CONTENTMENT · DHAMMAPADA 198

The Happiness of Enough

Let us live happily then, free from ailments among the ailing! among men who are ailing let us dwell free from ailments!

Dhammapada 198 · Chapter 15, Happiness · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Let us live happily then, free from ailments among the ailing.” In its chapter, this image points toward forms of happiness rooted in simplicity. 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

Name three ordinary things that are sufficient right now.