LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 213

Traveling With Less

From affection comes grief, from affection comes fear; he who is free from affection knows neither grief nor fear.

Dhammapada 213 · Chapter 16, Pleasure · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “From affection comes grief, from affection comes fear.” 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

What freedom appears when you do not need to win?