LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 91

Holding More Lightly

They depart with their thoughts well-collected, they are not happy in their abode; like swans who have left their lake, they leave their house and home.

Dhammapada 91 · Chapter 7, The Venerable (Arhat). · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “They depart with their thoughts well-collected, they are not happy in their abode.” In its chapter, this image points toward freedom from compulsive grasping. 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

What are you gripping that could be held more lightly?