Dhammapada 281

Guard your speech, be well restrained in mind, and do nothing with the body that is not good

Guard your speech, be well restrained in mind, and do nothing with the body that is not good. Purify these three paths of action; fulfill the path revealed by the sages.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

The path asks for care in speech, restraint in mind, and no harmful bodily action. These three ways of acting are to be purified together as part of the sages' path.

Key words

kammapatha

path of action — Here three paths are body, speech, and mind.

The story behind the verse

The pig-ghost

In the commentary, Moggallāna saw a suffering spirit with a pig-like appearance while traveling with Lakkhaṇa, and he explained the sight when they reached the Buddha. The Buddha confirmed it and described the being’s earlier actions, and in that former life, a preacher had visited monks who lived together harmoniously. He told each that the other had spoken badly of him, and their friendship broke, and the visitor took advantage of their separation. They later discovered his lies and reconciled, and the commentary links his harmful speech with the painful rebirth, and the Buddha taught care in speech, mind, and bodily action.

Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.