Dhammapada verse 170
Chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga) · verses 167–178
“Look upon the world as a bubble or a mirage, then the King of Death won’t see you.”
Yathā pubbuḷakaṁ passe, yathā passe marīcikaṁ; Evaṁ lokaṁ avekkhantaṁ, maccurājā na passati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 170 mean?
Verse 170 belongs to chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga), which gathers verses 167–178 on the world, and not following it. It is filed under impermanence & death. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 169 and verse 171 are part of the same passage.
Twelve verses on the world and on not following it. The chapter contrasts the person who sees the world as a bubble or a mirage with the crowd that does not, and it holds the line that the world is blind and only a few see clearly.
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