LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 216

Releasing the Grip

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

Dhammapada 216 · Chapter 16, Pleasure · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “From greed comes grief, from greed 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 would remain if you stopped defending this story?