PATIENCE · DHAMMAPADA 228

Patience as Protection

There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a man who is always blamed, or a man who is always praised.

Dhammapada 228 · Chapter 17, Anger · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a man who is always….” In its chapter, this image points toward meeting anger without becoming anger. 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 needs time rather than pressure?