MEDITATION · DHAMMAPADA 372

Guarding Attention Gently

Without knowledge there is no meditation, without meditation there is no knowledge: he who has knowledge and meditation is near unto Nirvana.

Dhammapada 372 · Chapter 25, The Bhikshu (Mendicant) · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Without knowledge there is no meditation, without meditation there is no knowledge.” In its chapter, this image points toward the disciplines that support contemplative life. 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

Notice a thought as an event rather than an instruction.