The Dhammapada on welcoming the person who corrects you. From The Dhammapada by the Buddha, gathered 3rd century BC.
No monk would take Radha as a pupil. A later commentary tells that he was a poor man in Savatthi who lived at a monastery, cutting grass and sweeping rooms.
At last one monk, Sariputta, remembered a ladle of food Radha had once given him, and took him on. He corrected Radha all the time: do this, don’t do that.
A later commentary on the Dhammapada tells of Radha, a poor man whom the monk Sariputta took on and corrected often, and who never took offense. Verse 76 says to treat someone who corrects you like one who shows you hidden treasure. In China, Emperor Taizong spared his brother’s adviser Wei Zheng, thanked him for more than 200 objections, and called him a mirror.
Whoever points out your fault is showing you where the treasure is. Practical advice: when someone corrects you, say thank you before anything else.
Well established · checked against 6 sourcesThe next time someone corrects you, say thank you before you answer.
“I get defensive whenever my partner points out something I did wrong. How do I take it better?”
Criticism Is a Treasure Map and the other 11 ideas of The Dhammapada, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.
