Buddhism · 26 October 2026
The second arrow

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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