SELF-KNOWLEDGE · DHAMMAPADA 1
The Mind Before the Moment
All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
Dhammapada 1 · Chapter 1, The Twin-Verses · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg
Reflection
The verse begins, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” In its chapter, this image points toward intention and the way thought conditions action. It locates the turning point before outward action, in the quality of attention you repeatedly cultivate. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.
Practice prompt
What intention is shaping your next action?