Khuddakanikāya
Translators: sujato and suddhaso
Minor Collection Collection of Minor Texts
Dhammapada
Sayings of the Dhamma 157–166
Verses of Dhamma
Attavagga
12. The Self
Chapter on Self
Bodhirājakumāravatthu
Attānañce piyaṁ jaññā,
If you knew your self as beloved,
If one values oneself,
rakkheyya naṁ surakkhitaṁ;
you’d look after it so well.
then one should guard oneself well;
Tiṇṇaṁ aññataraṁ yāmaṁ,
In one of the night’s three watches,
during any of the three phases of the night,
paṭijaggeyya paṇḍito.
an astute person would remain alert.
a wise person should remain alert.
Upanandasakyaputtattheravatthu
Attānameva paṭhamaṁ,
The astute would avoid being corrupted
First one should settles oneself
patirūpe nivesaye;
by first grounding themselves
in what is proper,
Athaññamanusāseyya,
in what is suitable,
then one may instruct others;
na kilisseyya paṇḍito.
and then instructing others.
a wise person should not become defiled.
Padhānikatissattheravatthu
Attānañce tathā kayirā,
If one were to treat oneself
One should act the same way
yathāññamanusāsati;
as one instructs another,
that one instructs others to act;
Sudanto vata dametha,
the well-tamed indeed would tame:
one who is well-trained can train others -
attā hi kira duddamo.
for the self, it seems, is hard to tame.
for it is truly hard to train oneself.
Kumārakassapamātuttherivatthu
Attā hi attano nātho,
One is indeed the lord of oneself,
One is one’s own protector -
ko hi nātho paro siyā;
for who else would be one’s lord?
how could another protect you?
Attanā hi sudantena,
By means of a well-tamed self,
One who has trained oneself well
nāthaṁ labhati dullabhaṁ.
one gains a lord that’s rare indeed.
has acquired a protector that is truly hard to acquire.
Mahākālaupāsakavatthu
Attanā hi kataṁ pāpaṁ,
For the evil that is done by oneself,
Evil is done by oneself,
Attajaṁ attasambhavaṁ;
born and produced in oneself,
born from oneself, produced by oneself;
Abhimatthati dummedhaṁ,
grinds down a simpleton,
in this way a fool self-destructs,
Vajiraṁvasmamayaṁ maṇiṁ.
as diamond grinds a lesser gem.
like a diamond cutting through stone.
Devadattavatthu
Yassa accantadussilyaṁ,
One choked by immorality,
One who is excessively immoral,
māluvā sālamivotthataṁ;
as a sal tree by a creeper,
like a tree overgrown by vines,
Karoti so tathattānaṁ,
does to themselves
does to oneself
yathā naṁ icchatī diso.
what a foe only wishes.
what an enemy wants.
Kālattheravatthu
Yo sāsanaṁ arahataṁ,
On account of wicked views—
A foolish person who,
ariyānaṁ dhammajīvinaṁ;
scorning the guidance
based on a harmful perspective,
Paṭikkosati dummedho,
of the perfected ones,
reviles the teachings
diṭṭhiṁ nissāya pāpikaṁ;
the noble ones living righteously—
of the Worthy One,
Phalāni kaṭṭhakasseva,
the idiot begets their own self’s demise,
brings about their own destruction
attaghātāya phallati.
like the bamboo bearing fruit.
like a monocarpic plant.
Cūḷakālaupāsakavatthu
Attanā hi kataṁ pāpaṁ,
For it is by oneself that evil’s done,
By oneself evil is done,
attanā saṅkilissati;
one is corrupted by oneself.
by oneself one becomes defiled;
Attanā akataṁ pāpaṁ,
It’s by oneself that evil’s not done,
by oneself evil is not done,
attanāva visujjhati;
one is purified by oneself.
by oneself one becomes purified;
Suddhī asuddhi paccattaṁ,
Purity and impurity are personal matters,
purity and impurity depend on oneself -
nāñño aññaṁ visodhaye.
no one can purify another.
no one can purify another.
Attadatthattheravatthu
Attadatthaṁ paratthena,
Never neglect what is good for yourself
One should not abandon one’s own welfare
bahunāpi na hāpaye;
for the sake of another, however great.
for the sake of others, no matter how many;
Attadatthamabhiññāya,
Knowing well what is good for yourself,
having understood one’s own welfare,
sadatthapasuto siyā.
be intent upon your true goal.
one should be intent upon it.
Attavaggo dvādasamo.