The Dhammapada · 3 of 3 · tr. F. Max Müller
Chapter XIV, Section 1c
But that is not a safe refuge, that is not the best refuge; a man is not delivered from all pains after having gone to that refuge.
190.
He who takes refuge with Buddha, the Law, [188-192.
These verses occur in Sanskrit in the Prâtihâryasûtra, translated by Burnouf, Introduction, pp.
162-189; see p.
186.
Burnouf translates rukkha k etyâni by 'arbres consacrés;' properly, sacred shrines under or near a tree.
See also G âtaka vol.
i.
p.
97.
190.
Budda, Dharma, and Sa n gha are called the Tri s ara n a (cf.
Burnouf, Introd.
p.
630).
The four holy truths are the four statements that there is pain in this world, that the source of pain is desire, that desire can be annihilated, that there is a way (shown by Buddha) by which the annihilation of all desires can be achieved, and freedom be obtained.
That way consists of eight parts.
(See Burnouf, Introduction, p.
630.) The eightfold way forms the subject of Chapter XVIII.
(See also Feer, Journal As.
1870, p.
418, and Chips from a German Workshop, 2nd ed.
vol.
i.
p.
251 seq.)] p.
52 and the Church; he who, with clear understanding, sees the four holy truths:-- 191.
Viz.
pain, the origin of pain, the destruction of pain, and the eightfold holy way that leads to the quieting of pain;-- 192.
That is the safe refuge, that is the best refuge; having gone to that refuge, a man is delivered from all pain.
193.
A supernatural person (a Buddha) is not easily found, he is not born everywhere.
Wherever such a sage is born, that race prospers.
194.
Happy is the arising of the awakened, happy is the teaching of the True Law, happy is peace in the church, happy is the devotion of those who are at peace.
195., 196.
He who pays homage to those who deserve homage, whether the awakened (Buddha) or their disciples, those who have overcome the host (of evils), and crossed the flood of sorrow, he who pays homage to such as have found deliverance and know no fear, his merit can never be measured by anybody.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis
Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.
The text emphasizes overcoming the host of evils and crossing the flood of sorrow through a path that leads to quieting pain.
All passages →Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
A supernatural person is described as not being easily found and not born everywhere.
All passages →Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
The passage explicitly states that salvation comes from 'clear understanding' and seeing the four holy truths rather than ritual alone.
All passages →Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
The Buddha and Law are personified as active sources of refuge and teaching.
All passages →Paradox As Teachingethics
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
The passage uses the reversal that a physical refuge is not safe compared to the spiritual path.
All passages →Prayerpraxis
Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.
The passage explicitly mentions 'paying homage' to the awakened and their disciples as a spiritual practice.
All passages →Ritual Puritypraxis
The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.
The mention of 'sacred shrines' implies a requirement for purity in the physical context of refuge.
All passages →Self Knowledgesoteriology
The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.
Salvation is linked to seeing the four holy truths and clear understanding of one's spiritual state.
All passages →Sunyata Emptinesssoteriology
The Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena lack independent self-nature; emptiness as the positive recognition that things arise only in dependence on conditions — distinct from kenoma's mere deficiency.
The text states that desire can be annihilated and one is delivered from all pains, aligning with the concept of emptiness of suffering.
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