18. Stains · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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like a withered leafPaṇḍupalāsova
now you aredānisi,
Yama's men tooYamapurisāpi
andca
for youte
have arrivedupaṭṭhitā;
at the departure gateUyyogamukhe
andca
you standtiṭṭhasi,
and supplies for the road tooPātheyyampi
andca
for youte
notna
is foundvijjati.
Today you’re like a withered leaf, Yama’s men await you. You stand at the departure gates, yet you have no supplies for the road.
youSo
makekarohi
an island of yourselfdīpamattano,
swiftlyKhippaṁ
strivevāyama
wisepaṇḍito
becomebhava;
purged of stainsNiddhantamalo
flawlessanaṅgaṇo,
heavenlyDibbaṁ
the realm of the noble onesariyabhūmiṁ
you will goupehisi.
Make an island of yourself! Swiftly strive, learn to be wise! Purged of stains, flawless, you’ll go to the heavenly realm of the noble ones.
with life spentUpanītavayo
andca
now you aredānisi,
you have set outSampayātosi
of Yamayamassa
to the presencesantikaṁ;
dwellingVāso
for youte
there is notnatthi
in betweenantarā,
provisions evenPātheyyampi
andca
for youte
notna
existvijjati.
You’ve journeyed the stages of life, and now you set out to meet Yama. Along the way there’s nowhere to stay, yet you have no supplies for the road.
youSo
make!karohi
an island for yourselfdīpamattano,
quicklyKhippaṁ
strive!vāyama
wisepaṇḍito
become!bhava;
purged of stainsNiddhantamalo
flawlessanaṅgaṇo,
notNa
againpunaṁ
to rebirth and old agejātijaraṁ
you will comeupehisi.
Make an island of yourself! Swiftly strive, learn to be wise! Purged of stains, flawless, you’ll not come again to rebirth and old age.
graduallyAnupubbena
a wise onemedhāvī,
bit by bitthokaṁ
bit by bitthokaṁ
moment by momentkhaṇe
moment by moment;khaṇe;
a smithKammāro
like silver,rajatasseva,
would purgeniddhame
his own stain.malamattano.
A smart person would purge their own stains gradually, bit by bit, moment by moment, like a smith smelting silver.
indeed on ironAyasāva
stainmalaṁ
arisensamuṭṭhitaṁ,
from that placeTatuṭṭhāya
that very onetameva
eatskhādati;
soEvaṁ
one living overly austereatidhonacārinaṁ,
ownSāni
deedskammāni
leadnayanti
to a bad destinationduggatiṁ.
It is the rust born on the iron that eats away the place it arose. And so it is their own deeds that lead the overly-ascetic to a bad place.
non-rehearsing is the stainAsajjhāyamalā
of hymnsmantā,
neglect is the stainanuṭṭhānamalā
of housesgharā;
stainMalaṁ
of beautyvaṇṇassa
lazinesskosajjaṁ,
negligencepamādo
of one guardingrakkhato
stainmalaṁ.
Not rehearsing is the stain of hymns. The stain of houses is neglect. Laziness is the stain of beauty. A guard’s stain is negligence.
a woman's stainMalitthiyā
misconductduccaritaṁ,
stinginessmaccheraṁ
of a giverdadato
stainmalaṁ;
stainsMalā
indeedve
badpāpakā
qualitiesdhammā,
in thisasmiṁ
worldloke
in the nextparamhi
andca.
Misconduct is a woman’s stain. A giver’s stain is stinginess. Bad qualities are a stain in this world and the next.
than theseTato
stainmalā
a worse stainmalataraṁ,
ignoranceavijjā
the worstparamaṁ
stainmalaṁ;
thatEtaṁ
stainmalaṁ
having given uppahantvāna,
stainlessnimmalā
behotha
mendicantsbhikkhavo.
But a worse stain than these is ignorance, the worst stain of all. Having given up that stain, be without stains, mendicants!
easy to liveSujīvaṁ
for the shamelessahirikena,
with the courage of a crowkākasūrena
rudedhaṁsinā;
pushyPakkhandinā
impudentpagabbhena,
corruptsaṅkiliṭṭhena
lifejīvitaṁ.
Life is easy for the shameless. With all the rude courage of a crow, they live pushy, rude, and corrupt.
for one possessing conscienceHirīmatā
andca
life is harddujjīvaṁ,
alwaysniccaṁ
for one seeking puritysucigavesinā;
for one neither clinging nor rudeAlīnenāppagabbhena,
of pure livelihoodsuddhājīvena
for one discerningpassatā.
Life is hard for the conscientious, always seeking purity, neither clinging nor rude, pure of livelihood and discerning.
whoeverYo
kills living creaturespāṇamatipāteti,
speaks falsely andmusāvādañca
speaksbhāsati;
in the worldLoke
stealsadinnamādiyati,
another's wife andparadārañca
goes togacchati.
Take anyone in this world who kills living creatures, speaks falsely, steals, commits adultery,
and drinking beer and wineSurāmerayapānañca,
whoyo
personnaro
indulges inanuyuñjati;
right hereIdheva
thismeso
in the worldlokasmiṁ,
rootmūlaṁ
digs upkhaṇati
of their own selfattano.
and indulges in drinking beer and wine. Right here they dig up the root of their own self.
thusEvaṁ
my manbho
manpurisa
knowjānāhi,
wickedpāpadhammā
unrestrainedasaññatā;
do notMā
thattaṁ
greedlobho
unrighteousnessadhammo
andca,
for longciraṁ
for paindukkhāya
inflictrandhayuṁ.
Know this, my man: they are unrestrained and wicked. Don’t let that greed and unrighteousness inflict pain on you for long.
givesDadāti
indeedve
according to faithyathāsaddhaṁ,
according to confidenceyathāpasādanaṁ
peoplejano;
thereTattha
whoeveryo
andca
upsetmaṅku
becomesbhavati,
of othersparesaṁ
food and drinkpānabhojane;
notNa
heso
by daydivā
orvā
by nightrattiṁ
orvā,
becomes immersed in samādhisamādhimadhigacchati.
The people give according to their faith, according to their confidence. If you get upset over that, over others’ food and drink, you’ll not, by day or by night, become immersed in samādhi.
whoseYassa
and thiscetaṁ
cut offsamucchinnaṁ,
dug up at the rootmūlaghaccaṁ
eradicatedsamūhataṁ;
heSa
indeedve
by daydivā
orvā
by nightrattiṁ
orvā,
becomes immersed in samādhisamādhimadhigacchati.
Those who have cut that out, dug it up at the root, eradicated it, they will, by day or by night, become immersed in samādhi.
there is notNatthi
like greedrāgasamo
fireaggi,
there is notnatthi
like hatedosasamo
crimegaho;
there is notNatthi
like delusionmohasamaṁ
netjālaṁ,
there is notnatthi
like cravingtaṇhāsamā
rivernadī.
There is no fire like greed, no crime like hate, no net like delusion, no river like craving.
easy to seeSudassaṁ
fault of othersvajjamaññesaṁ,
one's ownattano
butpana
hard to seeduddasaṁ;
of othersParesaṁ
forhi
heso
faultsvajjāni,
tosses highopunāti
likeyathā
haybhusaṁ;
one's ownAttano
butpana
hideschādeti,
as a bad handkaliṁva
a cheatkitavā
deceitfulsaṭho.
It’s easy to see the faults of others, hard to see one’s own. For the faults of others are tossed high like hay, while one’s own are hidden, as a cheat hides a bad hand.
for one who watches others' faultsParavajjānupassissa,
alwaysniccaṁ
for one perceiving faultsujjhānasaññino;
defilementsĀsavā
of that onetassa
growvaḍḍhanti,
farārā
heso
from ending defilementsāsavakkhayā.
When you look for the flaws of others, always finding fault, your defilements only grow, you’re far from ending defilements.
in the atmosphere, indeed noĀkāseva
trackpadaṁ
there is nonatthi,
true asceticsamaṇo
there is nonatthi
outside herebāhire;
delighting in proliferationPapañcābhiratā
peoplepajā,
free of proliferationnippapañcā
the Realized Onestathāgatā.
In the atmosphere there is no track, there’s no true ascetic outside here. People enjoy proliferation, the Realized Ones are free of proliferation.
in the atmosphere indeedĀkāseva
trackpadaṁ
there is notnatthi,
true asceticsamaṇo
there is notnatthi
outside herebāhire;
conditionsSaṅkhārā
everlastingsassatā
there are notnatthi,
there is notnatthi
shaking of the awakened onesbuddhānamiñjitaṁ.
chapter on stainsMalavaggo
eighteenthaṭṭhārasamo.
In the atmosphere there is no track, there’s no true ascetic outside here. No conditions last forever, the Awakened Ones are not shaken.
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