Dhammapada 222
One who holds back anger as it rises, like a chariot veering off course, I call a charioteer
One who holds back anger as it rises, like a chariot veering off course, I call a charioteer. Others merely hold the reins.
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Yo ve uppatitaṁ kodhaṁ,
rathaṁ bhantaṁva vāraye;
Tamahaṁ sārathiṁ brūmi,
rasmiggāho itaro jano.
In plain words
Real skill is compared to stopping a chariot that has begun to veer off course. In this image, holding back rising anger matters more than merely appearing to hold the reins.
Key words
- kodha
- anger — Anger as it rises, rather than a lasting feud.
The story behind the verse
The tree-spirit and the monk
In the commentary, a monk wanted timber for a lodging and began cutting a tree. The spirit living in it asked him to stop, and when he refused, she placed her child on a branch in the hope that he would relent. His axe struck the child and severed an arm, and the spirit felt an impulse to kill the monk but restrained it. She brought the matter to the Buddha, and he praised her restraint, taught about holding back rising anger, and gave her another tree to live in.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
When do you first notice anger beginning to steer your words?
Try it today
When anger rises once today, delay your reply for one breath.
Practise it with
Loving-kindness (mettā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.