CONTENTMENT · DHAMMAPADA 207

A Quiet Kind of Wealth

He who walks in the company of fools suffers a long way; company with fools, as with an enemy, is always painful; company with the wise is pleasure, like meeting with kinsfolk.

Dhammapada 207 · Chapter 15, Happiness · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “He who walks in the company of fools suffers a long way.” In its chapter, this image points toward forms of happiness rooted in simplicity. The practical question is whether replaying injury protects you or keeps the injury active. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.

Practice prompt

Where does comparison disturb an otherwise adequate moment?