Dhammapada: A Buddhist View of Experience

All experience is preceded by mind,
led by mind, made by mind.
Speak or act with a polluted mind,
and suffering follows,
as the wheel of a cart
follows the track
of the animal that pulls it.
 
All experience is preceded by mind,
led by mind, made by mind.
Speak or act with a clear, bright mind,
and joyfulness follows,
like a shadow that never leaves.
 
—Opening stanzas of the Dhammapada, Pali Canon

​All that time that the Buddha taught, forty-five years, and no one was taking notes. That’s because no written language was present in the area. It wasn’t until about 450 years after the Buddha’s death that his teachings were written down. Prior to that, the discourses were memorized and passed on orally. 
      The Pali Canon, written in the Pali language, is the most complete Early Buddhist canon still available today. The Dhammapada is part of this canon. (Other collections are available in other languages, and some are earlier, but none is thought to be as complete.)

A page from the Pali Canon. The circles have holes at their center allowing cord to be passed through for binding pages together. https://www.buddhist-art.com/blog/pali-canon/

​The meanings of ancient foreign languages are subject to the interpretation of the translator. I put together the version of the stanzas at the beginning based on a number of translations into English, including that of Gil Fronsdal, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Glenn Wallis, and Jay N. Forrest. I also checked the English meanings of some terms in the Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary.
    The problem with translations is that often they reflect the preferences, cultural beliefs, or level of understanding of the translator. My version naturally reflects my choice of “best words” based on my own understanding. 
​     Even well-known interpreters can put an odd slant on translations. Thomas Byrom, a scholarly translator of Buddhist works who died in 1991, comes under criticism for translating the first line as “We are what we think.” The Pali version says no such thing. (See author Bodhipaksa’s critique in the fall 2014 issue of Tricycle.) 
      ​Looking deeper into meanings, “mind” could also be “heart” or “heart-mind,” because the seat of consciousness in Buddhism is in the chest (i.e., the heart) and not in the head. The word for “mind” might also be translated as “thought” or “intention.” If the mind/thought/intention is obscured, polluted, or wishing harm, then the result is suffering. If the mind/thought/intention is clear, pure, or bright, then the result is joyousness or happiness. 

     ​Notice the analogies used with the two stanzas. The polluted mind drags suffering along, like a cart pulled by a draft animal. With a clear mind, joyousness simply follows like a shadow that never leaves. A shadow is not a burden; it has no weight and is simply present.
   ​In Buddhism, karma is not just actions but also the intentions behind them. Your mind—your intention—affects what you experience in the world and how you experience it. Are you consumed with anger over perceived injustice and wanting to make someone pay? You’ll be angry a lot, and you’ll see injustice everywhere. Are you focused on the abundance of the world and on giving to others? You’ll find you have plenty to give and many opportunities to help. 

Greco-Buddhist representation of the Buddha. Gandhara, 1st century CE. Tokyo National Museum. Public Domain.

​This idea doesn’t mean you change your outlook in order to change the world. The world is how it is, regardless. It also doesn’t mean that you pretend you aren’t angry when you are, or that you adopt a false generosity to make yourself feel better. The important thing from a Buddhist point of view is to shift your own perception, understanding, and intentions.