Dhammapada Sutra, Chapter 14 – The Buddha

  After all the teachings of the Buddha for His disciples, both monastic and buddhist layman, on the whole the Buddha taught us to realize the suffering of human life, the endless transmigration of sentient beings in the cycle of karma.

  We often difficult to control our own thoughts, words, and actions, which will give rise to good or evil deeds, bringing peace and happiness to ourselves and others or catter suffering to them and all living beings.

  Unwholesome thoughts, words, and actions arising from the three poisons of greed, hatred, and ignorance will cause many painful consequences for ourselves, our relatives and society. These can be called “evil deeds” that the Buddha advised us to avoid and not do.

  After teaching us to understand suffering and the causes that lead to suffering, the Buddha showed us a path, the path that He and many generations of Buddhas have walked, the Bodhisattva path, diligently learning from the sages, diligently doing good deeds, not harming animals and human, cultivating and nurturing good karma to bring joy and peace to all beings, these actions can be called “good deeds” that the Buddha advised us to cultivate and maintain to grow.

  The Buddha also often taught that “mind precedes all mental states”, the mind is every thing what you think you become, we are free from suffering or not, are good people or not good, all come from the mind, and it is also written in the sutra that “the things are created by the mind”, all phenomena that exist, favorable or unfavorable conditions all originate from the mind. Therefore, “mind” is an important factor that determines the life of each individual. With a pure mind, we will have the good life in the present and future, gradually free from all kinds of suffering.

Thich Hue Chon (Translated by Phap Luu Home)