WISE FRIENDSHIP · DHAMMAPADA 80
The Gift of Correction
Well-makers lead the water (wherever they like); fletchers bend the arrow; carpenters bend a log of wood; wise people fashion themselves.
Dhammapada 80 · Chapter 6, The Wise Man (Pandita) · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg
Reflection
The verse begins, “Well-makers lead the water (wherever they like).” In its chapter, this image points toward the influence of teachers and companions. The water imagery emphasizes accumulation: a mind and a life are shaped by many small conditions, not one dramatic moment. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.
Practice prompt
Whose example quietly points you in a good direction?