PATIENCE · DHAMMAPADA 327

A Softer Answer

Be not thoughtless, watch your thoughts! Draw yourself out of the evil way, like an elephant sunk in mud.

Dhammapada 327 · Chapter 23, The Elephant · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Be not thoughtless, watch your thoughts.” In its chapter, this image points toward patient strength under difficult conditions. It locates the turning point before outward action, in the quality of attention you repeatedly cultivate. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.

Practice prompt

Wait for the heat of one reaction to pass.