Dhammapada verse 189
Chapter 14, The Buddhas (Buddhavagga) · verses 179–196
“But such refuge is no sanctuary, it is no supreme refuge. By going to that refuge, you’re not released from all suffering.”
Netaṁ kho saraṇaṁ khemaṁ, netaṁ saraṇamuttamaṁ; Netaṁ saraṇamāgamma, sabbadukkhā pamuccati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 189 mean?
Verse 189 belongs to chapter 14, The Buddhas (Buddhavagga), which gathers verses 179–196 on the Buddhas and the awakened. It is filed under happiness, suffering & grief. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 188 and verse 190 are part of the same passage.
Eighteen verses on the Buddhas, the awakened, and what makes a teacher worth following. It is the chapter that gives the famous line about not doing evil, doing good and purifying the mind, and it treats the awakened person as the one case in which a teacher is beyond reproach.
More verses on this