Dhammapada 365
Do not despise what you receive
Do not despise what you receive; do not go about envying what others receive. A bhikkhu who envies others does not reach stillness of mind.
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Salābhaṁ nātimaññeyya,
nāññesaṁ pihayaṁ care;
Aññesaṁ pihayaṁ bhikkhu,
samādhiṁ nādhigacchati.
In plain words
A monk is told not to look down on the offerings received or envy what others receive. The verse connects envy with failing to reach a still mind; it does not explicitly ask for rejoicing in others' good fortune.
Key words
- pihayaṁ
- envying, longing for — Here it is longing for what others receive.
- samādhi
- stillness of mind — Meditative steadiness, contrasted here with envy or resentment.
The story behind the verse
The traitor monk
In the commentary, a monk associated with the Buddha met a companion from Devadatta’s faction, and the companion praised the offerings available there. The monk went along and stayed with that group for several days, and when he returned, other monks questioned him. He said he had stayed because of a monk who was his friend, not because he accepted Devadatta’s views, and they brought him before the Buddha. The Buddha admonished him about despising his own offerings and envying those received elsewhere, and he also recalled a story of an elephant influenced by the company it heard.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
What happens when you compare what you have received with another person's share?
Try it today
Acknowledge one thing you have received without comparing it to another person's.
Practise it with
Shared joy (muditā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.