Dhammapada & Buddhist verses for calm and hard moments

The Dhammapada is a collection of 423 short verses in 26 chapters, found in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon. Each chapter gathers verses on one theme, such as the mind, anger, happiness or the path.

The verses here come from Acharya Buddharakkhita’s translation. Other translations use different words, and your own teacher may explain a verse in a different way.

You do not need to read every verse. Find one that speaks to how you feel today, and learn it by heart. A “handful of leaves” is enough, as the Buddha said in the Simsapa Sutta (see the Buddhist teachings & mental health guide).

Verses are a support, like a hand on your shoulder. If you are struggling for weeks, or in crisis, a counselor or doctor can help in ways a verse cannot. Using both is wise.

“Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame.” (Dhammapada 81)

When worry about what others think takes over, picture a rock in the wind and rain. The weather is real, and it moves on. The rock stays.

Try it

1. Feel your feet on the floor and your body on the chair.
2. Breathe in: “Solid rock.”
3. Breathe out: “Not shaken.”
4. Repeat for a few breaths.

“On hearing the Teachings, the wise become perfectly purified, like a lake deep, clear and still.” (Dhammapada 82)

A lake can have waves on top while it is still in its depths. When your thoughts are choppy, imagine sinking a little below the surface, to the quiet water underneath.

The Maha-mangala Sutta lists the greatest blessings, each ending with the refrain “This is the highest protection.” One of them is “A mind that, when touched by the ways of the world, is unshaken, sorrowless, dustless, at rest.”

This describes a goal of long practice. It is not a test you are failing when you feel shaken. Each time you come back to your breath, you are walking toward it.

“Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence.” (Dhammapada 348)

In everyday life, many people use the first part of this verse when they are caught replaying old regrets or rehearsing “what ifs”. You can say it softly, then bring your attention to one breath.

“He who checks rising anger as a charioteer checks a rolling chariot, him I call a true charioteer. Others only hold the reins.” (Dhammapada 222)

Try it when anger rises

1. Notice the first signs: heat, a tight jaw, a fast heart.
2. Pause, and say inwardly: “Check the chariot.”
3. Take three slow breaths, longer on the out-breath.
4. Then choose what to say or do, if anything.

“Overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth.” (Dhammapada 223)

“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased.” (Dhammapada 5)

Holding on to resentment can keep us awake and tense for years. This verse invites a slow loosening, at your own pace. A counselor can help if anger feels stuck.

“Happy indeed we live, friendly amidst the hostile. Amidst hostile men we dwell free from hatred.” (Dhammapada 197)

When the world feels harsh, online or in person, this verse is a reminder that you can choose not to let that harshness move into your own heart.

“If one holds oneself dear, one should diligently watch oneself.” (Dhammapada 157)

Watching yourself here can mean caring attention: noticing when you are tired, hungry, lonely or overwhelmed, and responding kindly, as you would for someone you love.

“One truly is the protector of oneself; who else could the protector be?” (Dhammapada 160)

Protecting yourself includes asking for help. Reaching out to a friend, a teacher or a counselor is one of the ways you protect yourself.

“Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquers himself.” (Dhammapada 103)

Conquering yourself does not mean beating yourself up. It can mean small, kind wins: pausing before a harsh word, getting up for a short walk, or keeping an appointment that scares you.

“Searching all directions with your awareness, you find no one dearer than yourself.” The verse goes on to say that others hold themselves dear too, so one who loves oneself should not harm others (Udana 5.1).

“From endearment springs grief, from endearment springs fear.” (Dhammapada 212)

Some people find this verse comforting: grief is a sign of how much you loved. It is not a rule that you should stop loving, or that your tears are wrong.

“All conditioned things are impermanent.” (Dhammapada 277)

In a dark mood, this verse can be a reminder that feelings pass. In grief, it may feel too sharp at first. Both reactions are okay.

“As kinsmen welcome a dear one on arrival, even so his own good deeds will welcome the doer of good who has gone from this world to the next.” (Dhammapada 220)

Many Buddhists find comfort in this picture when someone kind has died. Beliefs about what follows death differ between traditions, so let your own teacher guide you.

The story of Kisa Gotami and the mustard seed, about a mother who learns that every family has known loss, is told in the Buddhist practices for hard times guide.

“Think not lightly of good, saying, ‘It will not come to me.’ Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.” (Dhammapada 122)

One short walk, one kind word, one glass of water, one call to a friend. On hard days, these drops count.

“Better than a thousand useless words is one useful word, hearing which one attains peace.” (Dhammapada 100)

You do not need long practices or many books. One word or phrase you can return to, like “peace” or “breathe”, can be enough.

“Enduring patience is the highest austerity.” (Dhammapada 184)

Healing usually takes time, and progress is rarely a straight line. Patience with yourself is a practice too.

“Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. A trustworthy person is the best kinsman, Nibbana the highest bliss.” (Dhammapada 204)

This verse treasures ordinary goods: looking after your health, appreciating what you have, and keeping trustworthy people close.

“To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.” (Dhammapada 183)

Many teachers call this verse a summary of the whole path. It can also be a simple daily check: what can I let go of, what can I grow, and how can I rest my mind today?

The Karaniya Metta Sutta carries the wish “May all beings be at ease!” It describes a love as protective as a mother’s love for her only child.

The Maha-mangala Sutta, a teaching on the greatest blessings, lists blessings such as “Patience, compliance, seeing contemplatives, discussing the Dhamma on timely occasions”, each closing with “This is the highest protection.”

This mantra is closely linked with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva who looks on the world with compassion. The 84000 translation project explains it as an invocation of the union of compassion and wisdom, with “mani” (jewel) linked to compassion and “padme” (lotus) to wisdom.

In Pure Land and Shin Buddhism, the nembutsu is the practice of reciting “Namu Amida Butsu”, the name of Amida Buddha. Shin teachers describe it as Amida’s call to awaken, rather than a test of how well you recite.

Many people find comfort in a practice that does not depend on getting it “right”, especially on days when meditation feels impossible.

In Nichiren Buddhism, including the Soka Gakkai, members chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra. Many do this morning and evening in a practice called gongyo, together with passages from the Lotus Sutra.

1. Sit or stand comfortably.
2. Breathe in with the first half of a verse: “Solid rock…”
3. Breathe out with the second half: “…not shaken by the storm.”
4. Repeat for one or two minutes.
5. Notice how your body feels now.

Walk slowly and say one word of a short verse with each step, such as “Drop… by… drop…”. Feel your feet touch the ground. This can help when sitting still feels too hard.

Copying a verse slowly, letter by letter, gives busy hands and a busy mind something gentle to do.

• A card in your wallet or bag
• A note on your mirror
• A sticky note by your desk
• Your phone lock screen

When you see it, take one slow breath and read it once.

Before sleep, say a calming verse slowly a few times, such as Dhammapada 82 about the deep, still lake, or the wish “May all beings be at ease.”

Depression, anxiety and trauma are shaped by many things: our bodies, life events, relationships and stress. A verse that points to training the mind is offering hope, not saying you caused your illness.

See “Not blaming yourself” in the Buddhist teachings & mental health guide.

Chanting by choice usually brings calm. If you feel you must repeat words a certain number of times, or something bad will happen, that pattern may be anxiety or OCD.

Verses were taught in a setting, to particular people, and traditions explain them differently. If a verse troubles you, ask a monk, nun or teacher how they understand it. You can also simply choose a different verse.