PATIENCE · DHAMMAPADA 320

Patience as Protection

Silently shall I endure abuse as the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the bow: for the world is ill-natured.

Dhammapada 320 · Chapter 23, The Elephant · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Silently shall I endure abuse as the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the….” In its chapter, this image points toward patient strength under difficult conditions. 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 needs time rather than pressure?