Dhammapada 197
How happily we live, without hatred among those who hate
How happily we live, without hatred among those who hate. Among people who hate, we dwell without hatred.
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Susukhaṁ vata jīvāma,
verinesu averino;
Verinesu manussesu,
viharāma averino.
In plain words
The speakers describe living happily without hatred even among people who hate. Their way of living does not depend on everyone around them first becoming friendly.
Key words
- averin
- without hatred — Describes one's own stance amid others' enmity.
The story behind the verse
A quarrel among brethren
In the commentary, the Sākiyas and Koliyas shared water from the Rohiṇī River for their crops. During a shortage, workers on both sides disputed who should use it, and Insults spread from the workers to their communities. The two sides prepared for armed conflict, and the Buddha came between them and asked about the cause. He contrasted the small value of the water with the value of the people who might die, and he rebuked the quarrel and brought it to an end.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
What response could you choose without waiting for someone else to change?
Try it today
Leave one retaliatory comment unsaid today.
Practise it with
Loving-kindness (mettā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.