Cattāri Brahmavihārā

 Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

 Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

 Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

1. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief, they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts, suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.

Dhammapada translated by the Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita

Please find the audio recording of this verse here. I have included the Namo tassa as it is customary to recite this homage before reading the words of Lord Buddha.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1idBCEgZpeFzOUCai_fYcQsGLg60ITxql

Be sure to repeat the verse, with the verse number at least ten times out loud. It helps if you can do this multiple times a day. As we progress we will eventually be trying to keep previous verses in mind as well so try to make a solid start.

The Illustrated Dhammapada, Treasury of Truth, gives the following context and explanation for the opening verse of the Dhammapada:

Explanation: All that we experience begins with thought. Our words and deeds spring from thought. If we speak or act with evil thoughts, unpleasant circumstances and experiences inevitably result. Wherever we go, we create bad circumstances because we carry bad thoughts. This is very much like the wheel of a cart following the hoofs of the ox yoked to the cart. The cart-wheel, along with the heavy load of the cart, keeps following the draught oxen. The animal is bound to this heavy load and cannot leave it.

http://www.buddhanet.net/dhammapada/d_twin.htm

I am facilitating a Dhammapada memorization group on Facebook and decided to use this blog as my sandbox and also as a repository for the finished products. May it be useful to someone.