Aversion Trails the Memory of Pain
Aversion is the mind that clings to the memory of past pain and comes to hate and avoid in advance.
Do I resent this person now, or the old wound they remind me of?
📝Reflection
Dveṣa means "hatred, aversion." It is the mirror image of the previous verse. As attraction chases the memory of pleasure, aversion trails the memory of pain. One who has been burned once flinches at even a similar shadow. The trouble is that though the present object is not the old pain, we overlay the memory onto the now. So we resent the innocent and view new chances through the eyes of old failure. When aversion rises, asking 'is this the present, or an old wound?' can keep the past from staining the present.
🌱Apply It Today
If you feel edgy toward someone for no reason today, separate: 'is it this person, or the old thing they recall?'
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
