Personal Reflection On Dhammapada

Personal Reflection on a Dhammapada passage worth 10%.

One should not pry into the faults of others, into things done and left undone by others. One should rather consider what by oneself is done and left undone (Rahula & Demieville, 1974, p. 127)

This particular passage is a caution against the judgement of one’s peers, as well as the reinforcement of the notion of self-awareness of one’s own actions. Those who seek enlightenment must not be preoccupied with critiquing the affairs of other, of things they have neglected to do and offences they have committed, as this is a deflection from one’s own path. In place of this, introspection should be done into one’s own actions to see what is lacking and what is present. The reviewing of someone

Perhaps, as it follows, through constantly evaluating the lives of others, the evaluator is in search of an alternative superior life. Contrarily, it could be that, to come to terms with their own life, the evaluator finds validation in uprooting the flaws in other’s lives, so as not to desire these alternative lifestyles. However, even this form of validation is contingent on the practices of another human being, with their own set of karma and consequences. It would then make sense that the alleviation of suffering would stem from a shift of focus from the lives of others, and into one’s own practices, to determine what is truly needed for the self. If we are to take responsibility for our own suffering and the relief of said suffering, we shall not find it in matters that are the responsibility of our peers. Buddhism also emphasizes the need for individuals to obtain their own experience of the truth ( ), therefore, it is necessary to discover the optimal way to live through your own life and life experiences, in place of observing other’s experiences or having blind faith in the pathways others demonstrate. If the Arhat reaches Nirvana for themselves and by themselves, then this must be achieved through personal discovery, outside the influence of others. To reach enlightenment it is more important and beneficial to be able to identify internal or personal flaws as opposed to others, since these are the flaws one has the freedom to change for their betterment

Rahula, W. S., & Demieville, P. (1974). What the Buddha Taught(2nd ed.). New York , NY: Grove