COMPASSION · DHAMMAPADA 140

Remembering Our Shared Life

Or lightning-fire will burn his houses; and when his body is destroyed, the fool will go to hell.

Dhammapada 140 · Chapter 10, Punishment · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Or lightning-fire will burn his houses.” In its chapter, this image points toward recognizing that other beings fear pain as we do. Rather than using change to create fear, the passage can sharpen tenderness for a life that cannot be held still. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.

Practice prompt

Remember that one difficult person also wishes to be safe and at ease.