Dhammaṭṭha Vagga — The Chapter on the Just

Verse 256

This verse was spoken concerning the story of the great minister who served as judge, the one charged with settling legal cases.

The Buddha pointed out that one who judges a case rashly — hastily, impatiently, without weighing the reasons on every side — is not called one established in the Dhamma. On the contrary, one who is a wise person (paṇḍita) carefully deliberates and distinguishes, seeing clearly what is true and what is false, right or wrong on both sides, and only then judges with fairness.

The reflection is this: in deciding any matter, whether a legal case or the affairs of daily life, thoroughness and an impartial heart matter more than speed. Do not jump to conclusions following your moods; listen fully to both sides before you judge.

Verse 257

This verse continues from the one before, spoken likewise concerning the story of the great minister who served as judge.

Where the previous verse said that one who judges rashly is not established in the Dhamma, this verse displays the marks of one established in the Dhamma: one who judges others without haste, with righteousness and even-handedness — not partial, not swayed by love or hatred — a person of wisdom whose heart is guarded by the Dhamma, allowing no bias to take hold.

The reflection is this: true justice comes from a heart governed by the Dhamma. Whoever holds the power to judge others should firmly preserve fairness and impartiality; only then does one deserve the name one established in the Dhamma.

Verse 258

This verse was spoken to the monks concerning the story of the group of six monks (Chabbaggiya), a band of monks fond of arguing and speaking to win.

The Buddha warned that a person is not a wise one (paṇḍita) merely for being eloquent or talkative. Rather, the one worthy to be called wise is the one who is secure (khemī) — untroubled and free from defilements — without enmity — holding no grudge — and without fear — a menace to no one. The commentary points out that judging rashly means falling into the four kinds of bias (agati): partiality through love, hatred, delusion, or fear.

The reflection is this: do not measure a person by their gift for words, but look to a heart that is calm and cool, free of enmity and danger. That, and not speech, is the mark of true wisdom.

Verse 259

This verse was spoken to two monks who bore the Tipiṭaka concerning the story of the Elder Ekudāna, an arahant who knew little of the doctrine yet realized the Dhamma.

The Buddha pointed out that one who can expound much of the Dhamma is not yet called a bearer of the Dhamma (dhammadhara). But one who, though having heard only a little, sees the Dhamma with the mental body (nāmakāya) — penetrating the truth with the heart until it becomes part of one's very being — and who is not heedless of that Dhamma, but puts it into actual practice, that one is truly the bearer of the Dhamma.

The reflection is this: the worth of the Dhamma lies in putting it into practice, not in the amount one can remember. To know little but truly act is nobler than to know much yet let it pass by.

Verse 260

This verse was spoken to thirty forest-dwelling monks who had met the Elder Lakuṇṭaka Bhaddiya, one small and short in stature.

The Buddha pointed out that a person is not an elder (thera) — a senior worthy of respect — merely by having grey hair or advanced age. One who is aged only in years, without virtue for adornment, is called an old man in vain — grown old to no purpose, without any true substance in the Dhamma.

The reflection is this: true seniority is measured by maturity and virtue, not by the count of years or the whiteness of the hair. Advancing age should come together with growing wisdom and goodness.

Verse 261

This verse continues from the one before, spoken to thirty forest-dwelling monks concerning the Elder Lakuṇṭaka Bhaddiya.

Where the previous verse said that grey hair does not make one an elder, this verse displays the qualities of a true elder (thera). According to the commentary, these are:

• Truth (sacca) — clear realization of the Four Noble Truths.

• Dhamma — attainment of the nine supramundane states (lokuttara-dhamma).

• Non-violence (ahiṃsā) — harmlessness.

• Restraint (saññama) — moral discipline, and self-control (dama) — restraint of the faculties.

One who has cast off impurity — the defilements that stain — and is a steadfast sage, that one indeed is called an elder. The reflection is this: being a person of worth lies in the Dhamma within the heart, not in outward signs such as age or status.

Verse 262

This verse was spoken to several monks who spoke fluently concerning the story of several monks.

The Buddha warned that merely speaking fluently and pleasingly, or having a beautiful complexion, does not yet make anyone a good person (sādhurūpa) — so long as within the heart there remain envy (issā) — jealousy of others — meanness (macchariya) — clutching and ungenerous — and deceit (saṭha) — pretense and fraud.

The reflection is this: true goodness lies in the heart, not in the outer shell. Do not be taken in by someone merely for sweet words or a handsome face; and cleanse your own heart of envy, meanness, and guile. That is what makes one truly a good person.

Verse 263

This verse continues from the one before, spoken to the monks who spoke fluently concerning the story of several monks.

Where the previous verse pointed to the fault of envy, meanness, and deceit, this verse shows that one who cuts off those defilements, uprooting them so the root is severed — leaving no seed to sprout again — and who casts off all fault, being a person of wisdom, that one alone is truly called a good person.

The reflection is this: being a good person is not merely suppressing defilements for a time, but must involve uprooting them completely. Only then is goodness stable, never to flare up again. This is the beauty that comes from a pure heart.

Verse 264

This verse was spoken to the monk Hatthaka, who spoke falsely concerning the story of the monk Hatthaka, who loved to speak deceitfully in order to win over people.

The Buddha pointed out that one who is without observance (abbata) — lacking good practices — and who speaks falsely — telling lies and idle words — is no ascetic (samaṇa), even though he has a shaven head in the guise of a renunciant. Still more, one who is filled with desire and greed — how could such a one be an ascetic?

The reflection is this: outward form — such as robes or a shaven crown — does not make anyone a true renunciant. Being an ascetic lies in one's practice and a heart calmed of craving.

Verse 265

This verse continues from the one before, spoken to the monk Hatthaka concerning the story of the monk Hatthaka.

Where the previous verse said that a shaven head does not make one an ascetic, this verse shows that one who wholly stills evils both small and great — leaving no wrong behind, even a trifle — precisely because of this stilling of evil is called an ascetic (samaṇa). The very word samaṇa comes from the meaning one who has stilled and calmed.

The reflection is this: being a true renunciant lies in cleansing the heart of evil at every level. Whether layperson or renunciant, the more one stills the wrong within oneself, the nearer one draws to true asceticism.

Verse 266

This verse was spoken concerning the story of a certain brahmin, who supposed that he too was a monk because he likewise went about begging for food.

The Buddha pointed out that a person is not a monk (bhikkhu) merely by begging food from others. And one who still embraces a poisonous way of conduct — still bearing evil conduct in body, speech, and mind, as the commentary explains — is not yet called a monk either.

The reflection is this: an outward occupation or gesture does not determine renunciation. What determines it is pure conduct. One who still bears poison — the evil within — remains far from being a true monk.

Verse 267

This verse continues from the one before, concerning the story of a certain brahmin.

Where the previous verse said that merely begging food does not make one a monk, this verse shows that one who has cast away both merit and demerit — no longer clinging even to good and evil, but risen above both — who lives the holy life (brahmacariya) and moves through the world with discernment, seeing through all things with understanding, that one alone is called a monk.

The reflection is this: a true monk is not merely one who carries an alms bowl on the round; rather, it is one whose heart is free from clinging and who lives by penetrating wisdom. This is the true goal of one who takes up the renunciant's life.

Verse 268

This verse was spoken to the monks concerning the story of the sectarians (titthiya), those ascetics outside the Dispensation who kept silence as an observance.

The Buddha pointed out that a person is not a sage (muni) — one who knows and is calm — merely by sitting silent if within one is still deluded and knows nothing. The silence of a confused person is worthless. On the contrary, the wise one takes up only what is good and casts off what is evil, as if using a scale to weigh and distinguish.

The reflection is this: true calm must come together with wisdom. Outward silence has no meaning if the heart is still dark. One must know how to reflect, choosing the good and discarding the evil; only then is it a silence endowed with wisdom.

Verse 269

This verse continues from the one before, spoken to the monks concerning the story of the sectarians.

This verse shows further that one who weighs and chooses until utterly abstaining from all evils, that one indeed is a true sage. And one who comprehends both worlds — this world and the next, or both the inner aggregates and the outer sense-bases — is likewise called a sage. The commentary points out that this pair of verses is joined together as one whole.

The reflection is this: a true sage (muni) is one whose wisdom penetrates the reality of the world through and through, and who then decisively abstains from evil. Being a knower lies not in outward display, but in true realization and the actual abandoning of evil.

Verse 270

This verse was spoken concerning the story of a fisherman named Ariya. When the Buddha asked his name, the fisherman replied that his name was Ariya.

The Buddha pointed out that a person is not a noble one (ariya) — one who is truly excellent — merely by bearing such a name. So long as one still harms living beings, injuring the lives of others, one is not noble. The one who can truly be called noble is the one who is harmless toward all living beings, founded upon loving-kindness and compassion.

The reflection is this: nobility lies not in a name or in birth, but in one's deeds. One who harms no one and holds a heart of loving-kindness toward all beings — that one is the truly noble.

Verse 271

This verse was spoken to the monks concerning the story of several monks fully endowed with virtue and the like, who were content with their own attainments to the point of heedlessness.

The Buddha warned that a monk should not yet grow complacent merely by virtue and observances — which the commentary explains as the fourfold purifying virtue (pārisuddhi-sīla) — nor by great learning (bāhusacca) — mastering the Tipiṭaka — nor by the attainment of concentration — the eight meditative attainments (samāpatti) — nor by dwelling in seclusion. Excellent as these qualities are, they are not yet the final goal.

This verse carries on into the next. The preliminary reflection is this: do not cling to attainments along the way and so forget the true goal, which is liberation.

Verse 272

This verse continues from the one before, spoken to the several monks fully endowed with virtue and the like, as the conclusion of the warning.

The Buddha warned that even though a monk may clearly know that he has touched the bliss of renunciation (nekkhamma-sukha) — which the commentary points to as the bliss of the non-returner (anāgāmī), a bliss that ordinary people have never tasted — still, so long as he has not attained the destruction of the taints (āsavakkhaya) — has not yet reached arahantship — he should not grow complacent or presume that this is enough.

The reflection is this: in the practice of the Dhamma, do not halt midway out of contentment with the progress attained. So long as the defilements are not yet ended, one should strive onward with heedfulness, until reaching the true end of suffering.