power:] make thyself invincible to suffering and thou shalt overcome it.
19) Even when he suffers, the saint keeps his mind at peace [in the Buddha, steadfast in goodness], for [life] is a battle against the passions, and what battle is without suffering?
20) Those who triumph over the enemy by offering their breasts to the enemy’s blows, they are the victors and the heroes: those who prevail by cunning are called “slayers of corpses,”
21) Pain is infinitely advantageous: it inspires holy dread [of sin]. Pride [in youth and wealth] is brought low; one becomes compassionate toward suffering creatures; one fears sin [which ripens into pain]; and the Buddha [who has shown the path to the destruction of pain], one loves, [one adores, one believes in Him, one calms one’s mind in Him],
22) What a fool he would be who grew angry with the humours whose disorder brings forth such painful diseases! No less unreasonable is anger against beings endowed with thought; for they too are disordered only under the influence of causes.
23) Just as [the humours, altered by such and such causes, grow angry and cause] a suffering they do not intend, so too, [when its causes have ripened], anger bursts forth, without resentment [on the part of the being endowed with thought], [and will offend us].
24) For will you say that a man grows angry of his own will and reflects, “I shall become angry”; or that anger takes counsel with itself and decides to burst forth at its appointed hour?
25) All faults, whatsoever they may be, all evil deeds proceed from the chain of necessary causes: nothing moves or acts of itself.
26) The complex of antecedents [which brings forth the effect] does not think, “I shall produce”; nor does the effect produced think, “I am produced.”
27) [But, you will say, there is something autonomous,] that which the heretics call by the name of pradhâna, or that which they call by the name of âtman—These are mere imaginings. Neither is born after reflecting, “I am born.”
23) Just as [the humours, altered by such and such causes, grow angry and cause] a suffering they do not intend, so too, [when its causes have ripened], anger bursts forth, without resentment [on the part of the being endowed with thought], [and will offend us].
24) For will you say that a man grows angry of his own will and reflects, “I shall become angry”; or that anger takes counsel with itself and decides to burst forth at its appointed hour?
25) All faults, whatsoever they may be, all evil deeds proceed from the chain of necessary causes: nothing moves or acts of itself.
26) The complex of antecedents [which brings forth the effect] does not think, “I shall produce”; nor does the effect produced think, “I am produced.”
27) [But, you will say, there is something autonomous,] that which the heretics call by the name of pradhâna, or that which they call by the name of âtman—These are mere imaginings. Neither is born after reflecting, “I am born.”
28) Before birth, [neither of the two] exists: and what does not exist cannot desire to be. [Will you say that this is not a passage from non-being to being, but a passage from a state of indistinction to a state of distinction? We shall refute this sophism later. Will you say that the âtman is by nature eternal, unborn? Our objection remains:] if the âtman is active, in contact with the object [presented by prakrti], how shall this activity come to an end?
29) If the âtman is eternal, devoid of thought, like space, it is only too clear that it is inactive. Whatever external forces you may surround it with, being unalterable, it cannot act.
30) For, remaining at the moment of action what it was before, what part does it take in the action? “The action of the âtman,” you say: but what kind of relation is there between the action and the âtman?
31) Thus, every thing depends on its cause, and this cause, in turn, is dependent. Beings have the same kind of activity as magical creations: anger against them is not justified.
32) [Very well;] but then it is impossible to stop [anger]? Where, then, is the [autonomous] being who will stop it? What [autonomous force, not necessitated in its results, desire or hatred,] will be stopped? [We reply:] You are mistaken, for [this universe of thought and suffering] is only the chain of causes, and thus the cessation of suffering is possible.
29) If the âtman is eternal, devoid of thought, like space, it is only too clear that it is inactive. Whatever external forces you may surround it with, being unalterable, it cannot act.
30) For, remaining at the moment of action what it was before, what part does it take in the action? “The action of the âtman,” you say: but what kind of relation is there between the action and the âtman?
31) Thus, every thing depends on its cause, and this cause, in turn, is dependent. Beings have the same kind of activity as magical creations: anger against them is not justified.
32) [Very well;] but then it is impossible to stop [anger]? Where, then, is the [autonomous] being who will stop it? What [autonomous force, not necessitated in its results, desire or hatred,] will be stopped? [We reply:] You are mistaken, for [this universe of thought and suffering] is only the chain of causes, and thus the cessation of suffering is possible.
33) When an enemy, or even a friend, offends another, one must think: “Such are the causes at work within him,” and remain serene.
34) If it sufficed to desire in order to obtain what one wants, no one would suffer; for who desires suffering?
35) Thoughtless, under the sway of anger or covetousness, for women or riches beyond their reach, men make themselves their own enemies: behold them [on difficult roads], torn by brambles, bruised by stones, [deprived of water and food].
36) Some put an end to their own lives: they hang themselves, throw themselves down precipices, swallow poison, eat or drink too much, or commit crimes [punishable by death].
37) Slaves to the passions, men torture their own bodies, which are dear to them. How could they spare others?
38) Driven mad, [possessed] by [those demons that are] the passions, men set about their own ruin, [whether they make themselves their own tormentors or torment others]. In truth, they are more worthy of pity than of anger!
39-40) [Another point.] Either these fools are naturally evil: to be angry with them is as absurd as to be angry with fire because it burns; or evil is adventitious in them: “beings are naturally pure”; and wilt thou be angry with the air on account of the smoke?
34) If it sufficed to desire in order to obtain what one wants, no one would suffer; for who desires suffering?
35) Thoughtless, under the sway of anger or covetousness, for women or riches beyond their reach, men make themselves their own enemies: behold them [on difficult roads], torn by brambles, bruised by stones, [deprived of water and food].
36) Some put an end to their own lives: they hang themselves, throw themselves down precipices, swallow poison, eat or drink too much, or commit crimes [punishable by death].
37) Slaves to the passions, men torture their own bodies, which are dear to them. How could they spare others?
38) Driven mad, [possessed] by [those demons that are] the passions, men set about their own ruin, [whether they make themselves their own tormentors or torment others]. In truth, they are more worthy of pity than of anger!
39-40) [Another point.] Either these fools are naturally evil: to be angry with them is as absurd as to be angry with fire because it burns; or evil is adventitious in them: “beings are naturally pure”; and wilt thou be angry with the air on account of the smoke?
41) One is not angered against the stick, the immediate cause of the pain, but against the one who sets it in motion; now, he is set in motion by hatred: it is hatred, then, that must be hated.
42) [Let us come to the heart of the matter:] I myself, in times past, tormented creatures just as [my enemy] torments me today; my present suffering is indeed my due, since I have caused creatures to suffer.
43) Twofold is the cause of my suffering: the sword that strikes me and my body that is struck. My enemy has taken up the sword; I have put on the body: against which should I be angered?
44) What I have put on is rather a wound than a body, so [the body] is sensitive! Passion must blind me for me to be angered [against my enemy, and not against myself].
45) I hate suffering, and, like a fool, I love the [first] cause of suffering, [which is my body]; the suffering of the body results from the evil committed by the body: why be angered elsewhere [, against the agents and auxiliaries of the first cause]?
46) My own deeds alone produce the forest of sword-leaves and the vultures of hell; likewise, this present pain: against whom should I be angered?
It is the deed committed by me that sets in motion the men who do me harm; [and which, therefore,] hurls them into hell. Cannot one say, [O my soul!] that I am the one who destroys them [, while they do me no harm]?
42) [Let us come to the heart of the matter:] I myself, in times past, tormented creatures just as [my enemy] torments me today; my present suffering is indeed my due, since I have caused creatures to suffer.
43) Twofold is the cause of my suffering: the sword that strikes me and my body that is struck. My enemy has taken up the sword; I have put on the body: against which should I be angered?
44) What I have put on is rather a wound than a body, so [the body] is sensitive! Passion must blind me for me to be angered [against my enemy, and not against myself].
45) I hate suffering, and, like a fool, I love the [first] cause of suffering, [which is my body]; the suffering of the body results from the evil committed by the body: why be angered elsewhere [, against the agents and auxiliaries of the first cause]?
46) My own deeds alone produce the forest of sword-leaves and the vultures of hell; likewise, this present pain: against whom should I be angered?
It is the deed committed by me that sets in motion the men who do me harm; [and which, therefore,] hurls them into hell. Cannot one say, [O my soul!] that I am the one who destroys them [, while they do me no harm]?
Thanks to them, if I patiently endure their offences, many sins are destroyed for me [by the very suffering in which they ripen]; whereas, because of me, my enemies go to the long torments of hell.
It is I who do them harm, while they do me good. Why mistake the matter, fool that thou art, and grow angry?
If I do not go to hell, it is doubtless through the purity of my intention: if I succeed in saving myself, that is no concern of theirs.
Wouldst thou have me take vengeance on my enemies? This is no way to save them. And what comes of it? My vows and my practice as a future Buddha are at an end, and these unhappy, wretched beings are lost [and fall into hell].
[Suffering, it is commonly said, is of two kinds, bodily or mental.] The soul, immaterial, can be reached nowhere and by nothing: if it is reached by bodily pain, it is because of the false judgments that make one say, “my body.”
As for the body, can it be said to suffer from verbal offences, insults, coarse words, slander? How, O my soul, canst thou justify thine anger?
The evil dispositions of others are harmful neither in this life nor the next. Why fear them and grieve over them?
It is I who do them harm, while they do me good. Why mistake the matter, fool that thou art, and grow angry?
If I do not go to hell, it is doubtless through the purity of my intention: if I succeed in saving myself, that is no concern of theirs.
Wouldst thou have me take vengeance on my enemies? This is no way to save them. And what comes of it? My vows and my practice as a future Buddha are at an end, and these unhappy, wretched beings are lost [and fall into hell].
[Suffering, it is commonly said, is of two kinds, bodily or mental.] The soul, immaterial, can be reached nowhere and by nothing: if it is reached by bodily pain, it is because of the false judgments that make one say, “my body.”
As for the body, can it be said to suffer from verbal offences, insults, coarse words, slander? How, O my soul, canst thou justify thine anger?
The evil dispositions of others are harmful neither in this life nor the next. Why fear them and grieve over them?
But [does backbiting] dry up men’s generosity? My goods shall perish within a few days, and the sin [born of resentment] shall accompany me into the other world.
Better to die at once, [for lack of means], than to live a long life of sin. Though I should live a hundred years, inevitable death reserves the same pain for me.
One man dreams that he is happy for a hundred years; another, that he is happy for an hour: they awake.
When they are awake, their happiness is forever at an end. Such, when they die, are the man who has lived long and the man who has lived but a few days.
In vain shall I possess riches, in vain shall I long enjoy pleasures: death, like a thief, shall leave me neither provision nor garment.
60) But, thou wilt say, possessions prolong life, and I shall be able longer to destroy my sin and increase merit? But be not angry in thy desire for possessions, for thou wouldst destroy merit and increase sin!
61) Cursed be life, if I miss the one goal of my life, if my whole life pass in sin!
62) But, thou wilt say, I hate the slanderer, not because he hinders my gains, but because he makes others share his malice and thus brings about their ruin. Why is it that the slanderers of others leave thee so indifferent?
Better to die at once, [for lack of means], than to live a long life of sin. Though I should live a hundred years, inevitable death reserves the same pain for me.
One man dreams that he is happy for a hundred years; another, that he is happy for an hour: they awake.
When they are awake, their happiness is forever at an end. Such, when they die, are the man who has lived long and the man who has lived but a few days.
In vain shall I possess riches, in vain shall I long enjoy pleasures: death, like a thief, shall leave me neither provision nor garment.
60) But, thou wilt say, possessions prolong life, and I shall be able longer to destroy my sin and increase merit? But be not angry in thy desire for possessions, for thou wouldst destroy merit and increase sin!
61) Cursed be life, if I miss the one goal of my life, if my whole life pass in sin!
62) But, thou wilt say, I hate the slanderer, not because he hinders my gains, but because he makes others share his malice and thus brings about their ruin. Why is it that the slanderers of others leave thee so indifferent?
63) Thou dost easily endure the malice directed at another; endure, then, the evil words that blame thy faults.
64) Let not piety lead thee to hate those who destroy or insult the images of the Buddhas. These stûpas, the Good Law, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Noble disciples and Pratyekabuddhas suffer not from such insults.
65) If thy masters, thy parents or thy friends be offended, recognize in what happens the manifestation of causes; put anger away.
66) Whether its instrument be a sentient being or an inanimate thing, suffering results from necessary causes; it always has its seat in the sentient body: endure it, then, O my soul, whencesoever it comes.
67) Some, led astray by selfishness, give offence; others, likewise led astray, grow angry. Who is without reproach? Who is guilty?
68) Why, O my soul, hast thou committed the sins for which thou sufferest today beneath thine enemies? Dost thou hope to escape? Beings are subject to their past actions.
69) Knowing this, I shall devote myself with such energy to good works that all creatures, entering the good path, shall be filled with mutual affection.
70) When a house is burning, one removes from the neighbouring house the straw and wood that would feed the fire were it to spread.
71) In like manner, the objects to which one clings, and which may kindle the fire of hatred in the soul, must be cast away at once, lest the conflagration destroy our merit.
64) Let not piety lead thee to hate those who destroy or insult the images of the Buddhas. These stûpas, the Good Law, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Noble disciples and Pratyekabuddhas suffer not from such insults.
65) If thy masters, thy parents or thy friends be offended, recognize in what happens the manifestation of causes; put anger away.
66) Whether its instrument be a sentient being or an inanimate thing, suffering results from necessary causes; it always has its seat in the sentient body: endure it, then, O my soul, whencesoever it comes.
67) Some, led astray by selfishness, give offence; others, likewise led astray, grow angry. Who is without reproach? Who is guilty?
68) Why, O my soul, hast thou committed the sins for which thou sufferest today beneath thine enemies? Dost thou hope to escape? Beings are subject to their past actions.
69) Knowing this, I shall devote myself with such energy to good works that all creatures, entering the good path, shall be filled with mutual affection.
70) When a house is burning, one removes from the neighbouring house the straw and wood that would feed the fire were it to spread.
71) In like manner, the objects to which one clings, and which may kindle the fire of hatred in the soul, must be cast away at once, lest the conflagration destroy our merit.
72) A man is condemned to death: his hand is cut off and he is sent away. Can he complain? — To suffer human sufferings instead of infernal sufferings is all gain.
73) What, canst thou not bear to take upon thyself sufferings that are of little account, and dost thou give thyself over to anger, which ripens into infernal sufferings!
74) A thousand times and a thousand times anger has delivered me to the executioners of Yama — without my pains having served either myself or another.
75) Far lesser are the pains of this life, and, made fruitful by patience, they are sources of infinite good. Let us rejoice in a pain that destroys universal pain.
76) Men find personal satisfaction in praising the virtues of another: why, O my soul, dost thou not rejoice by joining in this praise?
77) But is not all joy attachment, and therefore evil? — This joy, whose source is the merit of another, is blameless; it is a source of happiness: it is not forbidden by the doctors of the Law; it is, above all, the means of winning over another.
79) Someone praises you, by chance, and you love the joy he derives from your qualities; another’s merit is praised, and you do not love your own joy.
73) What, canst thou not bear to take upon thyself sufferings that are of little account, and dost thou give thyself over to anger, which ripens into infernal sufferings!
74) A thousand times and a thousand times anger has delivered me to the executioners of Yama — without my pains having served either myself or another.
75) Far lesser are the pains of this life, and, made fruitful by patience, they are sources of infinite good. Let us rejoice in a pain that destroys universal pain.
76) Men find personal satisfaction in praising the virtues of another: why, O my soul, dost thou not rejoice by joining in this praise?
77) But is not all joy attachment, and therefore evil? — This joy, whose source is the merit of another, is blameless; it is a source of happiness: it is not forbidden by the doctors of the Law; it is, above all, the means of winning over another.
79) Someone praises you, by chance, and you love the joy he derives from your qualities; another’s merit is praised, and you do not love your own joy.
80) How! Thou hast made the vow to become a Buddha for the happiness of every creature; and thou art angered with those who, even now and of their own accord, are happy through love of the virtues of others!
81) Surely thou wishest every creature to possess the state of Buddha, adorable in the three worlds, and yet thou grievest over the perishable honours bestowed upon thy brethren!
82) He who feeds those whom thou art bound to feed, thy friends, thy children—is it not to thee that he gives? When thou meetest a benefactor who sustains thine own family, wilt thou not surely rejoice? Nay, thou art angered!
83) What good, worldly or supernatural, does he not wish for creatures who wishes them the state of Buddha? How could he possess the thought of Bodhi who is angered by another’s happiness?
84) If thy neighbour did not receive the alms thou begrudgest him, they would remain in the house of the “master of charity.” In either case, thou hast nothing of them. What matter to thee whether they are given or not?
85) Dost thou demand that thy neighbour should arrest the fruition of his merits, which ripen into alms and honours; that he should withdraw from the goodwill of generous laymen; that he should make sterile his qualities, the source of affection; that he should refuse what is given him? — Yea, that is it; be angry!
81) Surely thou wishest every creature to possess the state of Buddha, adorable in the three worlds, and yet thou grievest over the perishable honours bestowed upon thy brethren!
82) He who feeds those whom thou art bound to feed, thy friends, thy children—is it not to thee that he gives? When thou meetest a benefactor who sustains thine own family, wilt thou not surely rejoice? Nay, thou art angered!
83) What good, worldly or supernatural, does he not wish for creatures who wishes them the state of Buddha? How could he possess the thought of Bodhi who is angered by another’s happiness?
84) If thy neighbour did not receive the alms thou begrudgest him, they would remain in the house of the “master of charity.” In either case, thou hast nothing of them. What matter to thee whether they are given or not?
85) Dost thou demand that thy neighbour should arrest the fruition of his merits, which ripen into alms and honours; that he should withdraw from the goodwill of generous laymen; that he should make sterile his qualities, the source of affection; that he should refuse what is given him? — Yea, that is it; be angry!
86) Not only dost thou not weep for thyself, for thy sins, the sole causes of thy sufferings; thou dost even claim to rival the virtuous, not in good deeds, but in enjoyments, the fruit of good deeds.
87-88) Thou wishest misfortune upon thine enemy: I would willingly grant, absurd though it be, that thy wishes should disturb the law of causality; that thine enemy, by the sole virtue of thy desire, should be unhappy: what a great gain for thee! — But this misfortune, sayest thou, is my joy? — It is the greatest misfortune that can befall thee!
89) A terrible net in the hands of the passions, those sinister fishermen, is this web of thy envious wishes: the guardians of the hells shall come and catch thee therein, poor fish, and boil thee in their dens.
90) Praise, glory, and honours serve neither for merit, nor for the prolongation of life, nor for vigour, nor for health, nor for bodily joys.
91) Yet these are the goods pursued by the wise man who knows what is useful; he who seeks the pleasures of the mind devotes himself to drink, games, and conversation.
92) But glory, for which fools squander their wealth and sacrifice their lives! Can one eat syllables? Can one enjoy glory when one is dead?
87-88) Thou wishest misfortune upon thine enemy: I would willingly grant, absurd though it be, that thy wishes should disturb the law of causality; that thine enemy, by the sole virtue of thy desire, should be unhappy: what a great gain for thee! — But this misfortune, sayest thou, is my joy? — It is the greatest misfortune that can befall thee!
89) A terrible net in the hands of the passions, those sinister fishermen, is this web of thy envious wishes: the guardians of the hells shall come and catch thee therein, poor fish, and boil thee in their dens.
90) Praise, glory, and honours serve neither for merit, nor for the prolongation of life, nor for vigour, nor for health, nor for bodily joys.
91) Yet these are the goods pursued by the wise man who knows what is useful; he who seeks the pleasures of the mind devotes himself to drink, games, and conversation.
92) But glory, for which fools squander their wealth and sacrifice their lives! Can one eat syllables? Can one enjoy glory when one is dead?
93) A child weeps with piercing cries when his house of sand collapses: even so my mind, when the illusory edifice of my praise and glory collapses.
94) This praise is but a sounding breath, devoid of thought: wilt thou say that this breath proclaims thy merits? — But I hear thee: what causes thy joy is that thy neighbour rejoices in thee.
95) Whether I be the cause and object thereof, or another, what matters to me another’s sympathetic satisfaction? He alone is happy whose joy is expressed in praise: I have no part in that joy.
96) How, thou repliest, is the saint not happy in another’s happiness? — Hypocrite, if such were thy feelings, why make distinctions? Why art thou not happy when thy neighbour is the object of praise and the cause of joy?
97) Confess it, O my soul: if I rejoice when I am praised, it is because I am praised, and not from disinterested sympathy; and is this self-love’s joy not foolish and childish enough?
98) For praise and honour dispel the dread of sin and transmigration, dissolve heedfulness and self-distrust, make the vain jealous of another’s merit and envious of his prosperity.
[Honour] those who rise against thee to destroy thy reputation, thy vain glory and thy riches! It seems they have solely in view to preserve thee from the hells.
94) This praise is but a sounding breath, devoid of thought: wilt thou say that this breath proclaims thy merits? — But I hear thee: what causes thy joy is that thy neighbour rejoices in thee.
95) Whether I be the cause and object thereof, or another, what matters to me another’s sympathetic satisfaction? He alone is happy whose joy is expressed in praise: I have no part in that joy.
96) How, thou repliest, is the saint not happy in another’s happiness? — Hypocrite, if such were thy feelings, why make distinctions? Why art thou not happy when thy neighbour is the object of praise and the cause of joy?
97) Confess it, O my soul: if I rejoice when I am praised, it is because I am praised, and not from disinterested sympathy; and is this self-love’s joy not foolish and childish enough?
98) For praise and honour dispel the dread of sin and transmigration, dissolve heedfulness and self-distrust, make the vain jealous of another’s merit and envious of his prosperity.
[Honour] those who rise against thee to destroy thy reputation, thy vain glory and thy riches! It seems they have solely in view to preserve thee from the hells.
Wealth and honour are a chain for him who aspires to deliverance: [shall I not rather call my enemies my benefactors and the friends of my salvation?], they free me from this chain. Shall I be so foolish as to hate them?
I was rushing, one might say of my own accord, towards suffering; my enemies, as though through the Buddha’s protection, come to bar my way: shall I be so foolish as to hate them?
“But my enemy hinders my good works!” A poor excuse, for there is no austerity comparable to patience, and it is the enemy who gives me the [free] opportunity to practise it.
If, and this will indeed be my own fault, I do not practise patience towards him, then it is I myself who hinder my holiness, who destroy its present cause.
If B does not exist without A; if, when A exists, B exists, then A is the cause of B. Call not an “obstacle” that which is a “cause.”
Does the beggar who comes at the proper time hinder charity? Does the religious man, [whose sight inspires the religious life], hinder conversion?
[Now] beggars are easily found throughout the world, but those who offend us are hard to find: if I offend no one, who will offend me?
An enemy who comes of his own accord is therefore like a treasure miraculously discovered in my house, an incomparable aid in the practice of holiness: he must be cherished.
I was rushing, one might say of my own accord, towards suffering; my enemies, as though through the Buddha’s protection, come to bar my way: shall I be so foolish as to hate them?
“But my enemy hinders my good works!” A poor excuse, for there is no austerity comparable to patience, and it is the enemy who gives me the [free] opportunity to practise it.
If, and this will indeed be my own fault, I do not practise patience towards him, then it is I myself who hinder my holiness, who destroy its present cause.
If B does not exist without A; if, when A exists, B exists, then A is the cause of B. Call not an “obstacle” that which is a “cause.”
Does the beggar who comes at the proper time hinder charity? Does the religious man, [whose sight inspires the religious life], hinder conversion?
[Now] beggars are easily found throughout the world, but those who offend us are hard to find: if I offend no one, who will offend me?
An enemy who comes of his own accord is therefore like a treasure miraculously discovered in my house, an incomparable aid in the practice of holiness: he must be cherished.
By our combined efforts, [he offending me, and I forgiving him,] I shall obtain the fruit of patience, [the supreme knowledge of a Buddha]. To him shall I first impart my conquest, for he is the source and occasion of my patience.
“But my enemy has no intention of making my patience grow, and merits neither [my gifts] nor my worship, [nor my love].” — Why, then, revere the Good Law, the unconscious cause of our sanctification?
“But the enemy intends to harm me!” [Indeed, I know; that is why he is so precious:] do you expect to practise forgiveness of injuries toward a devoted physician?
If there is patience, [forgiveness of injuries], it is because there is an intention to harm. By this intention the enemy, cause of patience, is worthy of reverence, even as the Good Law is.
For this reason the Buddha declared: “Creatures are one field [of merit], Buddhas another field.” Many [saints] have reached the further shore of felicities [worldly and supernatural], through the virtue either of creatures or of Buddhas.
In creatures and in Buddhas alike resides the same efficacy for the attainment of the nature of a Buddha. Why deny the former the reverence accorded to the latter? Why make a distinction?
“But my enemy has no intention of making my patience grow, and merits neither [my gifts] nor my worship, [nor my love].” — Why, then, revere the Good Law, the unconscious cause of our sanctification?
“But the enemy intends to harm me!” [Indeed, I know; that is why he is so precious:] do you expect to practise forgiveness of injuries toward a devoted physician?
If there is patience, [forgiveness of injuries], it is because there is an intention to harm. By this intention the enemy, cause of patience, is worthy of reverence, even as the Good Law is.
For this reason the Buddha declared: “Creatures are one field [of merit], Buddhas another field.” Many [saints] have reached the further shore of felicities [worldly and supernatural], through the virtue either of creatures or of Buddhas.
In creatures and in Buddhas alike resides the same efficacy for the attainment of the nature of a Buddha. Why deny the former the reverence accorded to the latter? Why make a distinction?
The greatness of the intention must be judged, not by its own worth, but by the results it produces: now, from this point of view, creatures are of equal importance [to the Buddhas]; therefore they shall be placed on the same rank.
That which constitutes the greatness peculiar to creatures is that [the saint], through his charitable intention [towards them, becomes an] adorable [Buddha]. That which constitutes the greatness peculiar to the Buddhas is the merit produced by faith in Buddha and by love.
Creatures are comparable to the Buddhas, because they contribute, in part, to the attainment of the nature of a Buddha; but, in truth, not one of them is comparable to the Buddhas, oceans everywhere unfathomable of qualities.
Of these unique accumulations of the essence of every quality, if but a single atom exists in a creature, the three worlds are an insufficient offering to honour it worthily.
Now, in creatures there exists, excellent though partial, this faculty of producing [in the charitable, in the patient, etc.] the nature of a Buddha. Creatures must therefore be honoured on account of this partial faculty.
Besides, if not through service to creatures, how shall we obtain forgiveness from [the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas], sincere parents, immeasurable benefactors?
[The Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas], for the sake of creatures, rend their bodies and endure the torments of hell; what is done to creatures is done to the Buddhas; to my most cruel enemies, I owe all the good that lies within the power of my being.
That which constitutes the greatness peculiar to creatures is that [the saint], through his charitable intention [towards them, becomes an] adorable [Buddha]. That which constitutes the greatness peculiar to the Buddhas is the merit produced by faith in Buddha and by love.
Creatures are comparable to the Buddhas, because they contribute, in part, to the attainment of the nature of a Buddha; but, in truth, not one of them is comparable to the Buddhas, oceans everywhere unfathomable of qualities.
Of these unique accumulations of the essence of every quality, if but a single atom exists in a creature, the three worlds are an insufficient offering to honour it worthily.
Now, in creatures there exists, excellent though partial, this faculty of producing [in the charitable, in the patient, etc.] the nature of a Buddha. Creatures must therefore be honoured on account of this partial faculty.
Besides, if not through service to creatures, how shall we obtain forgiveness from [the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas], sincere parents, immeasurable benefactors?
[The Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas], for the sake of creatures, rend their bodies and endure the torments of hell; what is done to creatures is done to the Buddhas; to my most cruel enemies, I owe all the good that lies within the power of my being.
Our Masters, [Buddhas and Bodhisattvas], freely, without heed, abandon even their lives for the salvation of creatures; and we, servants of these charitable Masters, who ought to be the slaves [of these most beloved creatures]—what selfishness! what pride!
When they are happy, the Buddha-Kings rejoice; they are angered when they suffer; all of them are satisfied when they are satisfied: to offend creatures is to offend the Buddhas [tender fathers of cherished children].
No delight, no pleasure is there for the wretched whose bodies are wrapped in flames: even so, when creatures suffer, there is no joy for those who are compassion itself.
By causing creatures to suffer, I have therefore caused all the Great Compassionate Ones to suffer. I wish to confess this sin today: may the Buddhas forgive me the harm I have done them.
From this moment on, to appease the Buddhas [and fulfil their wishes], I make myself the slave of creatures, in body, speech, and thought! Let the [benevolent] multitude of men set foot upon my head and crush it! May the Protector of beings [forgive me and] be satisfied!
“Can you doubt it? The [Buddhas], who are compassion itself, have adopted every creature as their ‘self’. It is our very Protectors who appear in the guise of men; and would you go so far as to despise them?
When they are happy, the Buddha-Kings rejoice; they are angered when they suffer; all of them are satisfied when they are satisfied: to offend creatures is to offend the Buddhas [tender fathers of cherished children].
No delight, no pleasure is there for the wretched whose bodies are wrapped in flames: even so, when creatures suffer, there is no joy for those who are compassion itself.
By causing creatures to suffer, I have therefore caused all the Great Compassionate Ones to suffer. I wish to confess this sin today: may the Buddhas forgive me the harm I have done them.
From this moment on, to appease the Buddhas [and fulfil their wishes], I make myself the slave of creatures, in body, speech, and thought! Let the [benevolent] multitude of men set foot upon my head and crush it! May the Protector of beings [forgive me and] be satisfied!
“Can you doubt it? The [Buddhas], who are compassion itself, have adopted every creature as their ‘self’. It is our very Protectors who appear in the guise of men; and would you go so far as to despise them?
[To honour and make favourable creatures] is to honour the Buddhas and please Them; it is to accomplish my own end [the state of Buddhahood]; it is to drive suffering from the universe; it is therefore the vow to which I bind myself.
Without an escort, a king’s man oppresses and insults a multitude of people: and the crowd, seeing him from afar, suffers itself to be ill-treated without a word. This is because the man is not alone: the king’s power is his strength.
Likewise, do not despise [because of his apparent weakness] the one who insults you: for the guardians of the hells and the [compassionate Buddhas] are to him as an army.
Respect creatures as a servant respects an irritable king. What furious king has punishments like those of the hells, and what satisfied king gives gifts comparable to the state of Buddhahood? Yet creatures, when displeased, damn us, and, when pleased, make us Buddhas.
But, apart from the state of Buddhahood, the sure hope of one who satisfies creatures, do you not see that he secures for himself all perishable goods: popularity, glory, well-being, captivating beauty, health, joy, long life, abundant happiness of sovereign kings: such, through the course of existences, is the lot of the patient.
Without an escort, a king’s man oppresses and insults a multitude of people: and the crowd, seeing him from afar, suffers itself to be ill-treated without a word. This is because the man is not alone: the king’s power is his strength.
Likewise, do not despise [because of his apparent weakness] the one who insults you: for the guardians of the hells and the [compassionate Buddhas] are to him as an army.
Respect creatures as a servant respects an irritable king. What furious king has punishments like those of the hells, and what satisfied king gives gifts comparable to the state of Buddhahood? Yet creatures, when displeased, damn us, and, when pleased, make us Buddhas.
But, apart from the state of Buddhahood, the sure hope of one who satisfies creatures, do you not see that he secures for himself all perishable goods: popularity, glory, well-being, captivating beauty, health, joy, long life, abundant happiness of sovereign kings: such, through the course of existences, is the lot of the patient.