WISDOM · DHAMMAPADA 64

Choosing the Wiser Direction

If a fool be associated with a wise man even all his life, he will perceive the truth as little as a spoon perceives the taste of soup.

Dhammapada 64 · Chapter 5, The Fool · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “If a fool be associated with a wise man even all his life, he will perceive….” In its chapter, this image points toward humility about what we know. It also makes practice relational: the people you listen to can strengthen or weaken your best intentions. 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 could curiosity replace certainty?