Book XXVI. The Brahman, Brāhmaṇa Vagga
383
Cleave the stream boldly, drive away lusts, O Brahman.
Knowing the destruction of the Elements of Being, you shall know the Uncreate, O Brahman.
384
When a Brahman has crossed to the farther shore of Two States,
Then all the fetters fall away from him, for then he knows.
385
That man for whom exists neither the far shore nor the near shore, nor both the far and the near shore,
That man who is fearless and free, that man I call a Brahman.
386
He that meditates, he that is incorrupt,
He that has done his duty, he that is free from the evil passions,
He that has reached the supreme goal, that man I call a Brahman.
387
By day shines the sun, by night gleams the moon,
The Warrior shines in his armor, the Brahman shines in trance,
But all the day and all the night the Buddha shines in splendor.
388
Because a man has put away evil, therefore is he called a Brahman;
Because he walks in righteousness, therefore is he called a monk;
Because he has banished his own impurities, therefore is he called a monk.
389, 390
No one should strike at a Brahman, nor should a Brahman let fly at his assailant.
Woe be to him that strikes a Brahman! Woe be to that Brahman who lets fly at his assailant!
It is no small advantage to a Brahman if he restrain his mind from things that are dear to him;
As fast as the intent to injure declines, so fast indeed does suffering subside.
391
He that offends not by act or speech or thought,
He that controls himself in these three respects, that man I call a Brahman.
392
That man from whom one learns the Law preached by the Supremely Enlightened,
That man should one reverence profoundly, even as a Brahman reverences the sacrificial fire.
393
It is not matted locks or lineage or birth that makes a Brahman;
But he in whom Truth exists, and the Law, he is blessed, he is a Brahman.
394
What is the use of your matted locks, vain man? What is the use of your antelope skin?
There is a jungle within you; it is only the exterior that you polish and cleanse.
395
That man who wears refuse-rags, that man who is lean, that man whose veins stand out all over his body,
That man who meditates alone in the forest, that man I call a Brahman.
396
I call not a man a Brahman for that he has issued from the womb of a Brahman mother or sprung from a Brahman mother.
Such a man addresses me as “Sir,” such a man has worldly possessions.
But he that is without worldly possessions, he that seeks not the things of this world, him alone I call a Brahman.
397
He that has severed all the attachments, he that trembles not,
He that has escaped from every bond and is unshackled, such a man I call a Brahman.
398
He that has cut the strap, the thong, the rope, and all their appendages,
He that has raised the cross-bar, he that is awakened, him I call a Brahman.
399
He that endures abuse and stripes and bonds without offense,
He whose power is patience and whose army is power, him I call a Brahman.
400
He that is free from anger, he that performs his duties faithfully,
He that keeps the Precepts, he that is free from lust,
He that has subdued himself, he that wears his last body, him I call a Brahman.
401
Even as water does not cling to a lotus-leaf, nor a grain of mustard-seed to the point of an awl,
Whoso in like manner clings not to the pleasures of sense, him I call a Brahman.
402
He that realizes right here in this world how his suffering may be ended,
He whose burden has fallen from him, he who has freed himself from the shackles, him I call a Brahman.
403
He that possesses profound wisdom, he that possesses intelligence,
He that knows what is the Path and what is not the Path,
He that has reached the supreme goal, him I call a Brahman.
404
He that holds himself aloof both from householders and from the houseless,
He that wanders about without a home, he that desires but little, such a man I call a Brahman.
405
He that has laid aside the rod, and inflicts not punishment on living beings, whether animate or inanimate,
He that kills not nor causes to kill, such a man I call a Brahman.
406
He that opposes not those by whom he is opposed, he that is meek among those that have taken the rod,
He that is free from craving among those that crave, such a man I call a Brahman.
407
That man from whom lust and hatred and pride and envy have been made to fall,
Even as a grain of mustard-seed from the point of an awl, that man I call a Brahman.
408
Free from harshness, instructing the hearer, truthful: such are the words a man should utter;
Thereby he will offend none. Whoso thus speaks, him I call a Brahman.
409
Whosoever here in this world takes nothing that is not given to him,
Whether it be long or short, coarse or fine, beautiful or ugly, him I call a Brahman.
410
He that has no desires, either in this world or in the next,
He that is free from desires and free from fetters, him I call a Brahman.
411
He that has no longings, he that fully understands, he that entertains no doubts,
He that has plunged into the Deathless, him I call a Brahman.
412
Whosoever in this world has escaped from the bonds both of good and of evil,
Whosoever is free from sorrow, free from defilement, free from impurity, him I call a Brahman.
413
He that is spotless as the moon, pure, serene, and clear,
He in whom the essence of joy is extinct, such a man I call a Brahman.
414
Whoever has crossed this quagmire, difficult to cross, rebirth, delusion;
Whoever has crossed and gained the other side;
Whoever is devoted to meditation, free from lust, free from doubt,
Free from Craving, tranquil, such a man I call a Brahman.
415
Whoever in this world renounces lusts, whoever abandons the house-life and retires from the world,
Whoever has extinguished the essence of lust, such a man I call a Brahman.
416
Whoever in this world has abandoned Craving,
Whoever has gone forth from the household life to the houseless life,
Whoever has destroyed the essence of Craving, such a man I call a Brahman.
417
He that has cast off the bondage of things of earth,
He that has thrown off every bond, such a man I call a Brahman.
418
He that has cast aside both pleasure and pain, he that is cold, free from passion,
He that, strenuous, has overcome all the worlds, such a man I call a Brahman.
419, 420
He that knows the passing away and rebirth of beings everywhere,
He that is free from attachment, happy, and enlightened, such a man I call a Brahman.
He whose future estate is not known to gods or Gandhabbas or men,
He who has destroyed the evil passions and has attained Arahatship, such a man I call a Brahman.
421
He that possesses naught in the present, the past, and the future,
He that neither possesses aught nor yearns for aught, such a man I call a Brahman.
422
The noble, the eminent, the manly, the wise, the conqueror,
The pure, the sinless, the enlightened, him I call a Brahman.
423
He that knows his former abodes, he that beholds heaven and hell,
He that has reached the end of birth and rebirth, the sage in whom Higher Knowledge has been perfected,
That man in whom all the Perfections have been perfected, such a man I call a Brahman.
Sentences of the Law