PATIENCE · DHAMMAPADA 328

Patience as Protection

If a man find a prudent companion who walks with him, is wise, and lives soberly, he may walk with him, overcoming all dangers, happy, but considerate.

Dhammapada 328 · Chapter 23, The Elephant · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “If a man find a prudent companion who walks with him, is wise, and lives soberly,….” In its chapter, this image points toward patient strength under difficult conditions. The practical question is whether replaying injury protects you or keeps the injury active. 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?