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The Dhammapada - Heedfulness
buddhafoot
Veteran
Ready for the next bit? Here goes!
To make things a little easier, here's what heedful means:
Hmm... Mindful... where have I heard that term before...
21. Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. aHeedlessness (sic) is the path to death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already. 3
22. Clearly understanding this excellence of heedfulness, the wise exult therein and enjoy the resort of the Noble Ones. 4
23. The wise ones, ever meditative and steadfastly persevering, alone experience Nibbana, the incomparable freedom from bondage.
24. Ever grows the glory of him who is energetic, mindful and pure in conduct, discerning and self-controlled, righteous and heedful.
25. By effort and heedfulness, discipline and self-mastery, let the wise one make for himself an island which no flood can overwhelm.
26. The foolish and ignorant indulge in heedlessness, but the wise one keeps his heedfulness as his best treasure.
27. Do not give way to heedlessness. Do not indulge in sensual pleasures. Only the heedful and meditative attain great happiness.
28. Just as one upon the summit of a mountain beholds the groundlings, even so when the wise man casts away heedlessness by heedfulness and ascends the high tower of wisdom, this sorrowless sage beholds the sorrowing and foolish multitude.
29. Heedful among the heedless, wide-awake among the sleepy, the wise man advances like a swift horse leaving behind a weak jade.
30. By Heedfulness did Indra become the overlord of the gods. Heedfulness is ever praised, and heedlessness ever despised. 5
31. The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness advances like fire, burning all fetters, small and large.
32. The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness will not fall. He is close to Nibbana.
To make things a little easier, here's what heedful means:
heed·ful Audio pronunciation of "heedful" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (hdfl)
adj.
Paying close attention; mindful. See Synonyms at careful.
Hmm... Mindful... where have I heard that term before...
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Comments
"Woe to you the Pharisees...!" or "Blessed are they who...." (The Beatitudes..... an awful lot of 'blessed are they's....')
But if you read them, and mentally eliminate the repetitive nature and hypnotic rhythm, it's all extremely wise....
I understand they had to be list-like for ease of memorising... all the texts and sutras were originally committed to memory, weren't they...? So they had to be communicated in this way to make them easier to memorise...
So he is saying:
be Mindful of being discerning, pure in conduct, and self-controlled, righteous and heedful.
He then gives the reaped rewards for being heedful, and the pitfalls of being heedless....
And all the way through, it's a caution, not a command. and it advises us of how much we benefit from being Mindful, but if we proceed 'blindly', then we're bound to trip up....
Just my lil' ol' 2c's worth...
This is good. I'm enjoying this...I feel, for myself as if I'm getting somewhere!
Thanks BF!
There are some texts where the same statements are being repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over - that it does become somewhat hypnotic.
And it should be noted that what we're viewing here aren't really "chapters" per se - it's just how this one teachings has been broken up.
Again - like you said - it tells of what happens to those who are mindful and what happens to those who are not. I was going to say, "there is no commandment here", but there is the statement:
But I don't believe that even "this" is truly a commandment. Not a commandment in the way that "don't do this or else you'll face this consequenece". There is no punishment - there are only "these things that will happen" if you are mindful.
-bf
While there is little response now, there may be more eventually. So why not put all the chapters in one thread?
Excellent point.
The only reason that I didn't is because I, personally, get overwhelmed by posts that are immense and take 2 hours to scroll through - muchless respond to.
If everyone would prefer one huge post - I'll be more than happy to do that..
I'm just like when I pee - I aim to please
-bf
What a statement - it really hits home on the subject of awakening to the truth. So often do We see people (including ourselves) running around unaware of their lives/existence - like headless chickens - from one pitfall to the next.
Hence:
'The foolish and ignorant indulge in heedlessness, but the wise one keeps his heedfulness as his best treasure.'
BF - I like this format - of course there will be less responses but it gives us all an opportunity to break it all down... just my opinion.
There is the wisdom of many great thinkers that have pointed out that living life in darkness, heedlessness, ignorance, anger, etc - amounts to about as much as being dead.
And sometimes, I wonder, that our actions could be so blind and meaningless - that it would have been better if we were dead. There is so much hurt caused by heedlessness, anger, desire, etc.
-bf
It is out of the mirky waters of suffering and samsara that the beautiful lotus flower of enlightenment blossoms.
Having eaten lotus roots for the first time recently (tasty fried!) I can tell you that they don't look that pretty either!
Dave
I agree that it doesn't feel like a commandment. It's not a drag to think about. It's more uplifting, like a challenge we can all rise to. And you really don't hear much of this sort of thing except in Taoism (and maybe Hinduism, I don't know).
It has an immediate and powerful effect on me, even though it's essentially repeating the same thing over and over. It forces me to be mindful while reading it because I get the urge to skip parts of the repetition and I have to stop myself from becoming part of an irony. LOL!
BF,
I thought this was brutally insightful:
Just thinking about all the misery caused by drunkenness alone is quite chilling. I wonder, too.
Brigid
P.S. I'm liking this layout. I like the little bites. They're easier to chew.
I'll post another in a day or two - unless we're through with this.
-bf
OK - but could the thread titles reflect either the chapter # or the verses covered or both?
I think I understand what you're saying. I'll number them as I post them.
So the next post Will have a title and a chapter number.
Sound good?
-bf
Yep.
For example, The Dhammapada - ch. 2 Heedfulness -vv. 21-32
By the way, here is a third respected translation by Dr. Kaviratna, with a good introduction and even a picture of an old palm leaf page of the Dhammapada.
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm#Introduction
Thanks!
Brigid
Here is Narada Mahathera's translation with comments & context:
http://www.buddhistvihara.com/online/narada/02-Appamada%20Vagga.htm
And Dr. Kaviratna's version:
On Vigilance -- CANTO II
21. Vigilance is the path to immortality; non-vigilance is the path to death; the vigilant do not die; the non-vigilant, though alive, are like unto the dead.
22. Knowing this outstanding feature of vigilance, the wise delight in vigilance, rejoicing in the ways of the Noble Ones (ariya).
23. Those wise ones, contemplative, ever-striving sages of great prowess, realize nirvana, the incomparable bliss of yoga (union).
24. Greatly increasing is the glory of him who exerts himself, is thoughtful, pure in character, analytical, self-restrained, vigilant, and lives according to Dhamma (the Law).
25. Through diligence, vigilance, self-restraint and subjugation of the senses, the wise aspirant makes an island for himself that no flood could engulf.
26. Thoughtless men of great ignorance sink into negligence. But the wise man guards vigilance as his supreme treasure.
27. Betake yourselves not unto negligence; do not indulge in sensuous pleasures. For the vigilant and thoughtful aspirant acquires an amplitude of bliss.
28. When the wise man casts off laxity through vigilance, he is like unto a man who, having ascended the high tower of wisdom, looks upon the sorrowing people with an afflicted heart. He beholds suffering ignorant men as a mountaineer beholds people in a valley.
29. Vigilant among the heedless, wakeful among the sleeping ones, the wise man forges ahead, as a swift steed outstrips a horse of lesser strength.
30. Through vigilance, did Maghavan (Indra) attain to the sovereignty of the gods. Vigilance is ever praised and negligence is ever loathed by the sages.
31. The bhikkhu (monk) who delights in vigilance, who regards negligence with abhorrence, advances, consuming all subtle and gross fetters, like the fire.
32. The bhikkhu who delights in vigilance, who looks upon negligence with abhorrence, is not liable to fall back, because he is indeed close to nirvana.
Will do! ... heh heh heh
-bf