Hasten to cultivate that which is wholesome.
Restrain your mind from that which is evil.
The mind that is slow to do good
can easily find pleasure in doing that which is evil.

Dhammapada 116

When we are confronted by a lot of confusion, such as that of our world right now, we could assume large solutions are necessary. There may well be big changes called for in the way society operates, however here and now what we can effectively offer might in fact be many small solutions. In this Dhammapada verse the Buddha is encouraging us to cultivate habits that are wholesome; training our body, speech and mind to incline towards that which is good.

The way things appear to be is not necessarily the way things actually are. When a wound is healing it feels itchy and it is natural to want to scratch it. What helps is not scratching it. Even if our modest efforts to intentionally engage in small moments of patience, generosity and empathy appear insignificant, they can be contributing to a wholesome momentum that brings real benefit, to ourselves and others.

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These Dhammapada quotes have been taken or adapted from, A Dhammapada For Contemplation, by Ajahn Munindo, published by Aruno Publications. They should not be understood as literal renderings of the Dhammapada. For literal translations, please read other works. The reflections are by Ajahn Munindo.

All content strictly for free distribution only.

Let the wise guide beings
away from darkness,
giving direction and advice.
They will be treasured by the virtuous
and dismissed by the foolish.

Dhammapada 77

Imagine for a moment that you have received a profoundly important piece of advice; advice that is going to positively change the rest of your life. Then consider your good fortune at having been given such advice. Now, bring to mind how significant it is that you were actually able to ‘hear’ the advice that was given.

It is quite possible that wise beings are giving us direction and advice though we don’t ‘hear’ what they are saying. Making ourselves ready to receive wisdom from those who see more clearly is an important aspect of spiritual practice. If our minds are overly active in thinking about how things should be or shouldn’t be according to our preferences, then we might miss out on helpful guidance that is being offered.

As an exercise, when listening to someone speak, whether you think they are wise or not, try imagining your ears are in the middle of your chest. Invite your mind to be quiet. This is not about rejecting the value of discriminative analysis, it is about learning to listen more accurately.

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These Dhammapada quotes have been taken or adapted from, A Dhammapada For Contemplation, by Ajahn Munindo, published by Aruno Publications. They should not be understood as literal renderings of the Dhammapada. For literal translations, please read other works. The reflections are by Ajahn Munindo.

All content strictly for free distribution only.