“ I have left all, and through the destruction of thirst I am free; having learnt myself, whom shall I teach?'
354 The gift of the law exceeds all gifts; the sweetness of the law exceeds all sweetness; the delight in the law exceeds all delights; the extinction of thirst overcomes all pain.
355 Pleasures destroy the foolish, if they look not for the other shore; the foolish by his thirst for pleasures destroys himself, as if he were his own enemy.
356 The fields are damaged by weeds, mankind is damaged by passion: therefore a gift bestowed on the passionless brings great reward. ”

“ The wise man keeps earnestness as his best jewel.
27 Follow not after vanity, nor after the enjoyment of love and lust! He who is earnest and meditative, obtains ample joy.
28 When the learned man drives away vanity by earnestness, he, the wise, climbing the terraced heights of wisdom, looks down upon the fools, serene he looks upon the toiling crowd, as one that stands on a mountain looks down upon them that stand upon the plain. ”

“ A careless pilgrim only scatters the dust of his passions more widely.
314 An evil deed is better left undone, for a man repents of it afterwards; a good deed is better done, for having done it, one does not repent.
315 Like a well-guarded frontier fort, with defences within and without, so let a man guard himself. Not a moment should escape, for they who allow the right moment to pass, suffer pain when they are in hell. ”

“ Evil 116 If a man would hasten towards the good, he should keep his thought away from evil; if a man does what is good slothfully, his mind delights in evil.
117 If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him not delight in sin: pain is the outcome of evil.
118 If a man does what is good, let him do it again; let him delight in it: happiness is the outcome of good.
119 Even an evil-doer sees happiness as long as his evil deed has not ripened; but when his evil deed has ripened, then does the evil-doer see evil. ”

“ Even by the falling of water-drops a water-pot is filled; the wise man becomes full of good, even if he gather it little by little.
123 Let a man avoid evil deeds, as a merchant, if he has few companions and carries much wealth, avoids a dangerous road; as a man who loves life avoids poison.
124 He who has no wound on his hand, may touch poison with his hand; poison does not affect one who has no wound; nor is there evil for one who does not commit evil.
125 If a man offend a harmless, pure, and innocent person, the evil falls back upon that fool, like light dust thrown up against the wind. ”

“ Thirst 334 The thirst of a thoughtless man grows like a creeper; he runs from life to life, like a monkey seeking fruit in the forest.
335 Whomsoever this fierce thirst overcomes, full of poison, in this world, his sufferings increase like the abounding Birana grass. ”

“ He is happy when he thinks of the good he has done; he is still more happy when going on the good path.
19 The thoughtless man, even if he can recite a large portion (of the law) , but is not a doer of it, has no share in the priesthood, but is like a cowherd counting the cows of others.
20 The follower of the law, even if he can recite only a small portion (of the law) , but, having forsaken passion and hatred and foolishness, possesses true knowledge and serenity of mind, he, caring for nothing in this world or that to come, has indeed a share in the priesthood. ”

“ Not to see what is pleasant is pain, and it is pain to see what is unpleasant.
211 Let, therefore, no man love anything; loss of the beloved is evil. Those who love nothing and hate nothing, have no fetters.
212 From pleasure comes grief, from pleasure comes fear; he who is free from pleasure knows neither grief nor fear.
213 From affection comes grief, from affection comes fear; he who is free from affection knows neither grief nor fear.
214 From lust comes grief, from lust comes fear; he who is free from lust knows neither grief nor fear. ”

“ O mendicants! throw off that taint, and become taintless!
244 Life is easy to live for a man who is without shame, a crow hero, a mischief-maker, an insulting, bold, and wretched fellow.
245 But life is hard to live for a modest man, who always looks for what is pure, who is disinterested, quiet, spotless, and intelligent.
246 He who destroys life, who speaks untruth, who in this world takes what is not given him, who goes to another man's wife;
247 And the man who gives himself to drinking intoxicating liquors, he, even in this world, digs up his own root. ”

“ But a fool who thinks himself wise, he is called a fool indeed.
64 If a fool be associated with a wise man even all his life, he will perceive the truth as little as a spoon perceives the taste of soup.
65 If an intelligent man be associated for one minute only with a wise man, he will soon perceive the truth, as the tongue perceives the taste of soup.
66 Fools of little understanding have themselves for their greatest enemies, for they do evil deeds which must bear bitter fruits. ”

“ As on a heap of rubbish cast upon the highway the lily will grow full of sweet perfume and delight, thus the disciple of the truly enlightened Buddha shines forth by his knowledge among those who are like rubbish, among the people that walk in darkness. ”

“ A man is not a Muni because he observes silence (mona, i.e. mauna) , if he is foolish and ignorant; but the wise who, taking the balance, chooses the good and avoids evil, he is a Muni, and is a Muni thereby; he who in this world weighs both sides is called a Muni. ”

“ One's own self conquered is better than all other people; not even a god, a Gandharva, not Mara with Brahman could change into defeat the victory of a man who has vanquished himself, and always lives under restraint. ”

“ Purity and impurity belong to oneself, no one can purify another.
166 Let no one forget his own duty for the sake of another's, however great; let a man, after he has discerned his own duty, be always attentive to his duty.
Chapter XIII: The World 167 Do not follow the evil law! Do not live on in thoughtlessness! Do not follow false doctrine! Be not a friend of the world.
168 Rouse thyself! do not be idle! Follow the law of virtue! The virtuous rests in bliss in this world and in the next.
169 Follow the law of virtue; do not follow that of sin. ”

“ The world delights in vanity, the Tathagatas (the Buddhas) are free from vanity.
255 There is no path through the air, a man is not a Samana by outward acts. No creatures are eternal; but the awakened (Buddha) are never shaken.
Chapter XIX: The Just 256, 257. A man is not just if he carries a matter by violence; no, he who distinguishes both right and wrong, who is learned and leads others, not by violence, but by law and equity, and who is guarded by the law and intelligent, he is called just. ”

“ Miscellaneous 290 If by leaving a small pleasure one sees a great pleasure, let a wise man leave the small pleasure, and look to the great.
291 He who, by causing pain to others, wishes to obtain pleasure for himself, he, entangled in the bonds of hatred, will never be free from hatred. ”

“ After going from his home to a homeless state, he should in his retirement look for enjoyment where there seemed to be no enjoyment. Leaving all pleasures behind, and calling nothing his own, the wise man should purge himself from all the troubles of the mind.
89 Those whose mind is well grounded in the (seven) elements of knowledge, who without clinging to anything, rejoice in freedom from attachment, whose appetites have been conquered, and who are full of light, are free (even) in this world. ”

“ Pleasure 209 He who gives himself to vanity, and does not give himself to meditation, forgetting the real aim (of life) and grasping at pleasure, will in time envy him who has exerted himself in meditation.
210 Let no man ever look for what is pleasant, or what is unpleasant. ”

“ He who pays homage to those who deserve homage, whether the awakened (Buddha) or their disciples, those who have overcome the host (of evils) , and crossed the flood of sorrow, he who pays homage to such as have found deliverance and know no fear, his merit can never be measured by anybody.
Chapter XV: Happiness 197 Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! among men who hate us let us dwell free from hatred! ”

“ Flowers 44 Who shall overcome this earth, and the world of Yama (the lord of the departed) , and the world of the gods? Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the (right) flower?
45 The disciple will overcome the earth, and the world of Yama, and the world of the gods. The disciple will find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the (right) flower.
46 He who knows that this body is like froth, and has learnt that it is as unsubstantial as a mirage, will break the flower-pointed arrow of Mara, and never see the king of death. ”

“ Wherever such a sage is born, that race prospers.
194 Happy is the arising of the awakened, happy is the teaching of the True Law, happy is peace in the church, happy is the devotion of those who are at peace. ”

“ After death both are equal, they are men with evil deeds in the next world.
307 Many men whose shoulders are covered with the yellow gown are ill-conditioned and unrestrained; such evil-doers by their evil deeds go to hell. ”

“ The Thousands 100 Even though a speech be a thousand (of words) , but made up of senseless words, one word of sense is better, which if a man hears, he becomes quiet.
101 Even though a Gatha (poem) be a thousand (of words) , but made up of senseless words, one word of a Gatha is better, which if a man hears, he becomes quiet.
102 Though a man recite a hundred Gathas made up of senseless words, one word of the law is better, which if a man hears, he becomes quiet.
103 If one man conquer in battle a thousand times thousand men, and if another conquer himself, he is the greatest of conquerors. ”

“ Therefore let no man be an itinerant mendicant and he will not be beset with pain.
303 Whatever place a faithful, virtuous, celebrated, and wealthy man chooses, there he is respected.
304 Good people shine from afar, like the snowy mountains; bad people are not seen, like arrows shot by night.
305 He alone who, without ceasing, practises the duty of sitting alone and sleeping alone, he, subduing himself, will rejoice in the destruction of all desires alone, as if living in a forest.
Chapter XXII: The Downward Course 306 He who says what is not, goes to hell ”