The Fool…Night is long for the one lying awake. Seven miles is long for one exhausted. Samsara is long for fools Ignorant of true Dharma. If, while on your way, You meet no one your equal or better, Steadily continue on your way alone. There is no fellowship with fools. A fool suffers, thinking, “I have children! I have wealth!” Ones’s self is not even one’s own. How then are children? How then is wealth? A fool conscious of her foolishness Is to that extent wise. But a fool who considers himself wise Is the one to be called a fool. A fool associating with a sage, Even if for a lifetime, Will no more perceive the Dharma Than a spoon will perceive the taste of soup. A discerning person who associates with a sage, Even if for a brief moment, Will quickly perceive the Dharma As the tongue perceives the taste of soup. Fools with no sense Go about as their own enemies, Doing evil deeds that Bear bitter fruit. No deed is good That one regrets having done, That results in weeping And a tear-streaked face. A deed is good That one doens’t regret having done, That results in joy And delight. As long as evil has not to borne fruit, The fool thinks it is like honey. But when evil does bear fruit, Then the fool suffers. The foolish ascetic who month after month Eats food with the tip of a blade of grass Is not worth a fraction Of a person who has fathomed the Dharma. Like fresh milk, Evil deeds do not immediately curdle; Rather, like fire covered with ash, They follow the fool, smoldering. Reasoning is harmful To fools; It ruins their good fortune And splits open their heads. Fools will want unwarranted status, Deference from fellow monks, Authority in the monasteries, And homage from good families. “Let both householders and renounciants Believe that “ I” did “this.” Let them obey me in every task!” Sure are the thoughts of a fool Who cultivates desire and pride. The way to material gain is one thing, The path to Nirvana another. Knowing this, a monk who is the Buddha’s disciple Should not delight in being venerated, But cultivate solitude instead. ~ Dhammapada
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