Dhammaṭṭhavaggo : Chapter 19. Dhamma-follower
Dhamma is “truth“. It is also the teaching of the Buddha, but with or without the Buddha, truth remains unchanged because it is a law of nature and a principle of the universe. Dhamma is what is accepted as true on solid grounds, a fact perceived as it is and without error.
Therefore, Dhamma can be taken in a broad sense: constitution (or nature of a thing), norm, law (jus), doctrine; justice, righteousness; quality; thing, object of mind “phenomenon“.
Gautama Buddha was the one who verbalised this truth and taught it in an easy-to-understand way.
DhP.19-256
Na tena hoti dhammaṭṭho, not because-of be dhamma-follow yenatthaṃ sāhasā naye; where-reason arbitrarily lead Yo ca atthaṃ anatthañca, who but reason unreasonable or ubho niccheyya paṇḍito. both determine wise
A forceful decision does not follow the Dhamma.
The wise man makes decisions
based on what is reasonable or
what is unjust or both.
explanation
The monks saw that the judges were very quick to close cases after receiving bribes. The monks reported this to the Buddha, who recounted this verse and the next.
DhP.19-257
Asāhasena dhammena, not-arbitrarily by-dhamma samena nayatī pare; by-correctnes lead others Dhammassa gutto medhāvī, dhamma protect wise ‘‘dhammaṭṭho’’ti pavuccati. dhamma-follow called
A wise man who leads others
by reason through the Dhamma
and not by force,
and who protects the Dhamma,
is a “Dhamma-follower“.
explanation
It is very easy to judge people and to point out their faults and what is wrong with them. This is because every person has made faults, and no one is perfect in this world.
That is why when judging people, we have to take them thoroughly into account. We must listen to all points of view and look at the issue from all angles. Only then can we make a judgement based on the truth and say that it is ‘following of the Dhamma‘.
DhP.19-258
Na tena paṇḍito hoti, not because-of wise be yāvatā bahu bhāsati; as-far-as much speak Khemī averī abhayo, peaceful not-hatred fearless ‘‘paṇḍito’’ti pavuccati. wise called
One talks a lot does not mean one is wise.
One who is calm,
free from hate and fear
called “the wise“.
explanation
Talking is merely an outlet for emotions. No matter how much you talk about your subjectivity, nothing will be conveyed to others. Only objective facts should be talked about.
DhP.19-259
Na tāvatā dhammadharo, not by-it dhamma-holder yāvatā bahu bhāsati; as-far-as much speak Yo ca appampi sutvāna, who but little only heared dhammaṃ kāyena passati; dhamma by-body see Sa ve dhammadharo hoti, he certainly dhamma-holder be yo dhammaṃ nappamajjati. who dhamma not-neglect
Talking a lot is not enough
to be a Dhamma holder.
One who only hears a little
but observes the Dhamma
through own body
and does not neglect the Dhamma
is a Dhamma holder.
explanation
Quality is far more important than quantity when it comes to understanding the Dhamma. Even if you remember only one verse, if you understand it completely, it is far better than remembering all the Buddha’s words and not understanding their meaning.
DhP.19-260
Na tena thero so hoti, not because-of eldest he be yenassa palitaṃ siro; because-of grey-hair head Paripakko vayo tassa, ripe age his ‘‘moghajiṇṇo’’ti vuccati. empty-of grey-hair head
Just because someone has grey hair
does not mean that he is a thera or elder.
If he just gets older is a “useless elder“.
explanation
An elder is not simply an old man who has grown old; even a seven-year-old child, an enlightened Arahan, is an elder. He is not a person of age, but a person of wisdom.
DhP.19-261
Yamhi saccañca dhammo ca, who Truth and dhamma and ahiṃsā saṃyamo damo; not-hurting self-control restraint Sa ve vantamalo dhīro, he certainly stainless ‘‘thero’’ iti pavuccati. eldest called
A wise man who understands truth and Dhamma,
is non-violent, self-controlled, trained
and free from mental impurity
is the only one who can be called an “elder“.
explanation
Understanding the Four Noble Truths, only those with pure minds who do not harm others can be called elders.
DhP.19-262
Na vākkaraṇamattena, not language-measure vaṇṇapokkharatāya vā; appearance-beauty or Sādhurūpo naro hoti, good-form person be issukī maccharī saṭho. jealous niggardly crafty
One who is well-spoken
and good-looking,
but jealous, selfish and cunning,
is not a respectable person.
explanation
If you want to be respected, you must clean your mind. It is impossible to be respected by others if you hate, envy or are selfish. Hiding behind a mask of kind words and a smile may fool someone, but only for a short while. Sooner or later, everyone finds out who you really are and respect quickly disappears.
DhP.19-263
Yassa cetaṃ samucchinnaṃ, who and-this cut-off mūlaghaccaṃ samūhataṃ; uprooted removed Sa vantadoso medhāvī, he abandon-anger wise ‘‘sādhurūpo’’ti vuccati. good-form called
But the wise man who cuts them off,
uprooted and removed them
and abandons his anger
is a “respectable person“.
explanation
Issā (jealousy), macchariya (sparing = selfish) saṭha (cunning). These are all mental functions based on “dosa (anger)”. Jealousy is anger that others have what you don’t have. Sparing is, conversely, anger that others do not want to touch what you have. Cunning is about outwitting others to gain advantage for oneself. It is only concerned with one’s own interests and does not consider the position of others at all.
In any case, it is an anger that wants to increase what we don’t have and not decrease what we do have. It is not only objects and persons that we want to enclose, but also information.
DhP.19-264
Na muṇḍakena samaṇo, not shaveling-head samana abbato alikaṃ bhaṇaṃ; without-moral lie tell Icchālobhasamāpanno, wish-greed-entered-upon samaṇo kiṃ bhavissati. samana why become
One who lies without morals
is not samana,
even if he shaves his head.
How can one who seeks after greed be a samana?
explanation
In this world, high monk kisses a boy and demands that he sucks his tongue iin what he calls a traditional greeting. So it is no wonder that there are so many monks in the world who have no moral and are not afraid to tell lies.
DhP.19-265
Yo ca sameti pāpāni, who but calmed evil aṇuṃ thūlāni sabbaso; small big altogether Samitattā hi pāpānaṃ, state-of-being-calmed certainly evil ‘‘samaṇo’’ti pavuccati. samana called
One who has calmed all evils,
big and small,
is called a “samana (quiet person)”
because of the state of calmed evil.
explanation
Sammati (calm / pp.samita) = sama (calmness).
DhP.19-266
Na tena bhikkhu so hoti, not because-of bhikku he be yāvatā bhikkhate pare; as-far-as beg-for-food others Vissaṃ dhammaṃ samādāya, degenerate dhamma having-accepted bhikkhu hoti na tāvatā. bhikku be not to-that-extent
Begging others for things is not a bhikku.
If he receives what he wants,
then he is not a bhikku.
explanation
Bhikkhu is a person who is fully ordained and practices asceticism by begging for alms. They earn their daily food by begging for alms, which originally meant ‘beggar‘, but bhikkhus do not beg. They simply stand silently at the door. They only receive alms given voluntarily by their supporters.
To beg for something is to want something. Bhikku lives to completely destroy the greed of wanting. So they do not beg.
DhP.19-267
Yodha puññañca pāpañca, who-here good-and evil-and bāhetvā brahmacariyavā; having-removed ascetic-way-of-life Saṅkhāya loke carati, in-consideration-of world to-walk sa ve ‘‘bhikkhū’’ti vuccati. he certainly bhikku called
Removing both good and evil,
those who lead an ascetic life
and act thoughtfully in the world
are the “bhikku“.
explanation
Bhikku observes the precepts by his own will and lives a life of purity, poverty and celibacy. A Bhikku aiming for liberation stops doing evil deeds, but also stops doing good deeds for accumulate merit. Even the judgement of bad or good must be overcome.
DhP.19-268
Na monena munī hoti, not silence muni be mūḷharūpo aviddasu; confusing ignorant Yo ca tulaṃva paggayha, who or balance-scales-as taken-up varamādāya paṇḍito. best-take sage
Even if he is silent,
he is not a muni (silent person)
if he is confused and ignorant.
A sage man picks out
what is superior, like a scale.
explanation
Muni is originally one who has made the vow of silence. Continued at 269.
DhP.19-269
Pāpāni parivajjeti, evil avoid sa munī tena so muni; he muni because-of he knew Yo munāti ubho loke, who know both world ‘‘muni’’ tena pavuccati. muni because-of called
Muni (silent ones) avoid evil things
because he knows them.
He knows the both of the world,
so he is called a “muni (sage)”.
explanation
Muni=aor. of munāti (know). So muni is sage and silence person.
Silence does not necessarily mean the wise. Sometimes people are silent because they have nothing to say, or because they are immature and do not know what is happening. A person who understands the duality of the world, who is not attached to anything, who knows what is evil and avoids it, can truly be called sage.
There is no absolute good or evil in the world. Like the two sides of everything, both contain aspects that are dissimilar to each other. For example, ‘kindness and cruelty’ or ‘love of new things and fear of change’.
DhP.19-270
Na tena ariyo hoti, not because-of saint be yena pāṇāni hiṃsati; who living-being kill Ahiṃsā sabbapāṇānaṃ, not-kill all-living-being ‘‘ariyo’’ti pavuccati. saint called
Ariya kills living beings,
he is not a saint.
One who is non-violent
towards all living beings
is called a “Ariya (saint)”.
explanation
A fisherman named Ariya caught and sold fish. This verse says that killing living beings is unworthy of the name Ariya (saint).
DhP.19-271
Na sīlabbatamattena, not precepts discipline bāhusaccena vā pana; great-learning or and Atha vā samādhilābhena, then or concentration-attain vivittasayanena vā. separated-sleeping or
Nor by hearing many truths,
nor by precepts or discipline,
nor by having attained meditation,
nor by living in seclusion.
episode
During the Buddha’s time, there were many ordained people practising the Dhamma, but not all of them reached enlightenment immediately. Some of them kept the precepts perfectly or were very virtuous. There were also people who had learned a lot of Buddha’s preaching and were good at meditation.
Buddha asked them if they had enlightened themselves. They replied that they had not yet, but since they had achieved so much, they would soon. The Buddha Admonished. in this verse and next.
DhP.19-272
Phusāmi nekkhammasukhaṃ, reach-I renunciation-easy aputhujjanasevitaṃ; not-ordinary-person-practised Bhikkhu vissāsamāpādi, bhikku confidence-do-not-step appatto āsavakkhayaṃ. not-obtained stain-destruction
Just because you have attained a calm and quiet mind
that ordinary people cannot relate to,
Bhikkhu,
if you have not destroyed the defilements of the mind,
do not be overconfident that only one step away.
explanation
Gaining enlightenment is not easy. It should not be compared to other tasks. Even if we have developed our concentration, learnt a lot of truths and are really moral and spiritual people, these tasks are very easy compared to the final goal. Only when we reach the final goal, nirvana, and remove all the defilements from our minds, can we be assured that we have done what we need to do.
Dhammaṭṭhavaggo ekūnavīsatimo niṭṭhito. Dhamma-following-chapter 19th finish
19. The Dhamma-follower Chapter is ended.