Dhammapada verse 350
Chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga) · verses 334–359
“But one who loves to calm their thoughts, developing perception of ugliness, ever mindful, will surely eliminate that craving, cutting off the bonds of Māra.”
Vitakkūpasame ca yo rato, Asubhaṁ bhāvayate sadā sato; Esa kho byanti kāhiti, Esa checchati mārabandhanaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 350 mean?
Verse 350 belongs to chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga), which gathers verses 334–359 on craving. It is filed under mind & intention, craving & attachment. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 349 and verse 351 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-six verses on craving, and the longest sustained passage in the book. The image is thirst, then a creeper that spreads by night, then the house-builder who builds again and again until the rafters are broken. The chapter is the one most directly concerned with the mechanism by which the self renews its own difficulty.
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