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The Dhammapada · 3 of 3 · tr. F. Max Müller

Chapter XVIII, Section 1c

As to bahira, I should take it in the sense of 'external,' as opposed to adhyâtmika, or 'internal;' and the meaning would be, 'a Sama n a is not a Sama n a by outward acts, but by his heart.' D'Alwis translates (p. 85): 'There is no footprint in the air; there is not a Sama n a out of the pale of the Buddhist community.' Prapa ñk a, which I have here translated by 'vanity,' seems to include the whole host of human weaknesses; cf. v. 196 , where it is explained by ta m hâdi tth imânapapa ñk a; in our verse by ta m hâdisu papa ñk esu: cf. Lalita-vistara, p. 564, anâlaya m nishprapa ñk am anutpâdam asambhavam (dharma k akram). As to Tathâgata, a name of Buddha, cf. Burnouf, Introd. p. 75.] p. 63 delights in vanity, the Tathâgatas (the Buddhas) are free from vanity. 255. There is no path through the air, a man is not a Sama n a by outward acts. No creatures are eternal; but the awakened (Buddha) are never shaken. [255. Sa n khâra for sa m skâra; cf. note to verse 203 . Creature does not, as Mr. D'Alwis (p. 69) supposes, involve the Christian conception of creation.]
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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 passage emphasizes being free from vanity and not relying on outward acts or external status.

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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 contrasts outward acts with inner heart condition, aligning with the Zoroastrian triad of right thought and action.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

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

The text uses the paradoxical statement that there is no path through the air to convey spiritual truth.

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Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics

Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.

The passage centrally argues that one is not a Sama n a by outward acts or vanity, rejecting external religious observance without inner transformation.

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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.

The text identifies the true state of a Sama n a as being defined by his heart rather than outward actions.

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