LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 352
The Ease of Letting Be
He who is without thirst and without affection, who understands the words and their interpretation, who knows the order of letters (those which are before and which are after), he has received his last body, he is called the great sage, the great man.
Dhammapada 352 · Chapter 24, Thirst · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg
Reflection
The verse begins, “He who is without thirst and without affection, who understands the words and their interpretation, who….” In its chapter, this image points toward craving and the possibility of release. It treats speech as an action with consequences, asking for truth and care before a reaction becomes language. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.
Practice prompt
Allow one feeling to leave in its own time.