Who shall overcome this earth, this realm of Yama and this sphere of men and gods? Who shall bring to perfection the well-taught path of wisdom as an expert garland-maker would his floral design?
Who will master this life, and the realms beyond it? Who will recognize the clearly-marked path of goodness, the way a skilled gardener spots the perfect flower among thousands?
A striver-on-the path shall overcome this earth, this realm of Yama and this sphere of men and gods. The striver-on-the-path shall bring to perfection the well-taught path of wisdom, as an expert garland-maker would his floral design. [7]
It is the dedicated learner who masters this life and what lies beyond, who finds the path of goodness as surely as a skilled gardener finds the perfect bloom.
Realizing that this body is like froth, penetrating its mirage-like nature, and plucking out Mara’s flower-tipped arrows of sensuality, go beyond sight of the King of Death!
Once you truly grasp that the body is as fleeting as sea-foam, as insubstantial as a shimmer of heat on the road, Māra's arrows lose their sting and the fear of death loosens its grip.
As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).
Just as a great flood sweeps away a village still asleep in the night, death carries off the person whose mind is scattered, forever busy gathering the flowers of pleasure.
The Destroyer brings under his sway the person of distracted mind who, insatiate in sense desires, only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).
While the mind stays scattered, never satisfied, forever reaching for one more flower of pleasure, death lays its hand on that person before the wanting is ever filled.
As a bee gathers honey from the flower without injuring its color or fragrance, even so the sage goes on his alms-round in the village. [8]
As a bee draws nectar from a flower and flies off without bruising its color or scent, so the sage moves through the village, taking only what is freely given.
Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one’s own acts, done and undone.
Don't dwell on the faults of others, or on what they did or failed to do. Look instead at your own actions: what you have done, and what you have left undone.
Like a beautiful flower full of color but without fragrance, even so, fruitless are the fair words of one who does not practice them.
Like a beautiful flower full of color but carrying no scent, the fine words of someone who does not live by them bear no fruit.
Like a beautiful flower full of color and also fragrant, even so, fruitful are the fair words of one who practices them.
Like a beautiful flower full of color and richly fragrant too, the fine words of someone who lives by them bear real fruit.
As from a great heap of flowers many garlands can be made, even so should many good deeds be done by one born a mortal.
Just as many garlands can be woven from a single heap of flowers, so a person born into this brief mortal life can do a great many good things with it.
Not the sweet smell of flowers, not even the fragrance of sandal, tagara, or jasmine blows against the wind. But the fragrance of the virtuous blows against the wind. Truly the virtuous man pervades all directions with the fragrance of his virtue. [9]
The scent of flowers, even sandalwood, tagara, or jasmine, cannot travel against the wind. But the fragrance of a good person travels against the wind and reaches in every direction.
Of all the fragrances — sandal, tagara, blue lotus and jasmine — the fragrance of virtue is the sweetest.
Of all the fragrances — sandalwood, tagara, blue lotus, jasmine — the fragrance of virtue is the sweetest of all.
Faint is the fragrance of tagara and sandal, but excellent is the fragrance of the virtuous, wafting even amongst the gods.
The fragrance of tagara and sandalwood is faint and slight, but the fragrance of the virtuous is finest of all, drifting even among the gods.
Mara never finds the path of the truly virtuous, who abide in heedfulness and are freed by perfect knowledge.
Mara can never find the path of those who are truly virtuous, who live with care and attention, and are set free through right understanding.
Upon a heap of rubbish in the road-side ditch blooms a lotus, fragrant and pleasing.
On a heap of rubbish tossed beside the road, a lotus can still bloom, clean, fragrant, and pleasing to the heart.
Even so, on the rubbish heap of blinded mortals the disciple of the Supremely Enlightened One shines resplendent in wisdom.
In just this way, amid the rubbish heap of confused and blinded people, the disciple of the Awakened One shines out, radiant with wisdom.