Dhammapada verse 185
Chapter 14, The Buddhas (Buddhavagga) · verses 179–196
“Not speaking ill nor doing harm; restraint in the monastic code; moderation in eating; staying in remote lodgings; commitment to the higher mind— this is the instruction of the Buddhas.”
Anūpavādo anūpaghāto, Pātimokkhe ca saṁvaro; Mattaññutā ca bhattasmiṁ, Pantañca sayanāsanaṁ; Adhicitte ca āyogo, Etaṁ buddhāna sāsanaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 185 mean?
Verse 185 belongs to chapter 14, The Buddhas (Buddhavagga), which gathers verses 179–196 on the Buddhas and the awakened. It is filed under mind & intention, self-discipline, speech, the buddha & teachers. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 184 and verse 186 are part of the same passage.
Eighteen verses on the Buddhas, the awakened, and what makes a teacher worth following. It is the chapter that gives the famous line about not doing evil, doing good and purifying the mind, and it treats the awakened person as the one case in which a teacher is beyond reproach.
More verses on this