Full Moon – Cultivating Wholesomeness – 2nd April, 2026

Hasten to cultivate that which is wholesome.
Restrain your mind from that which is evil.
The mind that is slow to do good
can easily find pleasure in doing that which is evil.

Dhammapada 116

When we are confronted by a lot of confusion, such as that of our world right now, we could assume large solutions are necessary. There may well be big changes called for in the way society operates, however here and now what we can effectively offer might in fact be many small solutions. In this Dhammapada verse the Buddha is encouraging us to cultivate habits that are wholesome; training our body, speech and mind to incline towards that which is good.

The way things appear to be is not necessarily the way things actually are. When a wound is healing it feels itchy and it is natural to want to scratch it. What helps is not scratching it. Even if our modest efforts to intentionally engage in small moments of patience, generosity and empathy appear insignificant, they can be contributing to a wholesome momentum that brings real benefit, to ourselves and others.

(This post is also available at dhammakatha.org)

These Dhammapada quotes have been taken or adapted from, A Dhammapada For Contemplation, by Ajahn Munindo, published by Aruno Publications. They should not be understood as literal renderings of the Dhammapada. For literal translations, please read other works. The reflections are by Ajahn Munindo.

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