EVERYDAY LIFE · DHAMMAPADA 47

What Your Actions Carry

Death carries off a man who is gathering flowers and whose mind is distracted, as a flood carries off a sleeping village.

Dhammapada 47 · Chapter 4, Flowers · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “Death carries off a man who is gathering flowers and whose mind is distracted, as a….” In its chapter, this image points toward bringing integrity into ordinary life. 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

Practice without announcing it in one moment today.