Spots 
All mental states begin with mind, led by mind, made of mind. Speaking or acting with an impure mind brings pain just as the wheel follows the hoof of the ox drawing the cart. Speaking or acting with a pure mind brings happiness that never departs, like an abiding shadow. Hatred never ceases through hatred in this world; hatred ceases only through love.
Earnestness is the path to the deathless state, while thoughtlessness is the path to death. Those who are earnest do not die, whereas the thoughtless are already as if dead. By reflection, self-restraint, and control, the wise person builds an island that no flood can sweep away. Fools yield to sloth, but the wise guardian preserves mindfulness as a precious treasure.
Mind is wavering, unsteady, difficult to guard, and hard to restrain. The wise person straightens trembling thought just as a fletcher straightens an arrow shaft. As a fish thrashes when pulled from water onto dry land, the mind quivers when escaping the realm of passion. Harnessing a mind that strays wherever it listeth brings genuine happiness.
Just as a flower gatherer selects choice blossoms, the seeker chooses the well-taught verses of truth. Recognizing the body as fragile foam and a mirage breaks the barbed darts of temptation. Death carries away the person who gathers sensory flowers with a distracted mind, like a sudden flood sweeping away a sleeping village. The scent of virtue travels against the wind, outlasting the fragrance of sandalwood or lotus.
Long is the night to the sleepless, long is a league to the weary, and long is the cycle of rebirth to fools who know not the true law. A fool who recognizes foolishness is wise to that extent, but a fool who deems himself wise is truly a fool. A spoon tastes not the flavor of soup, nor does an ignorant person perceive truth though associating with the wise for a lifetime.
Regard the wise person who points out faults as a revealer of hidden treasures. Good people cherish advice, whereas bad people resent correction. Solid rock is not shaken by the wind; similarly, wise minds remain unmoved by blame or praise. Hearing the truth brings profound calm, like a deep and crystal pool undisturbed by currents.
Travellers who have completed the journey and shed all sorrow experience no fever of the senses. Like swans taking flight from a lake, freed beings leave behind every home and attachment. They store up no worldly wealth and subsist on understood food, leaving a track as invisible as that of birds in the air. Desires cease, senses quiet like well-tamed horses, and pride vanishes entirely.
Better than a thousand useless words is one sensible word that brings peace upon hearing it. Conquering oneself in battle is far superior to conquering a million men in war. A single day spent living virtuously and meditatively excels a hundred years spent in ignorance and unrestrained living. Reverence shown to the aged and righteous increases length of life, beauty, happiness, and strength.
Hasten to do good and restrain the mind from evil, for a slow heart delights in wrongdoing. Let no one make a habit of harm, because evil accumulates drop by drop like a water jar filling under a steady drip. An evil deed done does not curdle like milk immediately, but follows the fool like fire smoldering under ashes. No sky, ocean depth, or mountain cave hides a person from the consequences of bad deeds.
All tremble at punishment and all fear death; comparing others to oneself, one should neither kill nor cause to kill. Whoever inflicts violence on those who seek happiness will fail to find peace hereafter. Gentle speech protects against harsh retorts, for angry words bring painful consequences. Just as a cowherd drives cattle to pasture with a staff, old age and death drive life to its conclusion.
Laughter and joy ring hollow when the world is constantly burning in ignorance. Look at this decorated body, a mass of sores and jointed limbs, diseased and frail, doomed to fall apart. White bones scattered like dried gourds in autumn offer no lasting delight. A house built of bones, plastered with flesh and blood, stores pride, decay, and death within its frame.
First establish oneself in what is proper, then instruct others without incurring blame. Self-mastery is difficult to achieve, yet oneself is the only true protector and refuge. Evil done by oneself defiles oneself, while evil undone by oneself purifies oneself. Purity and impurity depend entirely on individual action; no one can purify another person.
Follow not low desires, live not in thoughtlessness, and embrace not false views to prolong worldly wanderings. Look upon the world as a bubble or a mirage, for the king of death cannot see one who views existence this way. The world is shrouded in darkness, and few see clearly, like birds escaping from a net. Rising above worldly attachment resembles the moon emerging from behind dark clouds.
Conquests of the Awakened cannot be undone, and no desire tracks their unbounded footprint. Gods envy those who are devoted to meditation, wise, and delighted in the quietude of retirement. Hard is human birth, hard is the life of mortals, hard is the hearing of true law, and rare is the appearance of Awakened Ones. Refraining from all evil, achieving goodness, and purifying the mind form the teaching of all Buddhas.
Live happily in freedom from hatred among those who hate. Live in health among the ailing, and live unagitated among the anxious. Joy becomes food for those who possess nothing and harbour no attachment. Victory breeds hatred because the defeated party suffers; the peaceful live happily by abandoning both victory and defeat.
Attachment breeds grief, and attachment breeds fear; for one free from attachment, there is neither grief nor fear. Lust produces sorrow, and affection brings dread; freedom from affection leaves nothing to dread. People honor the person endowed with virtue and insight who speaks truth and attends to duty. One who longs for the Ineffable and remains untangled by worldly senses is called one bound upstream.
Overcome anger with non-anger, overcome evil with good, conquer greed with generosity, and conquer falsehood with truth. The person who curbs rising anger like a swaying chariot is called a true driver; others merely hold the reins. Speak the truth, yield not to anger, and give when asked even if only a little. Unoffending sages who constantly control their bodies reach the changeless place where sorrow vanishes.
Life resembles a withered leaf ready for departure; prepare an island of refuge by striving promptly and wisely. Remove personal blemishes step by step, little by little, as a silversmith purifies silver of dross. Faults of others are easy to see, but personal faults are hard to perceive; one winnows another's faults like chaff while concealing one's own like a dishonest gambler. Envy and passion taint the world, but Buddhas are free from instability.
Passing judgment hastily does not make a person righteous; the wise person examines both right and wrong with care. Guiding others impartially according to law earns the title of guardian of justice. Gray hair does not make an elder if life is spent in vain; true seniority belongs to one who holds truth, virtue, and non-violence. Real quietude comes not from shaving the head or keeping silence, but from hushing all evil inclinations.
The Eightfold Path is the best of ways, the Four Truths are the best of truths, and detachment is the best of states. Walking this path brings an end to sorrow and shatters the bonds of Mara. Effort must be made by individual seekers; Awakened Ones are only teachers who point the direction. All created things are impermanent and unsatisfactory; realizing this through wisdom brings dispassion toward suffering.
Giving up a small pleasure opens the way to abundant joy; the wise person abandons minor gains for substantial happiness. Seeking personal happiness by inflicting pain on others traps the mind in hatred's web. Vigilance over body, speech, and thought prevents neglect of duty and fosters spiritual growth. True disciples of Buddha remain awake day and night, constantly delighting in non-violence and meditation.
Speaking falsehood or denying deeds done leads to the realm of suffering. Wearing yellow robes without self-restraint and truthfulness causes greater harm than swallowing red-hot iron balls. Neglect of duty, breached vows, and insincere holy living bring no rich reward. Ashamed of what is not shameful and unashamed of what is shameful, misguided beings adopt false views and travel the downward path.
Endure abuse silently as an elephant in battle withstands arrows shot from bows, for most people are unrestrained. A trained elephant is led into crowds, and a trained elephant is ridden by kings; best among humans is one who patiently endures harsh words. Better is solitary living than companionship with a fool; travel alone like a royal elephant roaming the forest freely, committing no sin and keeping few wants.
Craving grows like a creeper vine in a person who lives heedlessly, leaping from life to life like a monkey seeking fruit in a forest. Sorrow multiplies for those overcome by wretched thirst, like rampant birch grass after rain. Cut down the forest of desire, not just a single tree, for danger springs from the forest of passion. One who cuts off craving and breaks the net of Mara walks free from fear.
Essential Buddhist verses on mindfulness, virtue, self-mastery, and liberation from suffering through the Eightfold Path.