Pali: Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā manoseṭṭhā manomayānManasā ce pasannena bhāsati vā karoti vānTato naṃ sukhaṃ anveti chāyā va anapāyinī
English: Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.
The image of happiness as a never-departing shadow is powerful; it suggests that cultivating a pure mind isn’t a singular event, but a continuous practice that fundamentally alters our experience. How can we practically translate the idea of “pure mind” into our daily actions and interactions, ensuring our words and deeds consistently reflect this purity?
Verse translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita in The Dhammapada. Shared with image by VirtualSangha.org
