Theragāthā 221

Verses of the Senior Monks 6.12

The Book of the Sixes

Chapter One

Brahmadatta

1 Whence anger for one free of anger,

tamed, living justly,

freed by right knowledge,

peaceful and unaffected?

2 When you get angry at an angry person

you just make things worse for yourself.

When you don’t get angry at an angry person

you win a battle hard to win.

3 When you know that the other is angry,

you act for the good of both

yourself and the other

if you’re mindful and stay calm.

4 People inexpert in the teaching

consider one who heals both

oneself and the other

to be a fool.

5 If anger arises in you,

reflect on the simile of the saw;

if craving for flavors arises in you,

remember the simile of the child’s flesh.

6 If your mind runs off

to sensual pleasures and future lives,

quickly curb it with mindfulness,

as one would curb a greedy cow eating grain.