25.1
Restraining the eye is good.
It is good to restrain the ear.
Restraining the nose is good.
It is good to restrain the tongue.
25.2
Restraint of the body is good.
It is good to restrain one's speech.
Restraint of the mind is good.
It is good to be restrained in all things.
Being restrained in all things,
the practitioner is released from suffering.
25.3
One with hands restrained,
feet restrained, speech restrained,
one who exercises the utmost restraint,
one who delights in introspection,
who is composed, solitary, and content –
such a one is known as a practitioner.
25.4
The practitioner who controls his speech,
who talks in moderation without arrogance or conceit,
who illuminates the goal and spirit of Dhamma –
sweet indeed are his words.
25.5
Abiding in Dhamma, delighting in Dhamma,
reflecting on Dhamma, remembering Dhamma,
the practitioner will not fall away from Dhamma.
25.6
Do not be discontent with what you are given,
nor envy the lot of others.
The practitioner who harbors envy
will never come to Awareness.
25.7
The practitioner who is given little yet is content,
who lives a pure and vigorous life,
is praised even by the gods.
25.8
One who observes mind and form
with no sense of "mine,"
and who does not yearn for what is not,
is a true practitioner.
25.9
The practitioner who lives in love and kindness,
who walks the Way of Buddha,
will find stillness, subdue the phantoms of Creation,
and attain bliss.
25.10
Practitioner, empty your boat!
Lightened, it will sail more quickly.
Cast off hatred and desire,
and you will realize Nirvana.
25.11
Cut the five bindings.
Release the five attachments.
Cultivate the five qualities.
Transcend the five evils.
You will be called "one who has crossed the
torrent."
25.12
Become absorbed in meditation, practitioner!
Do not be negligent!
Do not surrender your mind
to the swirl of sense pleasures.
Do not carelessly swallow a molten ball of iron
then cry out in torment when it burns.
25.13
One cannot become absorbed
in meditation without clarity.
One cannot realize clarity without meditation.
One who meditates in clarity realizes Nirvana.
25.14
When in stillness the practitioner
discovers his house is empty,
the Truth of Dhamma is clear.
The joy of this is indescribable.
25.15
Witnessing the arising and passing
of the manifest world,
one delights in the joy of Awareness
and realizes the deathless.
25.16
The wise practitioner in this world
begins by guarding the senses,
learning contentment, practicing spiritual disciplines,
and associating with worthy friends
who live pure and vigorous lives.
25.17
Form the habit of friendship.
Conduct yourself with skill.
In fulfillment find the joy without sorrow.
25.18
As the jasmine sheds withered flowers,
so should the practitioner shed desire and aversion.
25.19
The practitioner whose body is tranquil,
whose speech is calm, whose mind is stilled,
who refuses the bait of worldliness,
is said to be "at peace."
25.20
You alone can motivate yourself.
You alone can examine yourself.
The practitioner who is self-observed and aware,
abides in contentment.
25.21
You are your own master.
You are your own refuge.
Train yourself as a horseman trains a fine horse.
25.22
The practitioner who is filled with delight
as he walks the Way of Buddha,
will find stillness, subdue the phantoms of Creation,
and attain bliss.
25.23
Truly, even a novice practitioner who walks the Way
of Buddha, lights up the world
like the moon coming free of a cloud.