The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol 5

The world is on fire

The world is on fire. 'The world is on fire—and are you laughing? You are deep in the dark. Will you not ask for light?' The body is a painted puppet, jointed and sick. The world is on fire: samsara is burning with desire, anger, greed. Don't laugh foolishly—wake up and ask for the light of awareness.

The heart has no questions

The heart has no questions. 'Do you really have to break my heart?' The heart that breaks is the ego's heart. The real heart has no questions—it's silent. The master breaks the false heart to reveal the real one. The breaking is compassion, not cruelty. What breaks is the wall; what remains is the heart.

What you desire you will become

What you desire you will become. 'Vainly I sought the builder of my house through countless lives. But now I see you, O builder! Never again shall you build my house.' The builder is desire. What you desire you will become: desire creates your future lives. Stop desiring and the builder is unemployed. The house (ego) won't be rebuilt.

Morning has broken

Morning has broken. 'When I am dead, am I really dead? Is death eternal sleep?' Death is not eternal sleep for the aware—it's a transition. For the unaware, yes—death is a continuation of the sleep they lived in. Morning has broken: the awakened one's death is like sunrise, not sunset. Consciousness doesn't die—only the body does.

Love knows nothing of duty

Love knows nothing of duty. 'Love yourself and watch—today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the way, then teach.' Love knows nothing of duty: duty is compulsion; love is spontaneity. Love yourself first—not out of narcissism but because you can't love others without it. Watch: love and watch—the two essential instructions.

Christ: the last Christian

Christ: the last Christian. 'I look into your eyes and there is no one there. Where are you?' The master is a no-one. Christ: the last Christian—Jesus was the last Christian because after him, Christianity became an organization, not a living experience. The master's eyes are empty mirrors—you see yourself reflected, not the master.

You are the source

You are the source. 'Mischief is yours. Sorrow is yours. But virtue also is yours. You are the source of all purity and all impurity. No one purifies another.' You are the source: not God, not the master—YOU. You create your misery and your bliss. No one can purify you—purity is self-recognition. Taking responsibility is the beginning.

A little taste of buddhahood

A little taste of buddhahood. 'How do we keep the buddhafield with us when we're away?' You don't keep it—you become it. A little taste of buddhahood: the buddhafield is not a place but a state of consciousness. Once tasted, it's within you. You carry it wherever you go—the anti-buddhafield forces can't touch it.

Entering the stream

Entering the stream. 'Do not live in the world in distraction and false dreams. Arise and watch. Follow the way joyfully through this world and beyond.' Entering the stream: the stream is the eternal flow of dhamma. Once you enter, you can't go back—like a river reaching the ocean. Follow the way joyfully—not with long faces but with celebration.

This mad, mad game

This mad, mad game. 'When I expect a scalpel, you use a sledgehammer. When I expect a sledgehammer, you kiss me. I give up!' Giving up is the beginning. This mad, mad game: the master's ways are unpredictable because each disciple needs a different device. The game is mad by design—it shatters your expectations so you can see beyond them. Surrender is the only winning move.