Dhammapada 163

Things that are bad and harmful to yourself are easy to do

Things that are bad and harmful to yourself are easy to do. What is beneficial and good is very hard to do.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

What harms you can be easy to do, while what is good and beneficial can be hard. The verse asks you to recognize this uneven effort rather than taking ease as the test of value.

Key words

hita

beneficial — Benefit is paired with goodness, not convenience alone.

The story behind the verse

Devadatta seeks to cause a schism in the Order

In the commentary, Devadatta planned to separate from the Buddha’s monastic community. He encountered Ānanda while Ānanda was going for alms in Rājagaha, and he announced that he would hold the religious observance apart from the Buddha. He also intended to conduct the community’s business separately, and Ānanda went to the Buddha and reported the announcement. The Buddha spoke about how good and harmful conduct differ in their ease, and he taught that what harms oneself can be easy, while beneficial conduct can be hard.

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

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.