When the Mind Has No Wound, Even Poison Cannot Enter
In the Dhammapada, there is a saying that just as poison does no harm when there is no wound on the hand, evil does not reach one who does no evil. Just as poison seeps in through a wounded place, gaps and wavering in the mind can make us hurt more deeply.
When we practice, countless delusive thoughts and ordinary thoughts arise and disappear. Having many thoughts does not mean that practice has collapsed. What matters is the attitude of noticing those thoughts and returning to concentration.
Even when the mind feels complicated and burdened by much karma, if we continue to notice and practice steadily, that complexity cannot completely shake us. If we are not caught by delusive thoughts as they come and go, they pass like clouds moving by.
Many things happen in the world, and there is much wavering among people. But if there is no large wound or gap in my own mind, outside events cannot simply seep in like poison.
Today, before blaming the world, look at the wounds and openings in your own mind. If you guard the mind firmly with awareness and steady practice, you can remain inwardly all right even amid many thoughts and difficult situations.
The Dhammapada teaches that just as poison does not seep in when there is no wound on the hand, one who does no evil is not harmed by evil. Even if many delusive thoughts and ordinary thoughts arise during practice, when you notice them and concentrate again, they cannot shake you. Though the world is complicated, if you lessen the wounds and openings in your mind and keep practicing, outside events do not seep in as poison.
