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The Mind The restless, agitated mind, Hard to protect, hard to control, The sage makes straight, As the fletcher the shaft of an arrow. Like a fish out of water, Thrown on dry ground, This mind trashed about, Trying to escape Mara’s command. The mind, hard to control, Flighty- alighting where it wishes- One does well to tame. The disciplined mind brings happiness. The mind, hard to see, Subtle- alighting where it wishes- The sage protects. The watched mind brings happiness. Far-ranging, solitary, Incorporeal and hidden Is the mind. Those who restrain it Will be freed from Mara’s bond. For those who are unsteady of mind, Who do not know the true Dharma, And whose serenity wavers, Wisdom doesn’t mature. For one who is awake, Whose mind isn’t overflowing, Whose heart isn’t afflicted And who has abandoned both merit and demerit, Fear does not exist. Knowing this body to be like a clay pot, Establishing this mind like a fortress, One should battle Mara with the sword of insight, Protecting what has been won, Clinging to nothing. All too soon this body Will lie on the ground, Cast aside, deprived of consciousness, Like a useless scrap of wood. Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy, Or haters, one to another, Far worse is the harm From one’s own wrongly directed mind. Neither mother not father, Nor any other relative can do One as much good As one’s own well- directed mind. ~ Dhammapada
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