Hasten to do good; restrain your mind from evil. He who is slow in doing good, his mind delights in evil.
When you mean to do good, do it now; don't let your mind drift toward harm. Drag your feet on doing good, and the mind quietly starts to enjoy doing wrong.
Should a person commit evil, let him not do it again and again. Let him not find pleasure therein, for painful is the accumulation of evil.
If you've done something wrong, don't repeat it, and don't let yourself take pleasure in it. Piling up harm only piles up suffering.
Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.
If you've done something good, do it again and again, and let yourself take pleasure in it, for piling up good brings happiness.
It may be well with the evil-doer as long as the evil ripens not. But when it does ripen, then the evil-doer sees (the painful results of) his evil deeds.
Things may go well for someone doing harm, but only as long as the harm hasn't yet ripened. When it finally ripens, they meet the painful results of what they did.
It may be ill with the doer of good as long as the good ripens not. But when it does ripen, then the doer of good sees (the pleasant results of) his good deeds.
Things may go badly for someone doing good, but only as long as the good hasn't yet ripened. When it finally ripens, they meet the pleasant results of what they did.
Think not lightly of evil, saying, “It will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the fool, gathering it little by little, fills himself with evil.
Never shrug off small wrongs, thinking, "That little thing won't matter." A water jar fills one drop at a time; and so the foolish person fills up with harm, a tiny bit at a time.
Think not lightly of good, saying, “It will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.
Never shrug off small acts of good, thinking, "That little thing won't matter." A water jar fills one drop at a time; and so the wise person fills up with good, a tiny bit at a time.
Just as a trader with a small escort and great wealth would avoid a perilous route, or just as one desiring to live avoids poison, even so should one shun evil.
Just as a merchant carrying great wealth with only a small escort avoids a dangerous road, and just as someone who loves life avoids poison, so should you steer clear of doing harm.
If on the hand there is no wound, one may carry even poison in it. Poison does not affect one who is free from wounds. For him who does no evil, there is no ill.
A hand with no wound can safely carry poison; poison can't get in where there's no cut. In the same way, harm cannot touch the one who does no harm.
Like fine dust thrown against the wind, evil falls back upon that fool who offends an inoffensive, pure and guiltless man.
Harm someone who is innocent, pure, and blameless, and the evil flies back onto the fool who did it, like fine dust thrown against the wind.
Some are born in the womb; the wicked are born in hell; the devout go to heaven; the stainless pass into Nibbana.
Some are reborn in the human womb; those who do harm are reborn in hell; the good go to heaven; and the wholly pure pass into Nibbāna.
Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean, nor by entering into mountain clefts, nowhere in the world is there a place where one may escape from the results of evil deeds.
Not in the sky, not out at sea, not deep in a mountain cave: nowhere in the whole world is there a place to hide from the results of your own harmful deeds.
Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean, nor by entering into mountain clefts, nowhere in the world is there a place where one will not be overcome by death.
Not in the sky, not out at sea, not deep in a mountain cave: nowhere in the whole world is there a place where death will not find you.