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?