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Buddhism · 26 October 2026

The second arrow

Two arrows rest on a stone beside the water.
Artistic interpretation created using artificial intelligence tools.

In the Sallatha Sutta, the Buddha distinguishes a painful sensation from the mental distress that may be added to it. He describes a person struck by one arrow and then another: the uninstructed person experiences physical pain and mental anguish. The instructed disciple still feels physical pain but does not add the same mental reaction. The discourse also addresses responses to pleasant and neutral feelings.

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