Wrong Views Born of Greed
The prince's verse widens from a personal caution into a general ethical teaching: pursuing eminence and pleasure breeds an unrestrained, greedy mind, and from that confusion arise wrong views, illusion, and deception. Against this, he names two objects of proper reverence — one's own parents, and whoever teaches the Dharma, since both nurture what is wholesome.
Four Stanzas: Greed's Confusion, and Two Proper Reverences
「『不應為豪貴， 種種富樂故，
發起如是等， 放逸貪亂心。
種種生邪見， 幻誑諸諂偽，
如是造諸惡， 流轉於世間。
父母知識所， 應起恭敬心，
慈悲廣覆護， 一切諸群萌。
若於一切處， 所從聞法者，
能生諸善故， 應起恭敬心。』」
"One ought not, for the sake of eminence and nobility, or every kind of wealth and pleasure, give rise to a mind such as this — one of unrestrained, greedy confusion.
Every kind of wrong view arises from it, illusion, deception, flattery, and falsehood; creating every evil in this way, one flows on, turning through the world.
Toward one's own parents and good and wise friends, one ought to raise a mind of reverence; with loving-kindness and compassion, broadly covering and protecting every sprouting being.
Toward whomever, in every place, one hears the Dharma from, because it is able to give rise to every wholesome thing, one ought to raise a mind of reverence."
The prince's own verse has, by this point, entirely left the immediate scene — no longer a question about the girl's own betrothal, but a general chain of cause and effect: desire for eminence and pleasure breeds an unrestrained mind, and that mind, in turn, breeds wrong view, illusion, and deception, closing on "creating every evil in this way, one flows on, turning through the world" — the same cyclical image of birth-and-death this collection has used throughout. Against this chain, he names reverence toward two sources — parents and good and wise friends, and, more broadly, whomever one happens to hear the Dharma from in any place — as the actual antidote, since both, in his own words, are "able to give rise to every wholesome thing."
Part 160 In Progress
Four stanzas of the prince's ethical teaching are complete. Part 161 continues with reverence for the whole triple gem, compassion toward those in the three evil destinies, and the raising of the mind of awakening itself.
Continue to Part 161 →