There is no fire like passion, no shark like hatred, no snare like folly, no torrent like greed.
Buddha Dhammapada, verse 251 (300 BCE) Translated by F. Max Müller
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- Compiled around the third century BCE from verses transmitted orally for generations.
- Why
- The Dhammapada is a teaching anthology arranged by topic. Verse 251 sits in the chapter on craving.
What it means
Four comparisons, each chosen for a different property of the thing it names. Fire consumes, a shark takes suddenly, a snare holds without being noticed, a torrent carries off.
The verse is a diagnostic list rather than a warning. Craving, hatred, folly and greed are not ranked; they are distinguished, so a reader can identify which one is currently operating.
Read the source
Dhammapada by Traditional (Pali Canon), 300 BCE
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