MINDFULNESS · DHAMMAPADA 179

Returning Without Judgment

He whose conquest is not conquered again, into whose conquest no one in this world enters, by what track can you lead him, the Awakened, the Omniscient, the trackless?

Dhammapada 179 · Chapter 14, The Buddha (The Awakened) · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “He whose conquest is not conquered again, into whose conquest no one in this world enters,….” In its chapter, this image points toward awakening as a lived discipline. 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

When the mind wanders, can you return without making it a problem?