Pure Teachings quit porn, quit misconduct
Reading home › Cautionary stories › Sutras and talks

Honey on the blade, a torch against the wind

Sutras and talks · Sutra of Forty-two Chapters

ⓘ This story is Buddhist teaching and moral literature, offered as encouragement and warning, not a medical conclusion.

Key takeaway
Honey on a blade, not enough for a meal, yet it can cut the tongue. A torch against the wind burns the hand that holds it before it touches anyone else.

Chapter 22 says people cannot let go of wealth and lust, like honey on the edge of a blade: not enough for a meal, yet a child who licks it risks cutting the tongue. Chapter 25 says a person of craving is like someone carrying a torch into the wind, certain to burn the hand. Both images say the same thing: desire gives little sweetness and great injury, and the more you chase it the more it wounds.

Source:Sutra of Forty-two Chapters, chapter 22 (Chinese)

Make a share card

Related stories

Start my streakOpen the community