Let a man guard himself against irritability in bodily action;
let him be controlled in deed.
Abandoning bodily misconduct,
let him practice good conduct in deed.
– DhammaPada Verse 231
Let a man guard himself against irritability in speech;
let him be controlled in speech.
Abandoning verbal misconduct,
let him practice good conduct in speech.
– DhammaPada Verse 232
Let a man guard himself against irritability in thought;
let him be controlled in mind.
Abandoning mental misconduct,
let him practice good conduct in thought.
– DhammaPada Verse 233
The wise are controlled in bodily action,
controlled in speech and controlled in thought.
They are truly well-controlled.
– DhammaPada Verse 234
The Buddha is advising against getting irritated, for bad conduct by way of body, speech or thoughts gives rise to ignorance. Growth in ignorance should be read as growth in misapprehension of reality, misconceiving, in assumption making, a loss of the quality of careful examination, a loss of diligence, a growth of negligence.
Related Teachings:
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Tracing the causes of ignorance | delusion | avijjā sutta (AN 10.61) - The three kinds of misconduct are a fuel for the five hindrances, the five hindrances are a fuel for ignorance.
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Why Beings Fare as They Do after Death (MN 41) - A detailed teaching on the misconducts and principled conducts by ways of body, speech and mind.
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Teachings on the harmful and beneficial qualities (AN) ↗️ - A teaching on eight harmful and eight beneficial qualities. When the harmful qualities are abandoned and the beneficial qualities cultivated, one can expect a growth in the development of the noble eightfold path.