Pāpa Vagga — The Chapter on Evil

Verse 116

This verse was spoken concerning the brahmin Cūḷekasāṭaka, who owned but a single outer cloth, and was taught to the monks about the folly of putting off the doing of good.

The Buddha pointed out that when a wholesome thought arises, one should hasten to make merit without delay, and at the same time restrain the mind from evil. For when merit-making is postponed or the heart hesitates, that very gap gives the mind an opening to incline toward delight in evil. The nature of an untrained mind flows downward easily, like water running to low ground.

The lesson is this: a good deed you intend to do today should not be pushed off to tomorrow, for the resolve to do good tends to fade as time slips by. Seize the moment and act at once, while the heart is still ready.

Verse 117

This verse was spoken to the Elder Seyyasaka, concerning not repeating evil and not becoming enchanted by it.

Even though a person may have slipped and done evil, they should not repeat that evil, nor should they set their delight upon it. Here evil means misconduct of body, speech, or mind, or an unwholesome thought that arises, for the accumulation of evil brings suffering, little by little until it becomes a great heap.

The lesson is this: to err is human, but what is more dangerous than the first fault is repeating the wrong until it becomes a habit and beginning to take pleasure in it. Stop at the very outset; do not let it become a fixed nature.

Verse 118

This verse was spoken to the deity Lājā, who had once offered parched grain to an elder and thereby gained heavenly fortune; it is the counterpart to the preceding verse.

As for merit, once a person has made it, they should do it again and again, and may set their delight fully upon that merit, for the accumulation of merit brings happiness, both in the present and in the future. Unlike evil, which the heart must be restrained from, merit is a thing that the more one delights in it, the more one does it, and the better it is.

The lesson is this: small good deeds done consistently gather into happiness and a beautiful character. Delight in giving, in keeping the precepts, and in developing the mind, and make these a regular practice of your life.

Verse 119

This verse was spoken to Anāthapiṇḍika the treasurer and the deity who dwelt at the gateway of his house, concerning the results of deeds that have not yet appeared.

The Buddha pointed out that so long as evil has not yet ripened, the evil-doer still sees that evil as something good, because they are still enjoying happiness and success, and so mistakenly believe that what they have done is right. But when the evil ripens and yields its fruit, then they at last see the evil as it truly is—as something truly evil.

The lesson is this: do not judge right and wrong merely by the immediate result, for a deed has its own time of ripening. The happiness of the evil-doer is only the interval before the fruit arrives, not a guarantee that what they did was good.

Verse 120

This verse was spoken on the same occasion as the previous one, to Anāthapiṇḍika the treasurer and the deity who dwelt there; it is the reverse side, concerning good deeds.

So long as a good deed has not yet ripened, a good person may feel that the good they have done has instead brought them hardship, and so they see the good deed as though it were a bad thing. But when the good deed ripens and yields its fruit, then they clearly perceive that the good deed is truly good, bringing real happiness and prosperity.

The lesson is this: do not lose heart in doing good merely because you do not yet see the result before your eyes. Good is like a seed that needs time to grow. Keep doing good with patience, and its beautiful fruit will surely arrive in its own time.

Verse 121

This verse was spoken concerning a certain monk who did not care for his requisites, leaving his bed and bench out in the open without heed, and was taught to the monks.

The Buddha warned: do not make light of evil, thinking it too small to reach you, for just as even a large water pot is filled by drops that fall one by one, so when a fool accumulates evil little by little, they too become filled with evil.

The lesson is this: heedlessness toward small wrongs is the source of great harm, for small evils done until they become habit build up without one's noticing. Beware even the smallest evil; do not let it accumulate.

Verse 122

This verse was spoken to Biḷālapādaka, a treasurer of Sāvatthī, who urged others to make merit but was himself miserly; it is the counterpart to the preceding verse.

The Buddha warned: do not make light of merit, thinking it too small to come to you, for just as even a water pot is filled by drops one by one, so when a wise person accumulates merit even little by little, they become filled to the brim with merit.

The lesson is this: do not think that a small merit is meaningless. Giving even a little, done consistently, gathers together into a great store of merit. Begin to do good with what lies within your means; do not wait to have much before you act.

Verse 123

This verse was spoken to the monks, concerning a merchant of great wealth who traveled far with careful watchfulness against danger.

The Buddha compared it thus: a person should shun all evils, as a merchant with much wealth but few companions avoids a road beset by danger, and as one who loves life avoids poison. Here it means: do not think that because you have done only a little evil, it will not bear fruit.

The lesson is this: the wise person assesses risk and avoids danger from the very start, not walking heedlessly into harm. Beware evil as you would beware poison, for both bring ruin in equal measure.

Verse 124

This verse was spoken to the monks, concerning the deer-hunter named Kukkuṭamitta and his wife, who followed him in the hunt.

The Buddha compared it thus: if the palm has no wound, a person may take hold of poison without harm, for poison cannot enter where there is no wound; just so, there is no evil for one who does no evil. That is, one who has a pure intention and does not join in unwholesome deeds is not stained by evil even amid such circumstances.

The lesson is this: a deed is accomplished by intention. One who has no malicious mind and does not commit evil is safe from the fruits of evil, just as a hand without a wound is safe from poison.

Verse 125

This verse was spoken concerning the dog-hunter named Koka, who harmed a pure one and thereby met with an evil result upon himself; it was taught to a certain monk.

The Buddha pointed out that whoever offends against one who offends not—a pure person free from the defilement that is like a hillock, that is, without stain of mind—that evil returns to the fool who did it himself, like fine dust thrown against the wind, which flies back to soil the face of the one who threw it.

The lesson is this: to harm a pure one is a grave evil, and its result reflects back upon the doer unfailingly. Beware of harming others, especially those who are without fault, for that deed will return to harm oneself.

Verse 126

This verse was spoken to the monks, concerning the Elder Tissa who frequented the household of a gem-cutter, about the destinies of beings according to the deeds they do.

The Buddha set forth the four destinies to which beings go according to their deeds: some beings are born into the womb (here meaning the human womb); those who do evil deeds go to hell; those who do good go to heaven; and those who have exhausted the taints attain Nibbāna, no longer having to wander on.

The lesson is this: life after death is no matter of chance but proceeds according to the deeds one has accumulated. The highest goal is liberation; whoever hopes to be freed from suffering should therefore purify the mind until the defiling taints are ended.

Verse 127

This verse was spoken to the monks, concerning three groups of people who each met with the fruit of their deeds in various places.

The Buddha pointed out that an evil-doer cannot flee from the fruit of their evil deed, whether they soar into the sky, dive into the middle of the sea, or slip into a mountain cleft; there is no place to hide, for there is no spot of ground where an evil-doer may stand and be freed from the fruit of their deeds.

The lesson is this: one's deeds follow the doer everywhere, and there is no hiding place anywhere in the world. The only way to have no dread of the fruit of evil is not to do evil in the first place, for once it is done, one cannot escape it.

Verse 128

This verse was spoken to the monks, concerning Suppabuddha the Sakyan, who met his death as had been foretold; it is the companion to the preceding verse but concerns death.

The Buddha pointed out that no one can escape death, whether they soar into the sky, dive into the middle of the sea, or slip into a mountain cleft; for there is no spot of ground where a person may stand and not be overcome by death. The King of Death overtakes everyone, sparing not even the mighty.

The lesson is this: death is certain and unavoidable; no power, wealth, or hiding place can ward it off. Knowing this, one should therefore be heedful in life, hastening to accumulate goodness and to purify the mind this very day, before that day arrives.