MEDITATION · DHAMMAPADA 42

A Mind That Can Settle

Whatever a hater may do to a hater, or an enemy to an enemy, a wrongly-directed mind will do us greater mischief.

Dhammapada 42 · Chapter 3, Thought · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Whatever a hater may do to a hater, or an enemy to an enemy, a wrongly-directed….” In its chapter, this image points toward the restless mind and its capacity to be trained. 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

Where do you feel steadiness in the body right now?