The Just

Na tena hoti dhammaṭṭho,yenatthaṁ sāhasā naye;Yo ca atthaṁ anatthañca,ubho niccheyya paṇḍito.

न तेन होति धम्मट्ठो,येनत्थं साहसा नये ।यो च अत्थं अनत्थञ्च,उभो निच्छेय्य पण्डितो ॥

You don’t become just by passing hasty judgment. An astute person evaluates both what is pertinent and what is irrelevant.

Asāhasena dhammena,samena nayatī pare;Dhammassa gutto medhāvī,“dhammaṭṭho”ti pavuccati.

असाहसेन धम्मेन,समेन नयती परे ।धम्मस्स गुत्तो मेधावी,“धम्मट्ठो”ति पवुच्चति ॥

A wise one judges others without haste, justly and impartially; that guardian of the law is said to be just.

Na tena paṇḍito hoti,yāvatā bahu bhāsati;Khemī averī abhayo,“paṇḍito”ti pavuccati.

न तेन पण्डितो होति,यावता बहु भासति ।खेमी अवेरी अभयो,“पण्डितो”ति पवुच्चति ॥

You’re not an astute scholar just because you speak a lot. One who is secure, free of enmity and fear, is said to be astute.

Yamhi saccañca dhammo ca,ahiṁsā saṁyamo damo;Sa ve vantamalo dhīro,“thero” iti pavuccati.

यम्हि सच्चञ्च धम्मो च,अहिंसा संयमो दमो ।स वे वन्तमलो धीरो,“थेरो” इति पवुच्चति ॥

One who is truthful and principled, harmless, restrained, and self-controlled, attentive, purged of stains, is said to be a senior.

Na vākkaraṇamattena,vaṇṇapokkharatāya vā;Sādhurūpo naro hoti,issukī maccharī saṭho.

न वाक्करणमत्तेन,वण्णपोक्खरताय वा ।साधुरूपो नरो होति,इस्सुकी मच्छरी सठो ॥

Not by mere enunciation, or a beautiful complexion does a person become holy, if they’re jealous, stingy, and devious.

Yassa cetaṁ samucchinnaṁ,mūlaghaccaṁ samūhataṁ;Sa vantadoso medhāvī,“sādhurūpo”ti vuccati.

यस्स चेतं समुच्छिन्नं,मूलघच्चं समूहतं ।स वन्तदोसो मेधावी,“साधुरूपो”ति वुच्चति ॥

But if they’ve cut that out, dug it up at the root, eradicated it, that intelligent one, purged of vice, is said to be holy.

Na muṇḍakena samaṇo,abbato alikaṁ bhaṇaṁ;Icchālobhasamāpanno,samaṇo kiṁ bhavissati.

न मुण्डकेन समणो,अब्बतो अलिकं भणं ।इच्छालोभसमापन्नो,समणो किं भविस्सति ॥

A liar and breaker of vows is no ascetic just because they shave their head. How on earth can one be an ascetic who’s full of desire and greed?

Yo ca sameti pāpāni,aṇuṁthūlāni sabbaso;Samitattā hi pāpānaṁ,“samaṇo”ti pavuccati.

यो च समेति पापानि,अणुंथूलानि सब्बसो ।समितत्ता हि पापानं,“समणो”ति पवुच्चति ॥

One who stops all wicked deeds, great and small, because of stopping wicked deeds is said to be an ascetic.

Na tena bhikkhu so hoti,yāvatā bhikkhate pare;Vissaṁ dhammaṁ samādāya,bhikkhu hoti na tāvatā.

न तेन भिक्खु सो होति,यावता भिक्खते परे ।विस्सं धम्मं समादाय,भिक्खु होति न तावता ॥

You don’t become a mendicant just by begging from others. One who has undertaken domestic duties has not yet become a mendicant.

Yodha puññañca pāpañca,bāhetvā brahmacariyavā;Saṅkhāya loke carati,sa ve “bhikkhū”ti vuccati.

योध पुञ्ञञ्च पापञ्च,बाहेत्वा ब्रह्मचरियवा ।सङ्खाय लोके चरति,स वे “भिक्खू”ति वुच्चति ॥

But one living a spiritual life, who has banished both merit and evil, who wanders having appraised the world, is said to be a mendicant.

Na monena munī hoti,mūḷharūpo aviddasu;Yo ca tulaṁva paggayha,varamādāya paṇḍito.

न मोनेन मुनी होति,मूळ्हरूपो अविद्दसु ।यो च तुलंव पग्गय्ह,वरमादाय पण्डितो ॥

You don’t become a sage by being sagelike, while still confused and ignorant. The astute one who holds the scales, taking only the best,

Pāpāni parivajjeti,sa munī tena so muni;Yo munāti ubho loke,“muni” tena pavuccati.

पापानि परिवज्जेति,स मुनी तेन सो मुनि ।यो मुनाति उभो लोके,“मुनि” तेन पवुच्चति ॥

and shunning the bad, that is a sage, and that is how one becomes a sage. One who sagely weighs both in the world, is thereby said to be a sage.

Na sīlabbatamattena,bāhusaccena vā pana;Atha vā samādhilābhena,vivittasayanena vā.

न सीलब्बतमत्तेन,बाहुसच्चेन वा पन ।अथ वा समाधिलाभेन,विवित्तसयनेन वा ॥

Not by precepts and observances, nor by much learning, nor by meditative immersion, nor by living in seclusion,

Phusāmi nekkhammasukhaṁ,aputhujjanasevitaṁ;Bhikkhu vissāsamāpādi,appatto āsavakkhayaṁ.Dhammaṭṭhavaggo ekūnavīsatimo.

फुसामि नेक्खम्मसुखं,अपुथुज्जनसेवितं ।भिक्खु विस्सासमापादि,अप्पत्तो आसवक्खयं ॥धम्मट्ठवग्गो एकूनवीसतिमो ॥

do I experience the bliss of renunciation not frequented by ordinary people. A mendicant cannot rest confident without attaining the end of defilements.