Like a withered leaf are you now,
Death's messangers wait for you.
You are going to travel far away,
But provision for your journey you have none.

Make a refuge unto yourself
Quickly strive and become wise.
Purged of taint and free from stain,
To heavenly state of the Noble will you attain.

Your life has come near to an end now,
To the presence of Death you are setting out.
No halting place is there for you on the way,
And provision for your journey you have none.

Make a refuge unto yourself,
Quickly strive and become wise.
Purged of taint and free from stain,
To birth-and-decay will you not come again.

By gradual practice,
From moment to moment,
And little by little,
Let the wise man blow out
His own impurities,
Just as a smith removes
The dross of ore.

As rust, springing from iron,
Eats itself away, once formed,
Even so one's own deeds
Lead one to states of woe.

Non-recitation is the bane of scriptures.
Non-repair is the bane of houses.
Sloth is the bane of beauty.
Negligence is the bane of a watcher.

Misconduct is defilement of a woman.
Strininess is defilement of a donor.
Tainted indeed are all evil things,
Both in this world and the world to come.

A greater taint than these is ignorance,
The worst taint of all.
Rid yourselves of ignorance, monks,
And be without taint.

Easy is the life of a shameless one
Who is as bold as a crow,
A back-biting, a forward,
An arrogant and a corrupted one.

Hard is the life of a modest one
Who ever seeks after purity,
Who is strenous, humble,
Cleanly of life, and discerning.

Whoso destroys life,
Tells lies,
Takes what is not given,
Commits sexual misconduct,
And is addicted to intoxicating drinks-
Such a one roots out oneself in this very world.

Know this, O good man,
Not easy to control are evil things.
let not greed and wickedness drag you
To protacted misery !

People give according to their faith
And as they are pleased.
Whoso among them is envious
Of others' food and drink-
He attains no peace of mind
Either by day or by night.

He who thinks not
In such a way
Gains peace of mind
Every night and day.

No fire is there like lust.
No captor like hatred.
No snare like delusion.
No torrent like craving.

Easy to perceive are others'faults,
One's own, however, are hard to see.
Like chaff one winnows others's faults,
But conceals one's own
Just as a cheating gambler hides
An ill-thrown dice.

He who sees others' faults
And is ever censorious-
Defilements of such a one grow
Far is he from destroying them.

No track is there in the sky.
No samanas are there outside.
In obstacles mankind delights.
The Tathagatas leave them behind.

No track is there in the sky.
No samanas are there outside.
No etenal compounded thing.
No instability is there in the Buddhas.