19. The Just · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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notNa
by thattena
one becomeshoti
justdhammaṭṭho,
which + caseyenatthaṁ
hastilysāhasā
one judgesnaye;
whoYo
andca
what is pertinentatthaṁ
not·pertinent·whatanatthañca,
bothubho
evaluatesniccheyya
astute personpaṇḍito.
You don’t become just by passing hasty judgment. An astute person evaluates both what is pertinent and what is irrelevant.
not·hasteAsāhasena
with dhammadhammena,
impartiallysamena
judgesnayatī
otherspare;
of the dhammaDhammassa
guardiangutto
wise onemedhāvī,
dhamma·established“dhammaṭṭho”ti
is said to bepavuccati.
A wise one judges others without haste, justly and impartially; that guardian of the law is said to be just.
notNa
by thattena
an astute scholarpaṇḍito
ishoti,
becauseyāvatā
a lotbahu
speaksbhāsati;
secureKhemī
free of·enmityaverī
fearlessabhayo,
astute + thus“paṇḍito”ti
is said to bepavuccati.
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.
notNa
by that muchtāvatā
a bearer of the teachingdhammadharo,
merelyyāvatā
muchbahu
recitesbhāsati;
whoeverYo
andca
little·evenappampi
having heardsutvāna,
the teachingdhammaṁ
with the bodykāyena
seespassati;
heSa
indeedve
a bearer of the teachingdhammadharo
ishoti,
whoyo
the teachingdhammaṁ
not·neglectnappamajjati.
You’re not one who has memorized the teaching just because you recite a lot. Someone who directly sees the teaching after hearing only a little is truly one who has memorized the teaching, for they can never forget it.
notNa
by thattena
an elderthero
heso
becomeshoti,
because of whichyenassa
grey-hairedpalitaṁ
headsiro;
ripeParipakko
agevayo
of himtassa,
“aged in vain,”“moghajiṇṇo”ti
is calledvuccati.
You don’t become a senior by getting some grey hairs; for one ripe only in age, is said to have aged in vain.
in whomYamhi
truth + andsaccañca
principledhammo
andca,
non·harmingahiṁsā
together·controlsaṁyamo
self-controldamo;
heSa
indeedve
vomited·stainvantamalo
wisedhīro,
“senior”“thero”
thusiti
is calledpavuccati.
One who is truthful and principled, harmless, restrained, and self-controlled, attentive, purged of stains, is said to be a senior.
notNa
speech·making·merevākkaraṇamattena,
complexion·beautyvaṇṇapokkharatāya
orvā;
holySādhurūpo
a personnaro
becomeshoti,
jealousissukī
stingymaccharī
devioussaṭho.
Not by mere enunciation, or a beautiful complexion does a person become holy, if they’re jealous, stingy, and devious.
of whomYassa
this·thiscetaṁ
completely·cut outsamucchinnaṁ,
root·dug upmūlaghaccaṁ
completely·eradicatedsamūhataṁ;
thatSa
vomited, purged·vicevantadoso
intelligent onemedhāvī,
holy·quotation marker“sādhurūpo”ti
is saidvuccati.
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.
notNa
by shaven headmuṇḍakena
an asceticsamaṇo,
breaker of vowsabbato
a liealikaṁ
speakingbhaṇaṁ;
endowed with desire and greedIcchālobhasamāpanno,
an asceticsamaṇo
howkiṁ
will becomebhavissati.
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?
whoYo
andca
together·gosameti
wicked deedspāpāni,
small·greataṇuṁthūlāni
in every waysabbaso;
because of stoppingSamitattā
indeedhi
of wicked deedspāpānaṁ,
ascetic + quotation marker“samaṇo”ti
is said to bepavuccati.
One who stops all wicked deeds, great and small, because of stopping wicked deeds is said to be an ascetic.
notNa
by thattena
a mendicantbhikkhu
heso
becomeshoti,
as far asyāvatā
begsbhikkhate
from otherspare;
domestic dutiesVissaṁ
dhammadhammaṁ
having undertakensamādāya,
a mendicantbhikkhu
becomeshoti
notna
to that extenttāvatā.
You don’t become a mendicant just by begging from others. One who has undertaken domestic duties has not yet become a mendicant.
who + hereYodha
merit + andpuññañca
evil + andpāpañca,
having banishedbāhetvā
living a spiritual life;brahmacariyavā;
having appraisedSaṅkhāya
the worldloke
wanders,carati,
hesa
indeedve
mendicant + quotation-marker“bhikkhū”ti
is said.vuccati.
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.
notNa
by being sagelikemonena
a sagemunī
becomeshoti,
confused·formmūḷharūpo
not·knowingaviddasu;
whoYo
andca
scale + liketulaṁva
holdspaggayha,
best + takingvaramādāya
astute onepaṇḍito.
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,
bad deedsPāpāni
around·avoidparivajjeti,
hesa
a sagemunī
therebytena
heso
a sagemuni;
whoYo
weighsmunāti
bothubho
in the worldloke,
a sage“muni”
therebytena
forth·saypavuccati.
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.
notNa
by thattena
a noble oneariyo
becomeshoti,
by whichyena
living beingspāṇāni
harmshiṁsati;
harmlessnessAhiṁsā
toward all living beingssabbapāṇānaṁ,
“a noble one”“ariyo”ti
is said to bepavuccati.
You don’t become a noble one by harming living beings. One harmless toward all living beings is said to be a noble one.
notNa
precept·observance·meresīlabbatamattena,
much·learningbāhusaccena
orvā
andpana;
thenAtha
orvā
meditative·immersionsamādhilābhena,
seclusion·livingvivittasayanena
orvā.
Not by precepts and observances, nor by much learning, nor by meditative immersion, nor by living in seclusion,
I experiencePhusāmi
renunciation·blissnekkhammasukhaṁ,
not·ordinary person·frequentaputhujjanasevitaṁ;
a mendicantBhikkhu
confidence·attainvissāsamāpādi,
not·attainedappatto
defilement·endāsavakkhayaṁ.
just·chapterDhammaṭṭhavaggo
less by one·twentyekūnavīsatimo.
do I experience the bliss of renunciation not frequented by ordinary people. A mendicant cannot rest confident without attaining the end of defilements.
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