The Seeker

Master your senses,
What you taste and smell,
What you see, what you hear.
In all things be a master
Of what you do and say and think.

Be free.
You are a seeker.

Delight in the mastery
Of your hands and your feet,
Of your words and your thoughts.

Delight in meditation
And in solitude.
Compose yourself, be happy.

You are a seeker.
Hold your tongue.
Do not exalt yourself
But lighten the way
For your words are sweet.

Follow the truth of the way.
Reflect upon it.
Make it your own.
Live it.
It will always sustain you.

Do not turn away what is given you
Not reach out for what is given to others,
Lest you disturb your quietness.
Give thanks
For what had been given to you,
However little.

Be pure, never falter.
You have no name and no form.
Why miss what you do not have?

The seeker is not sorry.
Love and joyfully
Follow the way,
The quiet way to the happy country.

Seeker!
Empty the boat,
Lighten the load,
Passion and desire and hatred.
And sail swiftly.

There are five at the door
To turn away, and five more,
And there are five to welcome in.
And when five have been left
Stranded on the shore,
The seeker is called oghatinnoti—
"He who has crossed over."

Seeker!
Do not be restless.
Meditate constantly.
Or you will swallow fire
And cry out: "No more!"

If you are not wise,
How can you steady the mind?
If you cannot quieten yourself,
What will you ever learn?
How will you become free?

With a quiet mind
Come into that empty house, your heart,
And feel the joy of the way
Beyond the world.

Look within—
The rising and the falling.
What happiness!

How sweet to be free!
It is the beginning of life,
Of mastery and patience,
Of good friends along the way,
Of a pure and active life.

So live in love.
Do your work.
Make an end of sorrow.
For see how the jasmine
Releases and lets fall
Its withered flowers.
Let fall willfulness and hatred.

Are you quiet?
Quieten your body.
Quieten your mind.
You want nothing.
Your words are still.
You are still.

By your own efforts
Waken yourself, watch yourself.
And live joyfully.
You are the master,
You are the refuge.
As a merchant breaks in a fine horse,
Master yourself.

How gladly you follow
The words of the awakened.
How quietly, how surely
You approach the happy country,
The heart of stillness.

However young,
The seeker who sets out upon the way
Shines bright over the world.
Like the moon,
Come out from behind the clouds!

Shine.


Dhammapada
Chapter 25
Thomas Byron


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Notes
There are five at the door
To turn away, and five more,
And there are five to welcome in.
And when five have been left
Stranded on the shore,
The seeker is called oghatinnoti—
"He who has crossed over."

The "five at the door" are: Selfishness, Doubt, Pseudo-spirituality, Passion, and Hatred. Every time you open your door, these are waiting to snare you. Pay attention; be careful to turn them away before they can enter.

And the "five more" are: Not quite so 'in your face,' but waiting for the first chance they can find to snare you; Lust for life, Longing for birth in higher realms, Vanity, Restlessness, and Self-ignorance.

The "five to welcome in" are: Faith, Vigilance, Energy, Meditation, and Wisdom.

The "five left stranded on the shore" are: Greed, Anger, Delusion, Ego, and False Teachings.