22. THE DOWNWARD COURSE

Whoever says what is not goes to hell,
also whoever having done something says, "I did not do it."
After death both are equal,
being people with wrong actions in the next existence.

Many who wear the yellow robe
are ill-behaved and unrestrained.
Such wrong-doers by their wrong actions go to hell.
It would be better for a bad, unrestrained person
to swallow a ball of red-hot iron
than to live off the charity of the land.

A reckless person who wants another's wife
gains four things:
fault, bad sleep, thirdly blame, and finally hell.
There is fault and the wrong path;
there is brief pleasure
of the frightened in the arms of the frightened,
and heavy penalty from the ruler.
Therefore do not run after another's wife.

As a blade of grass wrongly handled cuts the hand,
so also asceticism wrongly practiced leads to hell.
An act carelessly performed, a broken vow,
unwilling obedience to discipline---
all these bring no great reward.
If anything is to be done, let one do it vigorously.
A careless recluse only bespatters oneself
with the dust of desires.

A wrong action is better left undone,
for a wrong action causes suffering later.
A good action is better done,
for it does not cause suffering.

Like a frontier fort
that is well guarded inside and outside,
so guard yourself.
Not a moment should escape,
for those who allow the right moment to pass
suffer pain when they are in hell.

Those who are ashamed of
what they should not be ashamed of
and are not ashamed of
what they should be ashamed of,
such people, following false doctrines, enter the wrong path.

Those who fear what they should not fear
and do not fear what they should fear,
such people, following false doctrines, enter the wrong path.

Those who discern wrong where there is no wrong
and see nothing wrong in what is wrong,
such people, following false doctrines, enter the wrong path.

Those who discern wrong as wrong
and what is not wrong as not wrong,
such people, following true doctrines, enter the good path
.