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The Downward Path

from The Dhammapada by Jason Espada

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lyrics

22. The Downward Path  

The speaker of that which is not real goes down,  
also he who, doing a thing, says, "I did not do it."  
They are men of falseness;
after death, they are united, they become partners.

Many men dressed in saffron
are ill-mannered and indisciplined;  
the evil deeds of such evildoers,
after death, drag them down.

Better for a boorish monk
to swallow a red-hot steel ball  
than in seeming goodness
to live on people's almsgiving.

Four effects result from a fool's  
hankering for another man's wife-  
much impurity, much restlessness,  
moral blame, the downward path.

Do not lust for another's wife.
Much demerit follows, much punishment,  
much fleeting and frightened pleasure
in the arms of the frightened.
 
As a soft blade of kusa grass,
wrongly handled, cuts the finger,  
wrongly practiced, asceticism
leads to the downward path.

Acts carefully performed,  
vows carefully kept,  
reluctant practice of continence,
do not bring rewards with them.

If a thing must be done,  
it must be done well!
A careless sadhu will find himself  
no cleaner than before.

Better an evil deed not done,
than done, for future suffering.
Better a good deed done now,
done, it brings no suffering.
A border post is well guarded,
inside and out. Guard your self well.
Not a second must be wasted.
Each wasted second makes a downward path.  

Those who are ashamed of deeds
that they should not be ashamed of,  
and not ashamed of deeds
they should be ashamed of-  
such men follow false doctrines,  
and walk the downward path.

Those who fear when they should not fear,  
and do not fear when they ought to fear-  
such men follow false doctrines,
and walk the downward path.

Those who see evil where there is none,  
and see no evil where there is evil-  
such men follow false doctrines,
and walk the downward path.

Those who see evil where there is evil,  
and no evil where there is none-  
such men follow the true doctrine,  
and walk straight.

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from The Dhammapada, released October 15, 2017

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Jason Espada San Francisco, California

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