The Dhammapada · Part 3, Other people · Idea 12 of 12

Everyone Flinches the Same

The Dhammapada on remembering that others fear harm just as you do. From The Dhammapada by the Buddha, gathered 3rd century BC.

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Where it comes from.

The fight was over a room. At a monastery in Savatthi, a later commentary tells, seventeen younger monks had made a lodging ready to sleep in.

Six monks claimed it, because they were older. When the young ones refused, the six beat them. The seventeen screamed, afraid they were about to die. The Buddha heard the noise and asked what it was.

3 more screens in the appThe rest of the story, and where it turns up in your own week.
The idea in short

A later commentary on the Dhammapada sets verses 129 and 130 after a fight over a room, when six monks beat seventeen younger ones. Everyone trembles at punishment, the verses say, and everyone loves life: remember that you are like them, and do no harm. In 1937, George Orwell held his fire at an enemy soldier holding up his trousers, a fellow creature like him.

Everyone fears harm the way you do; let that stop your hand. Practical advice: before you scold anyone, picture yourself in their place.

Well established · checked against 6 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

Before you scold anyone this week, take one breath and picture their side.

Ask your council

“I snap at my kids when they mess up, and they flinch. How do I stay calm?”

Sources.

  1. The Dhammapada, translated by F. Max Müller (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 10), Sayings of the Buddha (Project Gutenberg), 1881The text
  2. Buddhist Legends, translated from the Dhammapada commentary by Eugene Watson Burlingame (Harvard Oriental Series 28 to 30): X.1, The Band of Six, Dhammapada commentary (Ancient Buddhist Texts), 1921The text
  3. Buddhist Legends, translated from the Dhammapada commentary by Eugene Watson Burlingame (Harvard Oriental Series 28 to 30): X.2, The Band of Six, Dhammapada commentary (Ancient Buddhist Texts), 1921The text
  4. Dhammapada, Wikipedia, 2026
  5. Looking Back on the Spanish War, George Orwell (The Orwell Foundation), 1943The text
  6. Homage to Catalonia, Wikipedia, 2026

The Dhammapada, in 12 ideas.

  1. 1
    Your Thoughts Go FirstThe Dhammapada on why the mind goes first
  2. 2
    Stop Feeding the GrudgeThe Dhammapada on why a grudge lasts as long as you replay it
  3. 3
    Bring Your Mind BackThe Dhammapada on taming a mind that won’t sit still
  4. 4
    The One Battle Worth WinningThe Dhammapada on why mastering yourself beats beating others
  5. 5
    Drop by DropThe Dhammapada on how small acts fill a life
  6. 6
    Shape Yourself Like WoodThe Dhammapada on working on yourself the way a craftsman works wood
  7. 7
    Let Praise and Blame Blow ByThe Dhammapada on staying steady when people praise or blame you
  8. 8
    Stand on Your Own GroundThe Dhammapada on being your own refuge
  9. 9
    Turn the Lens AroundThe Dhammapada on seeing your own faults first
  10. 10
    Criticism Is a Treasure MapThe Dhammapada on welcoming the person who corrects you
  11. 11
    One Word That Brings PeaceThe Dhammapada on why a few true words beat a thousand empty ones
  12. 12
    Everyone Flinches the SameThe Dhammapada on remembering that others fear harm just as you do
PreviousOne Word That Brings Peace
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Everyone Flinches the Same and the other 11 ideas of The Dhammapada, a minute at a time.

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Every 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.

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