SELF-KNOWLEDGE · DHAMMAPADA 160

Seeing Your Intention

Self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord? With self well subdued, a man finds a lord such as few can find.

Dhammapada 160 · Chapter 12, Self · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord.” In its chapter, this image points toward personal responsibility without self-condemnation. The emphasis is agency without isolation: begin with the part of the situation your own conduct can actually change. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.

Practice prompt

Which repeated thought deserves less authority?