Horse Similes in Teachings of the Buddha | Dhamma Quotes for Chinese/Vietnamese New Year of the Fire Horse | Translated by Ajahn Dhammasiha
- Dhammagiri
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
Heedful & Awake
Appamatto pamattesu, suttesu bahujāgaro, Abalassaṃva sīghasso, hitvā yāti sumedhaso.
Heedful among the negligent, awake among those fast asleep; The wise advance, just like a thoroughbred outruns a worn-out steed.
Dhammapada Verse No 29
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Abandon Endless Suffering
Asso yathā bhadro kasāniviṭṭho, ātāpino saṃvegino bhavātha. Saddhāya sīlena ca vīriyena ca, samādhinā dhammavinicchayena ca, Sampannavijjācaraṇā patissatā, jahissatha dukkhamidaṃ anappakaṃ.
Just like a well-trained thoroughbred that's prodded by his trainer's goad: Be ardent, keen, unwavering in cultivating virtue, faith and strength. With concentrated mind investigate the Dhamma mindfully. Impeccable in knowledge and deportment you'll be freed from endless suffering.
Dhammapada Verse No 144
Well Trained
Dantaṃ nayanti samitiṃ, dantaṃ rājābhirūhati. Danto seṭṭho manussesu, yotivākyaṃ titikkhati.
A well trained thoroughbred performs in front of the admiring crowd; A well trained purebred horse deserves to be the mount of royalty.
A person with a well trained mind ranks as the best of humankind: Insulted with offensive speech they patiently endure it all.
Dhammapada Verse No 321
Shame & Conscience
Hirīnisedho puriso, koci lokasmiṃ vijjati. Yo nindaṃ apabodhati Asso bhadro kasāmivā ti.
Hirīnisedhā tanuyā, ye caranti sadā satā. Antaṃ dukkhassa pappuyya, caranti visame saman ti.
Look out for those who are restrained by shame and conscience in this world! Who will refrain from blameful deeds as well-bred horses shun the whip.
The few with shame and conscience here, who always keep their mindfulness, Fare even in a crooked world and reach the end of suffering.
Saṃyutta Nikāya 1. 18
Supreme
Sambuddho dvipadaṃ seṭṭho, ājānīyo catuppadaṃ.
A thoroughbred is ranked the best of all the beings with four feet. Supreme of those with two feet is the Perfectly Enlightened One!
Saṃyutta Nikāya 1. 14
Unshaken
Dveme, bhikkhave, asaniyā phalantiyā na santasanti. Katame dve? Bhikkhu ca khīṇāsavo, assājānīyo ca. Ime kho, bhikkhave, dve asaniyā phalantiyā na santasantī ti
Two beings, monks, do not tremble from the clap of a thunderbolt
Which two?
A Bhikkhu with the defilements distroyed, and a well-trained thoroughbred.
These two, monks, do not tremble when they hear the clap of a thunderbolt.
Anguttara Nikāya Twos No 59
A Royal Stallion
A king's excellent full blood horse, bhikkhus, when endowed with three qualities, is considered a regal stallion, worthy of a king, a true royal treasure.
What three?
Here, a king's excellent full blood horse is endowed with beauty, strength and speed.
When endowed with these three qualities, bhikkhus, a king's excellent full blood horse is considered a regal stallion, worthy of a king, a true royal treasure.
So too, endowed with three qualities, a bhikkhu is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of worship, a supreme font of good karma in the world.
What three?
Here, a bhikkhu is endowed with beauty, strength, and speed.
And how is a bhikkhu endowed with beauty?
Here, a bhikkhu is virtuous: he dwells restrained by the Pātimokkha, endowed with good conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults. Having undertaken the training rules, he's committed to train in them.
It is such that a bhikkhu is endowed with beauty.
And how is a bhikkhu endowed with strength?
Here, a bhikkhu arouses energy to abandon unwholesome qualities and to acquire wholesome qualities; he is steadfast, persevering, never slacking off in cultivating wholesome qualities.
It is such that a bhikkhu is endowed with strength.
And how is a bhikkhu endowed with speed? Here, a bhikkhu understands as it really is: ‘This is suffering.’
He understands as it really is: ‘This is the origin of suffering,
He understands as it really is: ‘This is the end of suffering,’
He understands as it really is: ‘This is the way leading to the end of suffering.’
It is in this way that a bhikkhu is endowed with speed.
Endowed with these three qualities, a bhikkhu is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of worship, a supreme font of good karma in the world.
Anguttara Nikāya Threes No 96
We distributed the verses above in traditional red envelopes on occasion of Vietnamese and Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse (also known as 'Lunar New Year' or 'Spring Festival'). Some additional prose quotations are at the end.
All quotes are directly from the Buddha, selected from the Theravāda Pali Canon, and all of them contain similes of horses ('assājānīya' = 'thoroughbred', 'full-blood horse', 'purebred horse').
Translations provided by Ajahn Dhammasīha, who is himself born in the year of the firehorse.
