Dhammapada 212
From what is dear comes sorrow
From what is dear comes sorrow; from what is dear comes fear. For one freed from what is dear, there is no sorrow—where could fear come from?
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Piyato jāyatī soko,
piyato jāyatī bhayaṁ;
Piyato vippamuttassa,
natthi soko kuto bhayaṁ.
In plain words
The verse says that sorrow and fear arise from what is dear, and that someone freed from what is dear has no sorrow or fear. Traditionally, this freedom is read as release from attachment to what is cherished.
Key words
- piya
- what is dear — The concern here is the bond to what is cherished.
The story behind the verse
The Buddha comforts the afflicted
In the commentary, a lay follower at Sāvatthi lost his son. His grief was so strong that he stayed away from his usual activities, and the Buddha saw that he was ready to hear the teaching. He went to the man’s home, and the father described the sorrow caused by the loss. The Buddha reminded him that death is common to living beings, and he related a traditional story of people reflecting carefully on death and taught about sorrow arising from what is dear.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
What fear is tied to keeping something dear exactly as it is?
Try it today
Notice one wish to keep something unchanged without making a demand of it.
Practise it with
Equanimity (upekkhā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.