Dhammapada 117

If you do something wrong, do not do it again and again

If you do something wrong, do not do it again and again. Do not cultivate a desire for it; the piling up of wrongdoing brings suffering.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

If someone does wrong, they should not repeat it or cultivate a desire for it. The accumulation of wrongdoing brings suffering.

Key words

uccaya

piling up, accumulation — The focus is on repeated wrongdoing, not a fixed identity.

The story behind the verse

A discontented monk

In the commentary, Seyyasaka was a monk who became dissatisfied with the celibacy required in monastic life. He told a fellow monk about his discontent, and the companion encouraged him to violate a monastic rule. He repeated the violation whenever the dissatisfaction returned, and the Buddha heard the report and summoned him. Seyyasaka acknowledged what he had done, and the Buddha rebuked the repeated conduct, directed him back to the precepts, and taught about suffering from accumulated wrongdoing.

Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.