The following passages from the Dhammapada are evident of Buddhism’s practicality and of the immediate relevance of the Sublime Dhamma to daily life in the modern day context.
Mano pubbangama dhamma-manosettha manomaya
Manasa ce padutthena – bhasati va karoti va
Tatonam dukkhamanveti-cakkam’ va vahato padam.
Our actions are all led by the mind;
mind is their master, the mind is their maker.
If one speaks with a defiled mind
then suffering follows one like the cartwheel
that follows the hoofs of the draught ox.
Manopubbangama dhamma – manosetthamanomaya
manasa ce paaannena – bhasati va karoti va
Tato nam sukhamanveti – chaya’ va anapayini
Our actions are all led by the mind;
mind is their master, the mind is their maker.
If one speaks or acts with a pure state of mind
then happiness follows one, like a faithful shadow that never leaves.
It is significant to note that this timeless Teaching of the Buddha has been enshrined in the very preamble to the Charter of the UNESCO. This enlightened Teaching of the Buddha pinpoints the fact that all conflicts are born in the minds of human beings. The solution to human conflict, therefore, should rightly be found in the minds of fellow men and women and not through threats of the use of force, or worse still, by bloody wars! Thus, among the many valuable contributions of Buddhism to humankind is that it offers a perfect guide for actualizing peace and harmony among all peoples of the world, regardless of whatever differences that may exist between and amongst them. It is to the credit of Buddhism that throughout its over 2,500 long histories, not a single drop of blood has ever been shed in the name of the religion.