ETHICS · DHAMMAPADA 249
Choosing What Does No Harm
The world gives according to their faith or according to their pleasure: if a man frets about the food and the drink given to others, he will find no rest either by day or by night.
Dhammapada 249 · Chapter 18, Impurity · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg
Reflection
The verse begins, “The world gives according to their faith or according to their pleasure.” In its chapter, this image points toward cleaning up conduct and intention. Notice the difference between enjoying an experience and requiring it to provide lasting security. 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 can you reduce harm in a practical way?