The Dhammapada (My Thoughts): Chapters #1-5

Around the fifteenth of December I picked up the Theraveda translation of the Dhammapada, a sacred text of the Buddhist religion/philosophy, which I have heard is said to have been written by the Buddha, himself.  OR perhaps his bhikkus (monks) wrote down his words as he spoke, which I personally think is the most likely in any case.

So anyways, I've been reading this book and decided to take a day from reading after every ten chapters to write down some brief thoughts I had on each that I read during the last ten days.  For anyone interested in reading it, this is the version that I am reading:

Sacred Writings: The Dhammapada

Alright, so here goes...

Chp. I: The Pairs

     Right off the bat, it was obvious that every couple of stanzas would be a reflection of it's partner.  The pattern of the poem was that...for example, stanzas one and two:  They would both deal with the same thing in reality (here being how our mental states or mindsets, come about.  Through perception.) Stanza one shows the detrimental effects of a clouded perception, or one that doesn't see true reality because it is clouded by passions like anger or jealousy, and so on.  Stanza two shows the positive effects of having a clear perception.  I guess for me, a clear perception would be...I see that my neighbor has a new chandelier.  I find it beautiful, but I am not envious of it because I do not need it.  I am at peace with myself and my things as they are.

Or something like that.

Anyways, it was pretty interesting to read, and I really liked the down-to-earth feeling of the poem:  It had a clear message.  You can be as you choose, but in any given situation if you are in accord with dhamma (if you have a peaceful, clear mindset) then you will reap positive benefits from the situation.  If you are not, you will not.

Chp.II: Awareness

     In this poem, the great benefits of awareness are represented.  It is even said in the texts that the one who is diligently aware, is as one who guards treasure; awareness is shown as the greatest treasure one may possess, even greater than any earthly pleasure, trinkets, or belongings one may come to possess.

     The unaware are represented as similar to the dead (to me, the term 'sleeping' would have been more apt, but I think 'the dead' makes the same point as sleeping would, but more vehemently), for they are unaware of their surroundings and because they do not wholly see the effects of their deeds or misdeeds, but live only for temporary pleasures that the Buddha taught were at the heart of much of the suffering on earth.  The unaware are depicted as childish, regardless of their earthly status (i.e. a king may be within this group, just as a poor person could be).  The aware are the mature ones, the noblest ones, who see their faults through their awareness and in aiming to correct themselves, transcend suffering and it's causes.

Chp. III: The Mind

     This poem is fairly straightforward.  It is a commentary on the nature of the mind, calling it 'hard to tame', 'nimble', and 'quick'.  In the sense the poem tries to give, one might picture metaphorically the mind as a gazelle or a rabbit.  A quick, graceful, and rather skittish being, who at the smallest sound, scent or image may swiftly alight to another place.

A wild, untamed creature.

    And then, in coming back to those who would seek to tame the mind, it gives them praise.  It acknowledges the difficult undertaking it is to tame one's own mind and do away with attachment to desire and other earthly attachments which all eventually dissolve into suffering of some form.  Like a fletcher 'tames' wood to create from it a swift and straight arrow, it becomes an art form of sorts to the person that would tame their own mind.  Difficult yes, but definitely rewarding.

Chp. IV: Flowers

     This one was a bit more difficult for me to figure out, but I finally got it.  In this poem, flowers represent the many choices one may encounter while alive, whether they be in the form of ideas or life experiences, or even just items to pick at the store...a job...love...etc.  The poem says that the one who lives in accord with Dhamma, the one who is aware, who seeks to tame his mind and find spiritual peace and knowledge...is like an expert of flowers, who chooses only the best flowers while leaving those which are diseased, who have lost their petals, and those which have not yet matured.

The one who is not in accord with dhamma, who does not have the knowledge, experience, or awareness may choose all the flowers (choices) presented, for they lack in discernment and go about choosing what things they desire or think they desire.  I am not sure if that was such a good explanation, but I need to think on this particular poem a bit more than the others hehe. 

@_@

Chp. V: The Childish

     

This one was pretty simple to understand for me.  It basically said that the childish, the immature can be found everywhere: in royalty, in regular households, and even as Buddhist monks as well.  They are those that crave things they do not truly deserve (the example given was, a novice monk in a Buddhist monastery who desired power and authority over the entire monastery and those that gave offerings to the monastery, people who crave power they do not have the experience or maturity to properly wield...that kinda thing).  And I found myself agreeing for the most part with this take on childishness, not only because it paralleled to the nail the ways I've seen children behave (teehee) but also, because I have seen adults behave in this way, i.e. they do something thinking they may not get caught, and feel elated because of it, but later begin to feel guilt or anxiety at having done this or that, or suspicious that others may do the same as they have done (like with people who cheat on their spouses and the like) or of course...they get caught.


So far, I kind of like The Dhammapada.  It is straight forward and to the point, but not in a pedantic way, and though it is very...dense, it offers much insight to the reader.