An Atheist Explores the Dhammapada Part Three: Watch Out, Icabod Crane (2. Heedfulness/Appamadavagga)

Dhammapada Part Two: Heedfulness

Watch Out, Icabod Crane.

“Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already.”

Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Dhammapada).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Dhammapada, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.

For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/3IbwtwE

For the online Dhammapada that I use, see here https://bit.ly/3IgCiJr

And now:

Dhammapada Part Two: Heedfulness

I think heedlessness is probably my natural state, bumbling through life like Mr Magoo. Just a quick note that, even though this section is only 12 verses (covering 21 to 32), the words “heedfulness” and “heedlessness” get repeated so many times they begin to look like nonsense words. Or, as happened in my mind, “headlessness”. Which, I guess, is pretty similar in meaning.

What the “heedfulness” is heedful of, is not really spelled out. But we are told that the “wise ones” are “ever meditative and steadfastly persevering”, and also that “Ever grows the glory of him who is energetic, mindful and pure in conduct, discerning and self-controlled, righteous and heedful.”

So it looks like we’re talking about a form of self-control here. The heedless (is the nonsense starting to happen to you yet?) indulge in sensual pleasures and are classed as “foolish and ignorant”, which feels a bit tautological, because by definition of being heedless, they’re not really paying attention. Attention to self and one’s actions, then, I suppose is what is meant.

The section closes with comparisons between the heedful and the heedless (surely these words must be looking weird to you now?). The heedful person is described as like a man on a mountain looking down at the “groundlings”, like a swift horse, like one who is “wide-awake among the sleepy”, and advancing like a fire that burns away fetters. Again it’s some nice poetry, and well done to the translators.

Indra becomes King of the Gods through heedfulness (Indra is a Hindu Storm King kind of figure – you’ll find elements of Storm Gods like Zeus in his mythology, but also the Babylonian Marduk, as Indra slays a dragon that is hoarding the world’s water, bringing much-needed rain). We are also told of the Deathless (amata) who are those who have achieved sufficient enlightenment to enter Nibbana (the Pali version of Nirvana, which I’m guessing is itself a Sanskrit word). The Noble Ones (ariya) on the other hand, are not quite there yet, but they have achieved one of four stages that lead inevitably to Nibbana.

So remember, be heedful of your heedfulness and not heedless of your heedlessness.