The Vverse I Cchoose after reading The Damapada is called Self. I choose this verse on account of Iit being the gainful one. The lesson prevailing in this verse I could use as an everyday reminder. One of the lines states, “You do to yourself what an enemy would wish”. The use of the word “wish” illustrates the weakness of our enemies as well as the strength of oneself. Leading me to the conclusion, that I cause more damage to myself by not using the power I hold over my actions, words, emotions, including my thoughts yet, permitting others to control them. It could be debated that unconsciously, some of us allow our enemies to govern us, since we have not yet obtained the strength, nor the knowledge on how to rebuke the enemy’s negativity. As a result, we begin to declare that our adversaries are the central factors of our suffering.

From the perspective of Buddhism, this verse is teaching how to avoid suffering by exposing people to their own flaws as well as weaknesses, in the hope that they would try to change, so they could enjoy most of life’s pleasures. The verse also teaches how we should take care of ourselves first, then worry about other people so that we may be happier. A modern situation that this lesson could be applied to is Cyber bullying or bullying of any sort. Allowing bullies to impact who we are, or how to feel, is something children along with adults do to themselves without realizing. Due to the fact that, we have not yet matured enough to realize that these people cannot change who we are. They do not hold the power to, they can only “wish” to.