MEDITATION · DHAMMAPADA 35

Guarding Attention Gently

It is good to tame the mind, which is difficult to hold in and flighty, rushing wherever it listeth; a tamed mind brings happiness.

Dhammapada 35 · Chapter 3, Thought · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “It is good to tame the mind, which is difficult to hold in and flighty, rushing….” In its chapter, this image points toward the restless mind and its capacity to be trained. 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

Notice a thought as an event rather than an instruction.