Whence anger for one free of anger, tamed, living justly, freed by right knowledge, peaceful and unaffected?
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.
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.
People inexpert in the teaching consider one who heals both oneself and the other to be a fool.
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.
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.
Brahmadatta
Thag 6.12 · Brahmadattattheragāthā
Connections
Collection & context
- TheragāthāThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
Books
- Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato and Jessica Walton · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.