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The Dhammapada · 1 of 2 · tr. F. Max Müller

Chapter XVII, Section 1a

p. 58 CHAPTER XVII. ANGER. 221. Let a man leave anger, let him forsake pride, let him overcome all bondage! No sufferings befall the man who is not attached to name and form, and who calls nothing his own. 222. He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; other people are but holding the reins. 223. Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth! 224. Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods. 225. The sages who injure nobody, and who always control their body, they will go to the unchangeable place (Nirvâ n a), where, if they have gone, they will suffer no more. 226. Those who are ever watchful, who study day and night, and who strive after Nirvâ n a, their passions will come to an end. 227. This is an old saying, O Atula, this is not only of to-day: 'They blame him who sits silent, [221. 'Name and form' or 'mind and body' is the translation of nâma-rûpa, the ninth of the Buddhist Nidânas. Cf. Burnouf, Introduction, p. 501; see also Gogerly, Lecture on Buddhism, and Bigandet, The Life of Gaudama, p. 454. 223. Mahâbh. XII, 3550, asâdhu m sadhunâ g ayet. Cf. Ten G âtakas, ed. Fausböll, p. 5. 227. It appears from the commentary that porâ n am and a gg atanam are neuters, referring to what happened formerly and what happens to-day, and that they are not to be taken as adjectives referring to âsînam, &c. The commentator must have read atula instead of atulam, and he explains it as the name of a pupil whom Gautama addressed by that name. This may be so (see note to verse 166 ); but atula may also be taken in the sense of incomparable (Mahâbh. XIII, 1937), and in that case we ought to supply, with Professor Weber, some such word as 'saw' or 'saying.'] p. 59 they blame him who speaks much, they also blame him who says little; there is no one on earth who is not blamed.' 228. There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a man who is always blamed, or a man who is always praised. 229., 230. But he whom those who discriminate praise continually day after day, as without blemish, wise, rich in knowledge and virtue, who would dare to blame him, like a coin made of gold from the G ambû river? Even the gods praise him, he is praised even by Brahman. 231. Beware of bodily anger, and control thy body! Leave the sins of the body, and with thy body practise virtue! 232. Beware of the anger of the tongue, and control thy tongue! Leave the sins of the tongue, and practise virtue with thy tongue! 233. Beware of the anger of the mind, and control thy mind! Leave the sins of the mind, and practise virtue with thy mind! 234. The wise who control their body, who control their tongue, the wise who control their mind, are indeed well controlled. [230. The Brahman worlds are higher that the Deva worlds as the Brahman is higher than a Deva; see Hardy, Manual, p.
Themes
Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The passage explicitly warns against bodily anger and urges leaving the sins of the body as a hindrance to virtue.

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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 instruction to leave attachment to name and form aligns with the practice of radical letting-go of grasping.

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Good Thought Word Deedethics

The Zoroastrian triad of right thought, right speech, and right action as the foundation of ethical life; truth-in-living.

The passage centrally instructs overcoming evil by good, speaking truth, and practicing virtue through thought, word, and action.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The text suggests that true control and virtue reside within the individual's own body and mind rather than externally.

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Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

The instruction to study day and night implies disciplined inward attention as a spiritual practice.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The statement that one is blamed whether they speak much or little presents an apparent contradiction.

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Poverty Of Spiritanthropology

Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).

The passage advises not calling anything one's own and practicing liberality over greed.

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Renunciation Of Wealthethics

The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.

The text urges overcoming the greedy by liberality and warns against attachment to wealth.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The goal of going to the unchangeable place (Nirvana) implies a journey back to a divine origin.

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Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

Controlling the body and mind requires awareness of one's own internal states rather than external control.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The goal of going to Nirvana suggests a movement toward a higher state of being.

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Related passages · 3 parallels
greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 6 (part 1)
p. 18 THE GOLDEN SENTENCES OF DEMOCRATES 1. If anyone will give his mind to these sentences, he will obtain many things worthy of a man, and be free from many things that are base. 2. The perfection of the soul will correct the depravit…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of controlling anger and cultivating virtue. They also highlight the significance of truth, justice, and the pursuit of a higher state of being, whether it be Nirvana in Buddhism or the perfection of the soul in Democritus' philosophy.
greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 9 (part 2)
Or in the third place, it is impelled when it is not proper, and to objects to which it ought not to tend. 22. Endeavour not to conceal your errors p. 49 by words, but to remedy them by reproof. 23. It is not so difficult to err, as no…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of self-control, moral conduct, and the avoidance of negative emotions and behaviors. They share themes of overcoming anger, the importance of truthfulness, and the need for self-discipline in thought, speech, and action.
greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 3)
75 words accord with their energies, to honour and reverence them with the greatest earnestness. SYMBOL 9. Cut not fire with a sword. 1 Explanation .--This Symbol exhorts to prudence. For it excites in us an appropriate conception with…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of controlling anger and other negative emotions, advocating for prudence, justice, and virtue. They share a common theme of self-discipline and moral conduct, though they come from different mystical traditions.