8. The Thousands - sahassavagga 100-115

Question 1

100
Better than a thousand
meaningless sayings
is a single meaningful saying,
hearing which brings you peace.

Answer 1

100

Question 2

101
Better than a thousand
meaningless verses
is a single meaningful verse,
hearing which brings you peace.

Answer 2

101

Question 3

102
Better than reciting
a hundred meaningless verses
is a single saying of Dhamma,
hearing which brings you peace.

Answer 3

102

Question 4

103
The supreme conqueror is
not he who conquers a million men in battle,
but he who conquers a single man:
himself.

Answer 4

103

Question 5

104
It is surely better to conquer oneself
than all those other folk.
When a person has tamed themselves,
always living restrained,

Answer 5

104

Question 6

105
no god nor centaur,
nor Māra nor Brahmā,
can undo the victory
of such a one.

Answer 6

105

Question 7

106
Rather than a thousand-fold sacrifice,
every month for a hundred years,
it’s better to honor for a single moment
one who has developed themselves.
That offering is better
than the hundred year sacrifice.

Answer 7

106

Question 8

107
Rather than serve the sacred flame
in the forest for a hundred years,
it’s better to honor for a single moment
one who has developed themselves.
That offering is better
than the hundred year sacrifice.

Answer 8

107

Question 9

108
Whatever sacrifice or offering in the world
a seeker of merit may make for a year,
none of it is worth a quarter
of bowing to the upright.

Answer 9

108

Question 10

109
For one in the habit of bowing,
always honoring the elders,
four blessings grow:
lifespan, beauty, happiness, and strength.

Answer 10

109

Question 11

110
Better to live a single day
ethical and absorbed in meditation
than to live a hundred years
unethical and lacking immersion.

Answer 11

110

Question 12

111
Better to live a single day
wise and absorbed in meditation
than to live a hundred years
witless and lacking immersion.

Answer 12

111

Question 13

112
Better to live a single day
energetic and strong,
than to live a hundred years
lazy and lacking energy.

Answer 13

112

Question 14

113
Better to live a single day
seeing rise and fall
than to live a hundred years
blind to rise and fall.

Answer 14

113

Question 15

114
Better to live a single day
seeing the state free of death
than to live a hundred years
blind to the state free of death.

Answer 15

114

Question 16

115
Better to live a single day
seeing the supreme teaching
than to live a hundred years
blind to the supreme teaching.

Answer 16

115