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Impurity

from The Dhammapada by Jason Espada

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lyrics

18. Impurity

Here you are, a withered leaf, 
waiting for the messenger of death. 
You stand at the threshold, 
unprepared for the journey

Be a lamp to your self, 
be like an island. 
Struggle hard, be wise.
Cleansed of weakness, you will find heaven, 
the land which few find.

Life is over, and you stand
in Death's presence. 
O unprepared for the journey,
there is no rest on this road!

Be a lamp to your self, 
be like an island. 
Struggle hard, be wise.
Cleansed of weakness, you will find freedom 
from birth and old age.

As a smith removes flaws in silver,
a wise man removes flaws in himself, 
slowly, one by one, carefully.

Iron breeds rust, and rust devours iron, 
so ill deeds devour their doer.

As a house unrepaired decays, 
goodness unrepeated declines. 
Neglect of one's appearance decays it, 
neglected, the mind stagnates.

Impure is the woman immodest, 
impure the calculating giver; 
impure are all evil deeds
now and forever.

But nothing is more impure, 0 bhikkus, 
than ignorance.
Cast aside ignorance, and all becomes pure.


Life is easy for the shameless crow-strutter,
the mischief-maker, the minder of other people's business, 
the insolent and the evil-minded.

Hard is life for the humble man,
hard for the pure, the clear-thinking, 
the disinterested, and the gentle person.

Who takes life, tells a lie,
covets others' wealth, commits adultery,

And surrenders himself to strong liquors, 
even in this world, digs his own grave.

Listen, 0 man! 
Indiscipline begets evil.
Avarice and ill deed bring long misery.

Some give out of faith, others out of good will. 
Forget the giving of others; or, day and night, 
envy will oppress you.

Who forgets the giving of others 
has peace of mind day and night, 
because he has rooted out envy.

No fire like passion, 
no jailer like hate,
no snare like delusion, 
no torrent like craving.

How easy to see the faults of others- 
we winnow them like chaff.

How hard to see one's own!-
We hide them, like cheating at dice.

How will he destroy his own passions,
who rouses them by watching others' faults, 
who is forever finding something to condemn?

There is no path in the sky, 
there is no refuge anywhere! 
All is of the world, worldly-
only the Buddhas are free of the world.

There is no path in the sky, 
there is no refuge anywhere!
Nothing in the changing world is unchanging- 
only the Buddhas are free from change.

credits

from The Dhammapada, released October 15, 2017

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Jason Espada San Francisco, California

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