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Dhammapada chapter 17: Anger

Verses 221 to 234, in Max Muller's translation.

About this chapter

Anger: a short chapter, which says to let go of anger and pride, to conquer anger by love, evil by good and the miser by giving, and to speak the truth.

It has 13 verses (221 to 234). « Chapter 16 · Chapter 18 »

Dhammapada 221

Let a man leave anger, let him forsake pride, let him overcome all bondage! No sufferings befall the man who is not attached to name and form, and who calls nothing his own.

Dhammapada 222

He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; other people are but holding the reins.

Dhammapada 223

Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth!

Dhammapada 224

Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.

Dhammapada 225

The sages who injure nobody, and who always control their body, they will go to the unchangeable place (Nirvana), where, if they have gone, they will suffer no more.

Dhammapada 226

Those who are ever watchful, who study day and night, and who strive after Nirvana, their passions will come to an end.

Dhammapada 227

This is an old saying, O Atula, this is not only of to-day: `They blame him who sits silent, they blame him who speaks much, they also blame him who says little; there is no one on earth who is not blamed.'

Dhammapada 228

There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a man who is always blamed, or a man who is always praised.

Dhammapada 229-230

But he whom those who discriminate praise continually day after day, as without blemish, wise, rich in knowledge and virtue, who would dare to blame him, like a coin made of gold from the Gambu river? Even the gods praise him, he is praised even by Brahman.

Dhammapada 231

Beware of bodily anger, and control thy body! Leave the sins of the body, and with thy body practise virtue!

Dhammapada 232

Beware of the anger of the tongue, and control thy tongue! Leave the sins of the tongue, and practise virtue with thy tongue!

Dhammapada 233

Beware of the anger of the mind, and control thy mind! Leave the sins of the mind, and practise virtue with thy mind!

Dhammapada 234

The wise who control their body, who control their tongue, the wise who control their mind, are indeed well controlled.

The verses are F. Max Muller's English translation of 1881, in the public domain; its wording is of its time. The notes are our own. This site is an introduction and not a substitute for a teacher, and it is independent of any Buddhist organisation.