Evil (Pāpa Vagga)
Verse 116
Pāli Source
Abhittharetha kalyāṇe pāpā cittaṃ nivāraye; dandhaṃ hi karoto puññaṃ pāpasmiṃ ramatī mano.
English Translation
Hasten toward what is good; hold the mind back from what is harmful. When one is slow to act well, the mind starts to find pleasure in what is harmful.
Way to Enlightenment draft translation — not yet reviewed for accuracy.
Editorial Note
Opens the Pāpa Vagga (Evil/Harm) — a practical warning that delay in doing good isn’t neutral, it leaves room for harmful habits to take hold.
Source
Pali critical edition: O. von Hinüber & K.R. Norman (Pali Text Society, 1995), digitized by the Dhammakaya Foundation via GRETIL, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0