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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.

Saṅghabhedaparisakkanavatthu

Sukarāni asādhūni,
It’s easy to do bad things
It is easy to do things that are worthless

attano ahitāni ca;
harmful to oneself,
and of no benefit to oneself;

Yaṁ ve hitañca sādhuñca,
but good things that are helpful
but to do what is beneficial and worthwhile

taṁ ve paramadukkaraṁ.
are the hardest things to do.
is extremely difficult.

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.