The Dhammapada on staying steady when people praise or blame you. From The Dhammapada by the Buddha, gathered 3rd century BC.
One verse of the Dhammapada speaks to a man by name: Atula. A commentary from around the 5th century AD tells his story. He brought a crowd of friends to the monastery at Shravasti to hear a teacher.
The first monk sat silent, and Atula left annoyed. The second spoke at length on hard points of doctrine: too much. The third, Ananda, kept it short and simple: too little.
In a later commentary on the Dhammapada, a man named Atula grumbles at one teacher for saying nothing, one for saying too much and one for saying too little. The verses answer that no one is ever only praised or only blamed, and that the wise stand like rock in the wind. At Gettysburg in 1863, Lincoln’s two-minute speech was called both a gem and silly.
Praise and blame are weather; you are the rock. Practical advice: weigh the words of the few people whose judgment you trust, and let the rest pass.
Well established · checked against 10 sourcesWrite down one recent criticism, and ask whether it came from someone wise.
“One bad comment at work ruins my week, even after lots of praise. How do I stay steady?”
Let Praise and Blame Blow By 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.
