ETHICS · DHAMMAPADA 117

A Life You Need Not Regret

If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him not delight in sin: pain is the outcome of evil.

Dhammapada 117 · Chapter 9, Evil · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again.” In its chapter, this image points toward the cumulative direction of repeated choices. Its value is practical when it changes how you meet one choice, relationship, or difficult feeling today. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.

Practice prompt

Notice one small action that points your life in a direction.