Chapter 25

Restraint of the eye is good; restraint of the ear is good; restraint of the nose is good; restraint of the tongue is good.

Restraint of the body is good; restraint of speech is good; restraint of thought is good; restraint in all things is good. A bhikshu who is restrained in everything is freed from all suffering.

The one who controls his hands, controls his feet, controls his speech, and is fully controlled; who finds joy within, is composed, lives alone, and is content—he is called a bhikshu.

The bhikshu who controls his mouth, who speaks wisely and calmly, who explains the meaning and the law—his words are sweet.

The bhikshu who lives in the law, delights in the law, meditates on the law, and follows the law will never fall away from the true law.

Let him not look down on what he himself has received, nor envy others: a mendicant who envies others does not attain peace of mind.

Even the gods will praise a bhikshu who, though he receives little, does not despise what he has received, if his life is pure and he is not lazy.

The one who never identifies himself with name and form, and does not grieve over what no longer exists—he truly is called a bhikshu.

The bhikshu who acts with kindness and is at peace in the teaching of the Buddha will reach the place of quiet (Nirvana), the ceasing of natural desires, and happiness.

Bhikshu, empty this boat! Once emptied, it will move quickly; having cut off passion and hatred, you will go to Nirvana.

Cut off the five, abandon the five, rise above the five. A bhikshu who has escaped the five fetters is called Oghatinna, “one who has crossed the flood.”

Meditate, bhikshu, and do not be careless! Do not let your mind chase after pleasure, lest through carelessness you have to swallow the iron ball in hell, and lest, while burning, you cry out, “This is pain.”

Without knowledge there is no meditation; without meditation there is no knowledge: the one who has both knowledge and meditation is close to Nirvana.

A bhikshu who has entered his empty house, with a tranquil mind, feels a more-than-human delight when he sees the law clearly.

As soon as he has reflected on the arising and passing away of the elements (khandhas) of the body, he finds the happiness and joy that belong to those who know the deathless (Nirvana).

This is where a wise bhikshu begins: watchfulness over the senses, contentment, restraint under the law; keep noble friends whose lives are pure and who are not lazy.

Let him live in generosity, let him fulfill his duties perfectly; then, full of delight, he will make an end of suffering.

As the Vassika plant sheds its withered flowers, so, bhikshus, you should shed passion and hatred.

The bhikshu whose body, speech, and mind are calm, who is composed, and has rejected the world’s lures, is called peaceful.

Rouse yourself by yourself, examine yourself by yourself; thus self-guarded and attentive, you will live happily, bhikshu!

For the self is the lord of self; the self is the refuge of self; so discipline yourself as a merchant disciplines a fine horse.

The bhikshu who is full of delight and at peace in the teaching of the Buddha will reach the place of quiet (Nirvana), the ceasing of natural desires, and happiness.

The one who, even as a young bhikshu, devotes himself to the teaching of the Buddha lights up this world like the moon emerging from clouds.