The Dhammapada

Last night I was at the grocery store, and I randomly encountered a person who just began attending our Buddhist group. He's been asking me a few things, like the meanings of words, and what the three hand positions signify when doing prostrations. I haven't been a font of knowledge exactly, and he may be teaching me more than I him. I conjectured that the three hand positions refer to the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha (teacher, teachings, group of fellow practitioners), but it turns out it refers to purity of body, speech and mind. When you put your hands above your head, that signifies pure body; when you put them at your throat, it signifies pure speech, and when you put them at your heart center, it signifies pure mind.

In any event, last night he asked me about a Buddhist text which turned out to be the Dhammapada, which I didn't really recognize from his description, although after he emailed me a link, I recognized the name. Thich Nhat Hanh mentions this text in his book on the heart of Buddha's teachings.

Here is an excerpt he sent me from the first chapter:


1. Choices

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.
"Look how he abused me and hurt me,
How he threw me down and robbed me."
Live with such thoughts and you live in hate.
"Look how he abused me and hurt me,
How he threw me down and robbed me."
Abandon such thoughts, and live in love.
In this world
Hate never yet dispelled hate.
Only love dispels hate.
This is the law,
Ancient and inexhaustible.


How true these words are.