Dhammapada 249–250
People give according to their faith and according to their confidence
People give according to their faith and according to their confidence. One who is displeased at the food and drink that others receive does not reach stillness of mind by day or by night. But one in whom this has been cut off, uprooted and removed at the root, reaches stillness of mind by day and by night.
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Dadāti ve yathāsaddhaṁ,
yathāpasādanaṁ jano;
Tattha yo ca maṅku bhavati,
paresaṁ pānabhojane;
Na so divā vā rattiṁ vā,
samādhimadhigacchati.
Yassa cetaṁ samucchinnaṁ,
mūlaghaccaṁ samūhataṁ;
Sa ve divā vā rattiṁ vā,
samādhimadhigacchati.
In plain words
People give according to their own faith and confidence. Resenting what others receive obstructs a still mind; the paired verse describes that resentment being removed at its root.
Key words
- maṅku
- displeased, resentful — Here the displeasure concerns others' food and drink offerings.
- samādhi
- stillness of mind — Meditative steadiness, contrasted here with envy or resentment.
The story behind the verse
The fault-finding novice
In the commentary, a novice named Tissa criticized what people offered to the monks. He found fault with the food and drink received from different households, and he claimed that his own relatives were far more generous. Monks investigated the claims by sending novices to his home district, and they learned that his account of his family was false. The matter came to the Buddha, and he taught that resentment of what others receive prevents stillness, and that uprooting it allows a still mind.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
What happens to your attention when you compare what people receive?
Try it today
Notice one comparison over a gift and refrain from criticizing the recipient.
Practise it with
Shared joy (muditā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.