MINDFULNESS · DHAMMAPADA 27

An Island Within

Follow not after vanity, nor after the enjoyment of love and lust! He who is earnest and meditative, obtains ample joy.

Dhammapada 27 · Chapter 2, On Earnestness · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Follow not after vanity, nor after the enjoyment of love and lust.” 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

Notice three breaths without trying to improve them.