MINDFULNESS · DHAMMAPADA 23
Returning Without Judgment
These wise people, meditative, steady, always possessed of strong powers, attain to Nirvana, the highest happiness.
Dhammapada 23 · Chapter 2, On Earnestness · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg
Reflection
The verse begins, “These wise people, meditative, steady, always possessed of strong powers, attain to Nirvana, the highest happiness.” In its chapter, this image points toward careful attention as the ground of a wakeful life. 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
When the mind wanders, can you return without making it a problem?