Dhammapada 1:3-4

3 "He abused me, mistreated me, defeated me, robbed me."
Harboring such thoughts keeps hatred alive.
4 "He abused me, mistreated me, defeated me, robbed me."
Releasing such thoughts banishes hatred for all time.

On the surface this may seem like a turn the other cheek sort of message. Instead lets look at it as more of an understanding of self.

If we can release the "me" then nothing that is done to "me" can do any harm. Once we can understand this, we can be freed from hatred. As long as they do not exist then thoughts of abuse,mistreatment or robbing have no place to be harbored. Releasing "me" or "I" is extremely difficult and will require practice.

As we go on with the Dhammapada we will come across the method to release "me" or "I".

Dhammapada 1:2

Mind is the forerunner of all actions.
All deeds are led by mind, created by mind.
If one speaks or acts with a serene mind,
Happiness follows,
As surely as one's shadow.

Dhammapada 1:2 Twins

I am going to skip the redundancy here of the first statement. I believe it is there to drive home the understanding a bit more.

If one speaks or acts with a serene mind,
happiness follows,
As surely as one's shadow.

If we can calm our mind and help to find serenity then happiness will have no where else to go but to us. Just like our shadow. Unless we are in total darkness then we cannot escape our shadow. It follows us very closely, it does what we do. So can happiness. It will permeate our lives. The key is to guide our minds to a place of serenity. Easier said than done, but it is achievable, as we will see how later.

Dhammapada 1:1

Dhammapada 1:1

1.Mind is the forerunner of all actions.
All deeds are led by mind, created by mind.
If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind,
suffering follows,
As the wheel follows the hoof of an ox pulling a cart.



First off lets look at the first line:
Mind is the forerunner of all actions.

Here Buddha is explaining that the mind, the one in which we think with, is the forerunner of all actions. Meaning that this mind in some ways predicates all actions. Whatever we "think" can dictate what we "do". As he goes on:

All deeds are led by the mind, created by the mind.
If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind,
suffering follows

Thoughts can be that powerful as to cause us suffering. If we let bad thoughts or "corrupt thoughts" the freedom to run free in our minds then surely we will have a tendancy to follow those thoughts. This is one cause of suffering.

He concludes:
As the wheel follows the hoof of an ox pulling a cart
Ox carts generally have 2 oxen on both sides of a yoke (the thing around the neck). If the cart has 2- or 4 wheels they will have to go where the ox previously stepped. This last statement wraps up nicely the idea that as long as we are thinking a certain way (driving the cart) then we are doomed to follow that path we have driven. If you drive a car off the road, then you will of course have to go along for the ride and all of the consequences that are sure to follow.

This is a very good truth.