Dhammapada 279

All things are not-self

'All things are not-self.' When you see this with wisdom, you become disenchanted with suffering. This is the path to purity.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

All things are described as not-self. Traditionally this is read as seeing that nothing can be held as a permanent, independent self; seeing it wisely is linked with disenchantment toward suffering and purification.

Key words

anattā

not-self — The wording does not simply deny that ordinary people exist.

dhammā

all things — Broader here than the conditioned things named in verse 277.

The story behind the verse

Unreality

In the commentary, the commentary links this account to the monks seeking a better meditation subject. They had practiced in the forest without attaining the realization they wanted, and they returned to the Buddha for guidance. The Buddha considered their former practice, and he recognized that they had previously contemplated not-self. He explained that the constituents of experience are not self-determining, and he gave this verse as the teaching suited to them.

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

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.