LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 90

Traveling With Less

There is no suffering for him who has finished his journey, and abandoned grief, who has freed himself on all sides, and thrown off all fetters.

Dhammapada 90 · Chapter 7, The Venerable (Arhat). · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “There is no suffering for him who has finished his journey, and abandoned grief, who has….” In its chapter, this image points toward freedom from compulsive grasping. The emphasis is agency without isolation: begin with the part of the situation your own conduct can actually change. Because this is a historic English translation, test the teaching in experience rather than treating its wording as a demand for belief.

Practice prompt

What freedom appears when you do not need to win?