Hard it is to live,
Harder still to hear of the way,
And hard to rise, follow, and awaken.
Yet the reaching is simple.
Do what is right. Be pure.
At the end of the way is freedom.
Till then, patience.
If you wound or grieve another,
You have not learned detachment.
Offend in neither word nor deed.
Eat with moderation.
Live in your heart.
Seek the highest consciousness.
Master yourself according to the dharma.
This is the simple teaching of the awakened.
The rain could turn to gold
And still your thirst would not be slaked.
Desire is unquenchable.
He who wishes to awaken
Consumes his desires joyfully.
~ Buddha ~
The Dhammapada