ETHICS · DHAMMAPADA 253

Before You Act

If a man looks after the faults of others, and is always inclined to be offended, his own passions will grow, and he is far from the destruction of passions.

Dhammapada 253 · Chapter 18, Impurity · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “If a man looks after the faults of others, and is always inclined to be offended,….” In its chapter, this image points toward cleaning up conduct and intention. 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 promise to yourself deserves to be kept?