The Dhammapada on why mastering yourself beats beating others. From The Dhammapada by the Buddha, gathered 3rd century BC.
The Buddha taught in an age of armies. In his day, the Ganges plain was split among rival kingdoms. The strongest, Magadha, was swallowing its neighbors one by one.
Victory meant land taken and armies beaten. Within two centuries, kings ruling from Magadha would hold most of India.
Into that world came a verse that kept score in a different way.
In the Buddha’s day, the kingdoms of the Ganges plain fought for land. The Dhammapada’s verse 103 keeps a different score: beat a million men in battle, and the one who conquers himself is still the greater. Not even a god, it adds, can turn that victory into defeat. Around 261 BC, after conquering Kalinga, the emperor Ashoka had his remorse carved in stone.
Beating your own temper is the one win no one can take from you. Practical advice: when anger rises, take one slow breath before you say anything.
Well established · checked against 8 sourcesNext time anger rises, wait one full breath before you answer.
“I lose my temper with my kids and regret it later. How do I win that fight with myself?”
The One Battle Worth Winning 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.
