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The parable of the second arrow is a well-known Buddhist story about dealing with suffering more skilfully. It is said the Buddha once asked a student,
‘If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful? If the person is struck by a second arrow, is it even more painful?’
He then went on to explain,
‘In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. Ho... See more
‘If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful? If the person is struck by a second arrow, is it even more painful?’
He then went on to explain,
‘In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. Ho... See more
The second arrow - Mindfulness Meditation
The Buddha referred to this skill of disengaging from reactivity as “removing the second arrow.” Some measure of pain and stress is unavoidable in the life cycle (the first arrow), yet our reactivity towards “life as it is” creates a layer of self-imposed suffering that only compounds ordinary challenges.
Emily J. Wolf • Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy: Accelerating Healing and Transformation
We cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. We can control whether an experience makes us a bitter person or a better person. What matters in life is not so much what happens to us but what happens in us.
Rick Warren • God's Power to Change Your Life (Living with Purpose)
form. As Zen master Dogen says, “Flowers fall with our attachment, and weeds spring up with our aversion.”
Jack Kornfield • Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are
The second arrow, fired by our own selves, is our reaction, our storyline, and our anxiety.
Thich Nhat Hanh • No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
As the saying goes, pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. If you can simply stay present with whatever is arising in awareness—whether it’s a first dart or a second one—without reacting further, then you will break the chain of suffering right there.