Know the Cause, Know the Way
[Verse 1]
Nothing in this world will stay the same,
All conditioned things will change their frame.
Do not hold on to pleasure or pride,
For no lasting self can ever abide.
[Verse 2]
Right View opens the heart to see,
The law of cause and consequence clearly.
Do not lose yourself in the ways of desire,
Let wisdom guide you, let truth inspire.
[Chorus]
Know the cause, know the way,
Choose the good in what you do each day.
Good in body, speech, and mind,
Brings a peaceful fruit in time.
Leave the wrong, embrace the right,
Keep your wisdom shining bright.
The Atthānabāli shows the way,
Walk with Dhamma every day.
[Verse 3]
Do not let anger destroy your heart,
Do not make hatred tear lives apart.
Do not create division among those who belong,
Let loving-kindness make the spirit strong.
[Bridge]
Know the causes that lead to pain,
Cultivate the causes where peace can reign.
Every action we choose today
Plants the seeds of tomorrow's way.
[Final Chorus]
Know the cause, know the way,
Choose the good in what you do each day.
Good in body, speech, and mind,
Leads toward a peace we hope to find.
Know what is right, know what is true,
Let wisdom guide all that you do.
With mindfulness and a heart made strong,
Walk with the Dhamma all life long.
The Atthānabāli: A Teaching on What Is Possible and Impossible, Emphasizing Right View, Cause and Effect, and Moral Conduct
The Atthānabāli, found in Volume 20 of the Tipiṭaka, Sutta Piṭaka, Aṅguttara Nikāya, Ekaka Nipāta, presents an important Buddhist teaching concerning “what is possible and what is impossible.” Its purpose is to encourage people to understand life through causes and conditions, avoid views that contradict reality, and recognize the relationship between actions and their consequences.
In the First Chapter, the Buddha explains the difference between a person who is established in right view and an ordinary person. One who has attained right view does not regard conditioned phenomena as permanent, ultimately pleasurable, or as a permanent self. An ordinary person, however, may still hold such mistaken assumptions. The text also describes actions that are impossible for one who has attained right view, including killing one's mother, father, or an arahant, causing blood to flow from the Buddha, creating a schism in the Saṅgha, or accepting another teacher as one's ultimate spiritual refuge.
The teaching therefore goes beyond simply defining what can or cannot happen. It emphasizes that right view transforms the way a person understands reality and guides one's conduct. When wisdom sees conditioned phenomena as they truly are, attachment decreases and actions contrary to the Dhamma are gradually abandoned.
The Second Chapter continues the discussion of possibility and impossibility, including traditional Buddhist teachings concerning the arising of Buddhas, Universal Monarchs, and other exceptional beings.
The Third Chapter focuses particularly on karma and its consequences. It teaches that misconduct through body, speech, and mind cannot appropriately lead to desirable results, while good conduct through body, speech, and mind provides the conditions for desirable results. The central ethical principle is therefore one of cause and effect: wholesome causes lead toward wholesome results, while unwholesome causes lead toward suffering and undesirable consequences.
Taken as a whole, the Atthānabāli can be applied to everyday life, especially in decision-making, leadership, and personal conduct. Every decision should be examined in terms of its causes, conditions, and likely consequences.
The teaching reminds us not to follow desire alone. Instead, we should ask whether an action is supported by wholesome causes, whether it is consistent with reality, and what kind of future consequences our present actions are creating.
The essential message of the Atthānabāli can therefore be expressed simply:
Understand the cause, understand the result.
Know what is possible, and do not act against the Dhamma.
Abandon wrongdoing, cultivate goodness, and walk the path of wisdom.
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