Okay, reading the Dhammapada kept reminding me of passages from "If...". It's such a beautiful poem. Powerful. It's well-written, lovely. And meaningful. I think it's a great set of ideals to try to live by. I always kind of held it up as my standard. No wonder Buddhism holds so much appeal for me. I've already encountered a lot of the same ideas in this wonderful poem! Anyway, all the frequent reminders and parallels made me want to write out the poem in full. Just because I love it so much! So, here it is:
If...
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
Yet make allowances for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating.
And yet, don't look too good nor talk too wise.
If you can dream and not make dreams your master.
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or see the things you gave your life to broken
And stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after you are gone,
And so hold on when there's nothing in you
Except the will which says to them, "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you.
If all men count with you, but none too much.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the world and all that's in it
And, which-is-more, you'll be a man, my son.
-
Is that not one of the most beautiful poems you've ever heard in your life? Absolutely wonderful!
Also, I'd like to apologize for any errors. I'm pretty sure I've got all the words right, but some of the punctuation or line breaks might be off. I memorized this poem years ago. I know the words, not how it looks on the page. Anyway, you can still appreciate the poem, regardless of where the line breaks are. You still understand the meaning, the intent... the beauty.
Alright, well, I just needed to get that out of my system. I'll probably go back to reading and quoting the Dhammapada after this. But I just needed to get that out there.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Dhammapada: Joy
A lot of parallels with "If..." here. It's kinda cool.
Dhammapada: "Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate."
If: "If you can wait and not be tired of waiting, or being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated, don't give way to hating,"
Dhammapada: "Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled"
If: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you."
Dhammapada: "Live in joy, without possessions, like the shining ones.
The winter sows hatred because the loser suffers. Let go of winning and losing and find joy."
If: "If you can make one heap of all your winnings, and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss."
"There is no fire like passion, no crime like hatred, no sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger, and no joy like the joy of freedom."
No parallel to draw here. I just like this passage.
Dhammapada: "Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate."
If: "If you can wait and not be tired of waiting, or being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated, don't give way to hating,"
Dhammapada: "Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled"
If: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you."
Dhammapada: "Live in joy, without possessions, like the shining ones.
The winter sows hatred because the loser suffers. Let go of winning and losing and find joy."
If: "If you can make one heap of all your winnings, and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss."
"There is no fire like passion, no crime like hatred, no sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger, and no joy like the joy of freedom."
No parallel to draw here. I just like this passage.
Dhammapada: The Man Who Is Awake
"Hard it is to be born, hard it is to live, harder still to hear of the way, and hard to rise, follow and awake."
I just like how this verse feels. I like the repetition in it. And it's true too! It's all well and good to have these ideals, but it's damn hard to stick to them all the time. It's one thing to strive for it, another entirely to actually attain it.
"Yet the teaching is simple. Do what is right. Be pure. At the end of the way is freedom. Till then, patience."
Be good. Such a simple thing. Sometimes easier said than done.
And patience! I have such trouble with that sometimes. I want instant gratification. I don't like waiting. I don't do well with patience.
"Offend with neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation."
I need to work on both of these.
I just like how this verse feels. I like the repetition in it. And it's true too! It's all well and good to have these ideals, but it's damn hard to stick to them all the time. It's one thing to strive for it, another entirely to actually attain it.
"Yet the teaching is simple. Do what is right. Be pure. At the end of the way is freedom. Till then, patience."
Be good. Such a simple thing. Sometimes easier said than done.
And patience! I have such trouble with that sometimes. I want instant gratification. I don't like waiting. I don't do well with patience.
"Offend with neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation."
I need to work on both of these.
Dhammapada: Yourself
"You are the source off all purity and impurity.
No one purifies another.
Never neglect your work for another's, however great his need."
Don't blame others for your short-comings and don't expect them to fix you. They might give you advice, try to help you, but you have to act on it. You have to be the one to make the change.
By the same token, you can't 'fix' someone else. You can offer aid, but they need to save themselves.
If you always put yourself last, you will never improve, you will gradually wear away. Then, how can you help? Look to yourself first, then you will ensure that you will be present and able to help others.
No one purifies another.
Never neglect your work for another's, however great his need."
Don't blame others for your short-comings and don't expect them to fix you. They might give you advice, try to help you, but you have to act on it. You have to be the one to make the change.
By the same token, you can't 'fix' someone else. You can offer aid, but they need to save themselves.
If you always put yourself last, you will never improve, you will gradually wear away. Then, how can you help? Look to yourself first, then you will ensure that you will be present and able to help others.
Dhammapada: Violence
"See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?"
The Golden Rule... Buddhist style.
"Never speak harsh words for they will rebound upon you. Angry words hurt and the hurt rebounds."
I need to practice more of this. Sometimes my emotions get the better of me and I say things that I probably shouldn't. I need to learn to be less critical, less hurtful. I need to be more calm and more reserved. I get caught up in the moment, excited, and I slip. I will have to work on this.
The Golden Rule... Buddhist style.
"Never speak harsh words for they will rebound upon you. Angry words hurt and the hurt rebounds."
I need to practice more of this. Sometimes my emotions get the better of me and I say things that I probably shouldn't. I need to learn to be less critical, less hurtful. I need to be more calm and more reserved. I get caught up in the moment, excited, and I slip. I will have to work on this.
Dhammapada: The Thousands
"Better than a hundred years of mischief is one day spent in contemplation.
Better than a hundred years of ignorance is one day spent in reflection.
Better than a hundred years of idleness is one day spent in determination."
Basically... use your time wisely.
Better than a hundred years of ignorance is one day spent in reflection.
Better than a hundred years of idleness is one day spent in determination."
Basically... use your time wisely.
Dhammapada: The Wise Man
"The wind cannot shake a mountain. Neither praise nor blame moves the wise man."
Be true to yourself, stick to your own beliefs/ideals, don't be so easily swayed or persuaded by others. Now, that's not to say that you shouldn't have an open mind. Listen to others, hear them. But don't just accept what they say blindly, don't be in such a hurry to agree or fit in that you lose yourself. Essentially... "Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out!"
"Happiness or sorrow - whatever befalls you, walk on untouched, unattached."
This reminds me of "If..." again. "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors both the same."
I can't believe how much of that poem matches up with Buddhist ideals. Rudyard Kipling and Buddha would've gotten along famously!
Be true to yourself, stick to your own beliefs/ideals, don't be so easily swayed or persuaded by others. Now, that's not to say that you shouldn't have an open mind. Listen to others, hear them. But don't just accept what they say blindly, don't be in such a hurry to agree or fit in that you lose yourself. Essentially... "Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out!"
"Happiness or sorrow - whatever befalls you, walk on untouched, unattached."
This reminds me of "If..." again. "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors both the same."
I can't believe how much of that poem matches up with Buddhist ideals. Rudyard Kipling and Buddha would've gotten along famously!
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