..續本文上一頁t”s equanimity as an embodiment of the middle path rising above the extremes and opposites.

　　The Structure of the Verses

　　In each verse of the poem, the giving up of "the here and the beyond" mentioned in the refrain is connected with the abandonment of certain mental defilements (kilesa), basic distortions of attitude and understanding, mentioned in the first lines of the verse (always two in the original Pali). The purport behind this connection is that only if the mental defilements mentioned in the first lines are eliminated entirely (asesam, "without remainder") — as stated expressly in verses 2,3 and 4 — can one rise above the opposites involved in those defilements. Only by entire elimination are the defilements eradicated in their lower and higher, coarse and subtle forms, in their manifest and latent states. If even a minute residue of them is left, it will suffice to revive the full play of the opposites and a recurrence of the extremes. No member of a pair of opposites can exclude the influence of its counterpart and remain stationary within the same degree of strength or weakness. There is a constant fluctuation between "high" and "low" as to degree of the defilements, as to evaluation of mental qualities, and as to forms of existence to which the defilements may lead.

　　It is the complete uprooting of the defilements alone which will make an end of rebirth — of the here and the beyond, the high and the low, which remain in constant fluctuation as long as the defilements persist. When such an uprooting is made, the here and the beyond will be transcended, left behind as something empty, coreless and alien — "just as a serpent sheds its worn-out skin."

　　II: Reflections on the Verses

　　 1. He who can curb his wrath

　　as soon as it arises,

　　as a timely antidote will check

　　snake”s venom that so quickly spreads,

　　— such a monk gives up the here and the beyond,

　　just as a serpent sheds its worn-out skin.

　　This first verse compares wrath, which is vehement anger or rage, to a snake”s poison that rapidly spreads in the body of the person bitten; for snakes, or at least some of the species, have always been regarded as irascible animals of venomous ire. Wrath is an outcome of hate, one of the three powerful roots[4] of all evil and suffering. The term "hate" (dosa) comprises all degrees of antipathy, from the weakest dislike to the strongest fury. In fact, the Pali word kodha, used in this verse and rendered here by "wrath," actually extends to the whole scale of antagonistic emotions. We have, however, singled out its extreme form, "wrath," because of the simile and in view of the fact that its less vehement forms will find their place under the heading of "grudge," in verse 6.

　　Of the evil root hate in its entire range the Buddha says, "It is a great evil but (relatively) easy to overcome" (Anguttara, 3:68). It was perhaps for both these reasons that wrath is mentioned here first, preceding the other defilements which appear in the following verses. Hate is a great evil because of its consequences. Its presence poses a much greater danger of a straight fall into the lowest depths of inhuman conduct and into the lowest forms of existence than, for instance, greed or lust, another of the three evil roots. On the other hand, hate is relatively easy to overcome, for it produces an unhappy state of mind which goes counter to the common human desire for happiness. But hate will be "easy to overcome" only for those who also know of the need to purify their own hearts and are willing to make that effort. For those, however, who identify themselves fully with their aversions or even try to justify their outbursts of temper — for them hate, too, is very difficult to overcome and may well harden into a character trait of irritability. Just as…

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