By oneself the evil is done, by oneself one suffers; by oneself evil is left undone, by oneself one is purified.
Buddha Dhammapada, Verse 165, Self (300 BCE) Translated by F. Max Müller
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When and why it was written
- When
- From the chapter on the self in the Dhammapada.
- Why
- The verse insists that no one can do another person's inner work for them.
What it means
Responsibility runs both ways here: the harm is ours, and so is the healing. No one else can be purified on our behalf.
That is sobering, and also freeing, because it means the work is always within reach.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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Dhammapada by Traditional (Pali Canon), 300 BCE
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