LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 211

Nothing to Defend

Let, therefore, no man love anything; loss of the beloved is evil. Those who love nothing and hate nothing, have no fetters.

Dhammapada 211 · Chapter 16, Pleasure · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Let, therefore, no man love anything.” In its chapter, this image points toward the stress created by possessiveness. 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

Where could ‘enough’ replace ‘more’?