Sujana Kaṇḍa — The Chapter on Good People

41. Keep the company of the virtuous

There is an old tale of two young parrot chicks, still tender, that were swept from their nest by a rainstorm.

• One drifted down into a wild land, a den of bandits. The bandit chief took it in and raised it, teaching it to speak only harsh, unlovely, threatening words. When it grew up, that parrot spoke rudely to everyone it met, threatening to kill them — and so it became the favorite of the bandits.

• The other parrot chick was carried by the wind and fell near the hermitage of a sage. The sage found it and took it in, feeding it with delicious ripe fruit, soothing it with gentleness and loving-kindness, teaching it to speak sweet and gracious words. When it grew up, this parrot greeted everyone it met with sweet, gracious words and a friendly heart.

For this reason the wise teach: one should associate with, and cultivate friendship with, the virtuous; for when one has come to understand their teaching, there is surely only betterment, never decline.

42. Four practices of the good person

This verse of the Loka Nīti teaches how to conduct oneself toward happiness and progress through four practices, namely:

1. Abandon association with the wicked — when you know that someone acts badly, speaks badly, and thinks badly, do not befriend or associate with them. If you must meet them, do not converse with them. If you must converse, do not eat, sleep, or share activities with them. If you must share an activity, resolve firmly that you will take no delight or satisfaction in the deeds, words, and views of the wicked.

2. Keep the company of good people — when you know that someone acts well, speaks well, and has constructive views, then befriend them, converse with them, eat, sleep, and share activities with them, and take delight in the tasks, words, and views of the good.

3. Do good both day and night, both openly and in private.

4. Reflect on the impermanence of all things, so that you will not cling.

43. The heart of the wicked = a ripe fig

Ordinary people cannot tell a good person from a wicked one; to look only at appearance, bearing, and speech is not enough. To judge well, one must look deeper — into the heart, the attitude, the vision, the creative initiative, and the benefit rendered to oneself and to the community. Only then does it become clear who is good and who is wicked.

Because good and wicked people are so hard to tell apart, the wise offered a simile of the wicked: the ripe fig, whose outer skin is bright red and inviting to eat. Whoever sees it picks it up, meaning to taste how delicious it is. But when it is split open, the inside teems with crawling insects — not only unappetizing, but disgusting. One must quickly throw the fig away and wipe one's hands frantically, for fear the filth and foulness will cling. And everyone complains, "Alas! I thought it would be delicious — but it is far more revolting than anything."

44. The heart of the good = a ripe jackfruit

Good people are many. Merely seeing that someone is homely or plain in feature, dark of skin, does not mean they are wicked — for within, the heart may be bright and pure. For this reason the wise offered the simile of the jackfruit compared to the wise.

A ripe jackfruit, seen from the outside, shows only rough thorns; no one touches it, no one desires it. But the discerning person knows that a hidden deliciousness lies within, and volunteers to split the ripe jackfruit open for all to taste. The unbelieving turn away; the believing wait and watch. When the jackfruit is split open and its inside revealed, the color is a rich, bright gold, inviting to eat, and its fragrance wafts out, making the mouth water with longing to taste it. When everyone tastes it, they savor its sweet, luscious flesh from the first bulb to the last, and all say with one voice, "It did not look at all appetizing from the outside, but within it is so delicious!" And so the story has been told to children and grandchildren down to the present day.

45. Four things that keep their quality even in ruin

Whatever is called genuine keeps its original nature even through any trial, never changing into something else.

• Sandalwood, though it dries out, still keeps its fragrance, and it never fades.

• The war elephant, though driven into battle, still bears itself with a bold, stately grace, striking awe into the enemy.

• Sugarcane, though crushed and broken in the pressing mill, still keeps its sweetness.

• The wise, though threatened, coerced, tortured, or afflicted by hardship and suffering, do not forsake the Dhamma; they still endure with patience and loving-kindness.

This is "the genuine" in the eyes of the Loka Nīti — that which keeps its worth in every situation.

46. The lion eats no leaves, no elephant flesh

This verse of the Loka Nīti shows the lion's pride in its own dignity — the lion, honored as the king of the forest. All creatures, small and great, hold it in awe and submit to its power for all time, because the lion is a creature that loves its dignity. Consider: even when it cannot hunt other animals for food, it will never stoop to graze on blades of grass to keep itself alive, for that would let all the other animals despise it, saying, "Look — now the king of the forest has lost its power and its dignity; it has to nibble at leaves and grass like some silly hare." And so it will not lower itself to eat leaves like the powerless creatures.

Furthermore, even when starving and gaunt, it does not desire to eat the flesh of an elephant — for not only could it not finish such a meal, but it would leave behind traces of greed and gluttony, so that all the animals would turn away in weary disgust.

Let all leaders take this as their model, that they may be honored and revered forever.

47. A person of good birth does base deeds

To be "born into a good family" here does not mean a wealthy, prosperous family, but a family that preserves the fine old customs and traditions, that trains and admonishes its children and grandchildren to hold themselves upright — not to do evil and unwholesome deeds in body, speech, or mind. For example: not harming others, not intimidating, not violating what others cherish, not taking advantage, not doing injury, not being harsh, not being vengeful, without guile or deceit, not lying or deceiving, not sowing discord, not cheating, and not holding grudges, and so on.

They make merit and do every good they can, bearing goodwill toward relatives, friends, and dependents, generous and open-handed, not stingy, sharing, of gracious manners, humble and modest, with a sense of shame, speaking pleasing and gracious words, grateful, easy to teach, noble of heart, established in the Dhamma, and walking the path of virtue.

Even fallen into hardship, hard-pressed to the point of death, they will not do wicked deeds to save themselves. This is the truly good person, the pride of society.

48. A wise saying = the coolest thing of all

Sandalwood is of many kinds. Some have fragrant wood, such as musk sandalwood, sweet sandalwood, red sandalwood, and white sandalwood (or cliff sandalwood); some have fragrant flowers, such as the chan-kaphlo; some have fragrant fruit, such as nutmeg. Even the heartwood can be put to many uses, such as making medicines and perfumes. In particular, the heartwood of red sandalwood was held by the ancients to be cool, and so was used to make household objects — caskets, cosmetic boxes, chests, cabinets, and the like — to store valuables and preserve them long, and to make cooling medicine.

Sandalwood heartwood is already reckoned cool, yet the soft light of the moon is cooler still, for it gives a coolness that soothes the eyes and the heart. Gazing upon the moonlight cools a heart that had been feverish, making it gentle, calm, and refined. But the wise sayings of the virtuous are cooler still than sandalwood and moonlight; when heard, they make the heart calm, cool, and at peace.

49. The word of the virtuous does not change

Another distinguishing mark of the virtuous is truthful speech: they speak the truth, not falsehood; they speak with reason, not without reason; they speak with substance, not without substance; they speak words that can be put into practice.

From the past to the present, the virtuous have had trustworthy speech. Even were the sun to rise in the west, even were Mount Meru to bow its peak, even were the fires of hell to go utterly cool, even were a lotus to bloom upon the mountain's summit — none of this would make the word of the virtuous change; it would remain true and trustworthy as before.

50. Six degrees of cooling comfort

In this verse the Loka Nīti ranks the coolness to be found in this world, showing which is cooler than which:

1. The shade of a tree gives coolness that eases the body.

2. The shade of the support of one's kin is cooler still.

3. The shade of the love and care of mother and father is cooler than that, for the coolness that mother and father give cannot be had from a tree or from one's kin.

4. The shade of teachers who wish, out of loving-kindness, for their students' progress is cooler still, for the coolness that teachers give cannot be had from mother and father.

5. The shade of the benevolent protection of a righteous king is cooler still.

6. The shade of the Buddha's teaching gives a coolness of peace surpassing all those shades, for once one is truly cooled and at peace, one never returns to heat again.

51. The good desire virtue, the wicked delight in harmful things

By the ordinary nature of the world, nature creates all things to be suited to one another — so it was in the past, is in the present, and will be in the future. For instance: men are drawn to women and women to men; birds love the sky, fish love the water, the swan loves the lotus pond, the buffalo loves the mud.

The bees love to fly about sipping the pollen of flowers to drink their nectar, yet they never damage a flower, not even to bruise it; and they help carry the pollen of the plants to fertilization, propagating the species and making nature abundant and whole.

In the same way, good people love virtue and goodness; they love to study and seek knowledge of the Dhamma-teachings of the wise; they love to put it into practice so as to see the results here and now; they love to instruct and admonish the young to know, to understand, and to practice.

As for the fly, it loves the rotten and foul-smelling — just as the wicked love to do only what is harmful, bringing no benefit or support to themselves or others. These things have been so from birth.

52. Base parents, base children

Parents and children are reflections of one another. There is a Thai saying, "To judge a cow, look at its tail; to judge a girl, look at her mother." If you want to know whether a heifer is of good body and breed, sound and well-formed, look at her mother; to know if she is of good form, look at the soundness of the tail. Or if you want to know whether a young woman of some family has the graceful manners of a true Thai lady, with the qualities of a good housewife, look at her mother: if the mother has graceful manners, the daughter will be graceful too, for the mother will train and teach her daughter. And to judge a young man, look at his father — whether he is patient, diligent, hardworking, ready to bear burdens, a leader of the family, and so on.

But if the mother lacks these qualities, and does not train and teach her children with pleasing, gracious words, then the children will speak roughly and coarsely. If the father lacks these qualities and does not train them in good manners, the children will be coarse and harsh in both speech and conduct.

53. Excellent parents, excellent children

There is a Thai idiom, "The fruit falls not far from the tree." This saying is usually taken in a favorable sense: if you see some fruit fallen on the ground, appealing in shape and skin, inviting you to eat it, then when you look for the tree of that fruit it will not be far off; and if you go near, you will find many more such fine fruits. A tree of good stock gives good fruit.

This compares parents and children: if the mother speaks politely, sweetly and graciously, and trains her children to speak sweetly and graciously, the children will be polite speakers, whose words are pleasing, touching, and agreeable to all who hear them. If the father is good, gentle and graceful in conduct, and trains his children, the children too will have graceful manners. All the more, if both mother and father have the qualities of good people, the children will be graceful in both speech and manner.

54. When to know the wise

Among a hundred people there is one of powerful, sturdy frame; among a thousand, one who is brave; among ten thousand, one who loves us; among a hundred thousand, one who is truly wise.

Thus the wise say: when war breaks out, one needs the brave to go to battle, for though a man be strong and sturdy of body, if he is not brave he cannot conquer the enemy.

When there is suffering, distress of heart, or discouragement and despair, one needs someone to console the heart, to give hope and encouragement, to stand at one's side sharing sorrow and joy without abandoning one.

In times of happiness, or when eating delicious food, one recollects one's beloved, or one's mother and father and those who have been kind, wishing that they too might share in that happiness.

When a problem arises in life that one cannot resolve, one needs the wise, who can give counsel on how to solve it, so as to turn the bad into good.

55. When the wicked meet, it is like dog meeting dog

In this verse the Loka Nīti compares the fool to the dog, showing their likeness, so that fools may come to their senses and feel ashamed at being valued so low by others. To make this comparison of censure between the fool and the dog, some points are alike and some are different.

The point of likeness: fools and dogs, wherever they meet, become enraged and irritated, as if they had been angry with one another for a hundred lifetimes, a thousand lifetimes; each falls upon the other to destroy it, and is pleased to see the other battered, ruined, brought low, robbed of life and property.

The point of difference: dogs, even when they fight and bite one another nearly to death, will cease once one has yielded and submitted; they bear no grudge, no vengeance. But the fool will never cease from grudge and vengeance; he keeps up the feud, ever watching for a chance to take revenge — even passing it down to his children and grandchildren to work ruin upon one another still further.

56. Do not rush your work

In doing any work, one must have a plan set out step by step, to be followed in order, so that the work may be complete, and to guard against the flaws that arise when work is left broken off or done twice over. The plan one should lay out proceeds in this order:

1. Consider whether it is suitable or unsuitable, possible or impossible.

2. Have a good method of management, arranging the steps of the work fittingly.

3. Select the knowledgeable, those with the particular ability, to carry out the duties.

4. Analyze the side effects, both the favorable and the unfavorable.

5. Train the personnel of each department to greater proficiency.

6. Evaluate the results at every step, so as to improve and correct.

When this is done, the work will come out well. But if one rushes — whether doing it oneself or ordering others to do it — there will be mistakes, causing trouble afterward.

57. One who abandons anger does not grieve

In this verse the Loka Nīti sets forth three further qualities of the virtuous, namely:

1. When someone provokes them to anger, they do not become angry; and when anger arises, they quickly subdue or allay it, holding no grudge. Their hearts therefore are not clouded with irritation, not vexed, but cheerful and bold at all times, using the cultivation of loving-kindness to subdue anger.

1. They do not disparage or belittle anyone; they censure those who disparage others, and praise those who do not.

1. They endure harsh words, offensive words, blame, slander, abuse, accusation, false charges, insults, and contemptuous scorn.

58. The suffering of living with the undesirable

There are hundreds of kinds of suffering in this world: there is the suffering of being parted from what is dear; the suffering of meeting what is not dear; the suffering of clinging to the five aggregates. Here the text sets forth three sufferings of ordinary people, namely:

1. Having to dwell in a cramped, stifling place, full of all sorts of filth — such as being on a battlefield, in a bomb shelter, in confinement, or under coercion.

1. Having to dwell together with an enemy or with one who cannot get along with us — for instance, being forced to eat, sleep, work, or travel with someone we hardly like. This is reckoned as suffering hundreds of times more grievous than dwelling in a cramped and filthy place.

1. Dwelling together with an ingrate, a betrayer, one who watches for a chance to kill — this is suffering hundreds of times greater still.

59. The one who admonishes is dear to the good, not to the wicked

The good and the wicked differ in every respect, like white and black, like light and darkness, like day and night. Whatever pleases the good, the wicked are displeased by; whatever pleases the wicked, the good are displeased by. For example:

Harming others, using force to bully and oppress, intimidation, domination, ill-spoken words without substance, lies and deceit, selfish exploitation, shameless grasping, subversion, quarreling, wallowing in vice, taking intoxicants, cheating — the wicked, having seen or heard of these, are pleased; but the good are wholly repelled and displeased.

But loving-kindness, forgiveness, generosity, self-sacrifice for the benefit of the many, the speaking of wise sayings, words that point out fault and counsel benefit — the good, having seen or heard of these, are pleased; but the wicked, having seen or heard of them, are displeased instead, vexed, and censure, slander, and defame.

60. Overcome four types of people by four means

There are many ways to overcome others, according to the station of the one we would overcome — winning their hearts, a victory that will not turn to defeat.

The high-born, proud of rank, yielding to no one easily, we must win over by humility, honoring and exalting them openly; and they will come to accept us.

The mighty and capable, who bind their strength together in tight unity, are hard to defeat in battle; they must be overcome by strategy — sowing discord, breaking their unity, making them clash and suspect one another first, and only then advancing the army to attack. Thus they may be overcome with ease.

Those of lower station than ourselves, we can win over merely by sharing some things with them.

As for those of station near our own, industrious in earning a living just as we are, to overcome them we must know how to save frugally, not spend extravagantly; and so we shall come to be better off.

61. The property of the Sangha is worse than poison

There are many kinds of poison in this world. Some make the one poisoned deluded, falling under another's power to be controlled — such as certain narcotics that cause instant death; some have the property of counteracting other poisons. Most poisons come in the form of something sweet, something enticing that draws one to taste it. But whatever poison, however deadly to the point of death, it takes life only for that one lifetime alone. Therefore the wise do not wish to call such poisons "poison," for there is another poison more deadly still. The deadliest poison here is the common property of the Sangha — whether alms-food or various utensils that people have offered to the Sangha out of faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. Whoever misappropriates it for personal use will suffer painful karmic results in this life; and after death, they must endure such suffering again for many births and lifetimes.

62. By what do we know the horse, the ox, the cow, the wise?

Everything in this world has some outstanding trait by which it can be recognized. For instance, a horse: one knows it is of good breed by its outstanding traits — fine form, nimbleness, and the swiftest running. A working ox: one knows it is truly strong, for besides its muscular body, it must haul the most heavily laden cart. A dairy cow: one knows she is of good stock when she gives the most milk.

The wise likewise: one knows they truly have wisdom by their speech and discourse. For it is said that whether one has much wisdom or little is known by this very speech — speech that is good and substantial, reasoned, that shows the harm of evil and the unwholesome, shows the way to abstain from evil and the unwholesome, shows the merit of the wholesome, shows the way to make merit, shows the way to guard the mind from being shaken by things that change in various ways; speech that inclines the heart toward joy and boldness, that stirs it to confidence, that gives rise to right view.

63. The wealth of the good is like water in a well

There are two kinds of wealth in this world: outer wealth and inner wealth.

Outer wealth is of two kinds: movable property, which can be carried on one's person — such as necklaces, rings, silver, and gold; and immovable property, which cannot be carried on one's person because it is fixed in place — such as land, orchards, fields, and dwellings.

Inner wealth is of seven kinds, namely: faith (saddhā), belief in karma and its fruits; virtue (sīla), abstaining from evil and the unwholesome; moral shame (hiri), shame at wrongdoing; moral dread (ottappa), fear of receiving unwholesome results; learning (bāhusacca), having knowledge at hand; generosity (cāga), self-sacrifice; and wisdom (paññā), knowing and understanding truly.

In this verse of the Loka Nīti, the text means outer wealth: if it is the wealth of a good person, though small, it is beneficial, like the clear, clean water in a well; but the wealth of a bad person, though great, is of no benefit, like the water of the sea.

64. The wealth of the good is for the benefit of others

One called a good person habitually devotes himself to the benefit of the community as a matter of course. If a good person has outer wealth, he will sacrifice some of it to support and aid the public, or to help individuals, reflecting that the wealth he now possesses came as the fruit of giving up wealth for others in the past; and so he should give up such wealth all the more, for the sake of desirable results in the days to come. If a good person has only inner wealth, he will rely on that wealth to sacrifice himself for the benefit of the many — by using his strength to help with tasks, by offering advice and admonition, and by his care and goodwill toward others.

Thus the text offers this simile: just as the river does not drink its own water, the tree does not eat its own fruit, and the rain does not choose where it falls, so the good person, whether he has little wealth or much, will not spend it merely for his own enjoyment, but habitually thinks first of the benefit of the many.

65. Do not desire what ought not to be desired

The state of being a good person and that of being a bad one differ plainly. One whose maturity marks him as a good person, inclined toward goodness, has these traits: he does not desire what ought not to be desired, for that would be a cause of malice and mutual harm, even to the loss of life and property, or would be a burden heavier than his strength can bear; he desires only what is good and worthy of desire, for that brings mutual benefit and support.

He does not think of what ought not to be thought of, for that would revive bitter, hateful memories; he thinks of what is fitting, so as to build good relations with one another, with mutual love and care.

He does not let time pass away in vain, but uses every minute to the full, creating benefit both for himself and for the community.

66. Wealth comes from action, not from mere thought

Of people in this world, some are industrious in earning a living, using the knowledge and ability they have, striving by every means. And though they strive by every path, some succeed and some do not; yet everyone hopes to grow rich in money, and hopes that the enterprise they are engaged in will grow ever more prosperous and secure.

But there are also many people in this world able only to build hope, living by hope alone. Some hopes have reason and are worth hoping for; some are empty, wistful hopes. Merely building up a splendid hope in the mind, they live happily — not striving, not exerting themselves, not seeking channels to earn a living, not saving up for use in time of need. Such people never attain prosperity. For it is well and substantially said: what one hoped for may change; the unexpected may arise in its place. Only the one who strives can endure. Do not merely hope.

67. The wicked loving the wicked is a cause of ruin

Much has already been said of good people and their traits — traits that anyone can follow, so that one may make oneself a good person, sooner or later.

But these people below have no chance to become good; they reach only ruin, namely:

1. One who makes himself dear and pleasing to the wicked — for only those who love to do wicked deeds will be dear and pleasing to the wicked; one who does good never is.

1. One who does not try to make himself dear and pleasing to the good; who does not heed or follow the advice and instruction of the good, but follows only the counsel of the wicked.

1. One who delights in the ways and views of the wicked, agreeing with them, going along with them, supporting their deeds, and thinking and speaking after the views of the wicked.