Dhammapada verse 369
Chapter 25, Mendicants (Bhikkhuvagga) · verses 360–382
“Bail out this boat, mendicant! When bailed out it will float lightly. Having cut off desire and hate, you shall reach extinguishment.”
Siñca bhikkhu imaṁ nāvaṁ, sittā te lahumessati; Chetvā rāgañca dosañca, tato nibbānamehisi.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 369 mean?
Verse 369 belongs to chapter 25, Mendicants (Bhikkhuvagga), which gathers verses 360–382 on the mendicant’s day. It is filed under anger & peace, craving & attachment. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 368 and verse 370 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-three verses on the mendicant, meaning the monastic practitioner, and much of it is practical: restraint in the body, in speech and at the bowl, and contentment with what is giving. The chapter has less doctrine than chapter 24 and more description of how a day of practice is arranged.
More verses on this