Susan Brassfield Cogan-The Hands of the Buddha

127 Pages·2013·2.89 MB·English

In the Hands of the Buddha,
A Modern Interpretation of the Dhammapada
Copyright © 2009 by Susan Brassfield Cogan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form or by any electronic or mechanical means
including information storage and retrieval
systems, without permission in writing from the
author. the only exception is by a reviewer, who
may quote short excerpts in a review.
Printed in the United States of America
A CoganBooks Production
ISBN: 442185902
EAN-13: 9781442185906
Cover and Book Design by:
Cogan Graphic Design
www.cogangraphicdesign.com
The
Hands
of the
Buddha
†
A Modern Interpretation of the Dhammapada
by
Susan Brassfield Cogan
Contents
1 Chapter 1: Choices
7 Chapter 2: Mindfulness
3 Chapter 3: Thought
15 Chapter 4: Flowers
19 Chapter 5: The Fools
23 Chapter 6: The Wise
27 Chapter 7: The Awakened Ones
31 Chapter 8: The Thousand Things
35 Chapter 9: Mischief
39 Chapter 10: Violence
43 Chapter 11: Old Age
47 Chapter 12: Self
51 Chapter 13: The World
55 Chapter 14: Becoming a Buddha
59 Chapter 15: Happiness
63 Chapter 16: Amusements
67 Chapter 17: Anger
71 Chapter 18: Mistakes
77 Chapter 19: The Just
81 Chapter 20: The Dharma Path
85 Chapter 21: Along the Way
89 Chapter 22: Suffering
93 Chapter 23: The Elephant
97 Chapter 24: Addiction
105 Chapter 25: The Seekers
111 Chapter 26: Enlightenment
iv
v
Sources Consulted:
Treasury of Truth, The Dhammapada, by Ven.
Weragoda Sarada Thero
The Dhammapada, translated by Anne Bancroft
The Dhammapada, translated by Thomas Byrom
A Dhammapada for Contemplation, A Rendering,
by Ajahn Munindo
The Buddha’s Path to Wisdom: The Dhammapada,
translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita
The Dhammapada, translated by John Richards
Dhammapada, The Path of Dhamma by Thanissaro
Bhikkhu
Dhammapada, Wisdom of the Buddha translated
by Harischandra Kaviratna
The Dhammapada, translated by F. Max Müller
The Dhammapada, translated by Daw Mya Tin
vi
“Even a beggar who trains his
mind and avoids distractions
will overcome all obsessions and
attachments like a fire that blazes
through the tall weeds.”
vii
Chapter 1
Choices
1
We are what we think about. All our lives are
founded on our thoughts and our world is made
up of our thoughts. Like the wagon drawn after an
ox, suffering will follow a deluded mind.
2
We are what we think about. When our minds are
clear and disciplined, happiness will follow us as
faithfully as our shadow.
3
When we nourish hateful thoughts like “He abused
me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,”
hatred and suffering never go away.
4
When we learn to let go of such thoughts as “He
abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed
me” enmity ceases and happiness follows.
5
Hatred can not be defeated by hatred. Only love can
defeat hatred. This wisdom is as ancient as humanity.
1
6
Most people live as though they will never die.
Those who know life is fleeting let go of anger and
hatred.
7
It’s tempting to think passing amusements
will bring happiness. But anyone who pursues
temporary pleasures, who is lazy or overeats will
be felled by Mara, the Illusionist, like a tree in the
wind.
8
When we learn to enjoy life without grasping after
temporary pleasures we can resist the Illusionist,
the way a stony mountain resists the wind.
2
9
Those who wish to follow the Dharma Way must
respect temperance and truth or they are unworthy
to be in the company of those who travel that path.
10
Those who are diligent, focused and honest may
contentedly travel with Dharma companions.
11
Those who look at a dream and think they see
reality and those who look at reality and think
they are seeing a dream are afflicted with empty
longing.
12
Those who can distinguish between the truth
and dreams may live happily in the world as it
actually is.
13
An untrained mind is like a leaky roof. As rain will
drip through a roof full of holes, so will craving
pour through an unfocused mind.
3