ETHICS · DHAMMAPADA 255
The Weight of Small Choices
There is no path through the air, a man is not a Samana by outward acts. No creatures are eternal; but the awakened (Buddha) are never shaken.
Dhammapada 255 · Chapter 18, Impurity · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg
Reflection
The verse begins, “There is no path through the air, a man is not a Samana by outward acts.” In its chapter, this image points toward cleaning up conduct and intention. The path image makes wisdom active: direction matters, and the next step is more useful than an idealized destination. 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 choice today will leave no need for regret?