The Mind
33
Just as fletcher straightens
an arrow shaft,
even so the discerning man
straightens his mind -
so fickle and unsteady,
so difficult to guard and control.
34
As a fish when pulled out of water
and cast on land
throbs and quivers,
even so is this mind agitated.
Hence should one abandon
the realm of Mara*.
35
Wonderful, indeed,
it is to subdue the mind,
so difficult to subdue, ever swift,
and seizing whatever it desires.
A tamed mind brings happiness.
36
Let the discerning man
guard the mind,
so difficult to detect and extremely subtle,
seizing whatever it desires.
A guarded mind brings happiness.
37
Dwelling in the cave* *(of the heart),
the mind, without form,
wanders far and alone.
Those who subdue this mind
are liberated from the bonds of Mara.
38
Wisdom never becomes perfect
in one whose mind is not steadfast,
who knows not the Good Teaching
and whose faith wavers.
39
There is no fear for an awakened one,
whose mind is not sodden
(by lust)
nor afflicted
(by hate),
and who has gone beyond
both merit and demerit***.
40
Realizing that this body
is as fragile as a clay pot,
and fortifying this mind
like
a well-fortified city,
fight out Mara
with the sword of wisdom.
Then, guarding the conquest,
remain unattached.
41
Ere long, alas!
This body will lie upon the earth,
unheeded and lifeless,
like a useless log.
42
Whatever harm an enemy
may do to an enemy,
or a hater to a hater,
an ill-directed mind
inflicts on oneself a greater harm.
43
Neither mother, father,
nor any other relative
can do one greater good
than one's own well-directed mind.
*Mara:
Literally, the destroyer; Mara stands for
1) mental defilements
2) phenomenal world
3) death (no. 1 leads to 2 and 3)
4) Lord of evil forces -- a powerful deity who tempts and misleads those following the path to Nibbana.
**Cave:
Heart is the seat of consciousness. Hence the analogy of the mind resting in the cave of the heart. Every moment of consciousness arises, continues and passes by itself, not together with other moments; hence "alone".
***Beyond both merit and demerit:
The Arahat having abandoned all defilements, can no longer perform evil actions, having no more attachment to any plane of existence his virtuous actions no longer bear karmic fruit.
