LETTING GO · DHAMMAPADA 96

Nothing to Defend

His thought is quiet, quiet are his word and deed, when he has obtained freedom by true knowledge, when he has thus become a quiet man.

Dhammapada 96 · Chapter 7, The Venerable (Arhat). · trans. F. Max Müller · Read the full text at Project Gutenberg

Reflection

The verse begins, “His thought is quiet, quiet are his word and deed, when he has obtained freedom by….” 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

Where could ‘enough’ replace ‘more’?