Bālapaṇḍitasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 129

The Foolish and the Astute · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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thusEvaṁ by meme heardsutaṁ—
oneekaṁ timesamayaṁ the Buddhabhagavā at Sāvatthīsāvatthiyaṁ was stayingviharati in Jeta’s Grovejetavane of Anāthapiṇḍikaanāthapiṇḍikassa in the monasteryārāme.
thereTatra indeedkho the Buddhabhagavā the mendicantsbhikkhū addressedāmantesi:
mendicant·quotation marker“bhikkhavo”ti.
venerable·quotation marker“Bhadante”ti theyte mendicantsbhikkhū to the Buddhabhagavato they repliedpaccassosuṁ.
the BuddhaBhagavā this·speaketadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

these three“Tīṇimāni, monksbhikkhave, of a foolbālassa fool·characteristicsbālalakkhaṇāni fool·signsbālanimittāni manifestations of a foolbālāpadānāni.
whatKatamāni threetīṇi?
hereIdha, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālo badly·thought·thinkingduccintitacintī andca ishoti badly·spoken·speakingdubbhāsitabhāsī andca badly·done·actingdukkaṭakammakārī andca.
notNo thiscetaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālo badly·thought·thinkingduccintitacintī andca would have beenabhavissa badly·spoken·speakingdubbhāsitabhāsī andca badly·done·actingdukkaṭakammakārī andca by whatkena himnaṁ the astutepaṇḍitā would knowjāneyyuṁ:
fool‘bālo thisayaṁ worthy onebhavaṁ untrue personasappuriso’ti?
sinceYasmā andca indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālo badly·thought·thinkingduccintitacintī andca ishoti badly·spoken·speakingdubbhāsitabhāsī andca badly·done·actingdukkaṭakammakārī andca thereforetasmā himnaṁ the astutepaṇḍitā knowjānanti:
fool‘bālo thisayaṁ worthy onebhavaṁ untrue personasappuriso’ti.

“These are the three characteristics, signs, and manifestations of a fool. What three? A fool thinks poorly, speaks poorly, and acts poorly. If a fool didn’t think poorly, speak poorly, and act poorly, then how would the astute know of them, ‘This worthy one is a fool, an untrue person’? But since a fool does think poorly, speak poorly, and act poorly, then the astute do know of them, ‘This worthy one is a fool, an untrue person’.

thatSa indeedkho he, that oneso, monks,bhikkhave, a foolbālo threefoldtividhaṁ in this very lifediṭṭheva in the teachingdhamme sufferingdukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ experiencespaṭisaṁvedeti.
if,Sace, monks,bhikkhave, a foolbālo in a council hallsabhāyaṁ orvā sittingnisinno ishoti, in a streetrathikāya orvā sittingnisinno ishoti, at a crossroadsiṅghāṭake orvā sittingnisinno is;hoti;
theretatra ifce peoplejano propertajjaṁ fittingtassāruppaṁ talkkathaṁ discuss.manteti.
if,Sace, monks,bhikkhave, a foolbālo one who kills living creaturespāṇātipātī is,hoti, one who stealsadinnādāyī is,hoti, one who commits sexual misconductkāmesumicchācārī is,hoti, one who liesmusāvādī is,hoti, one who consumes intoxicantssurāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhāyī is.hoti.
there,Tatra, monks,bhikkhave, to the foolbālassa thusevaṁ is:hoti:
what‘yaṁ indeedkho peoplejano propertajjaṁ fittingtassāruppaṁ talkkathaṁ discuss,manteti,
are foundsaṁvijjanteva thosete thingsdhammā in me,mayi, and Iahañca in thosetesu thingsdhammesu am seensandissāmī’ti.
this,Idaṁ, monks,bhikkhave, a foolbālo firstpaṭhamaṁ in this very lifediṭṭheva in the teachingdhamme sufferingdukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ experiences.paṭisaṁvedeti.

A fool experiences three kinds of suffering and sadness in this very life. Suppose a fool is sitting in a council hall, a street, or a crossroad, where people are discussing what is proper and fitting. And suppose that fool is someone who kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, lies, and consumes intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. Then that fool thinks, ‘These people are discussing what is proper and fitting. But those bad things are found in me and I exhibit them!’ This is the first kind of suffering and sadness that a fool experiences in this very life.

Furthermore, a fool sees that the kings have arrested a bandit, a criminal, and subjected them to various punishments— whipping, caning, and clubbing; cutting off hands or feet, or both; cutting off ears or nose, or both; the ‘porridge pot’, the ‘shell-shave’, the ‘Rāhu’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘bulrush twist’, the ‘bark dress’, the ‘antelope’, the ‘meat hook’, the ‘coins’, the ‘caustic pickle’, the ‘twisting bar’, the ‘straw mat’; being splashed with hot oil, being fed to the hounds, being impaled alive, and being beheaded. Then that fool thinks, ‘The kinds of deeds for which the kings inflict such punishments— those things are found in me and I exhibit them!

I·and·tooMañcepi kingsrājāno they would knowjāneyyuṁ, me·toomampi kingsrājāno having takengahetvā variousvividhā act·makingkammakāraṇā they would inflictkāreyyuṁ—
whips·tookasāhipi they would striketāḷeyyuṁ …pe……pe… living·evenjīvantampi on a stakesūle they would impaleuttāseyyuṁ, sword·tooasināpi headsīsaṁ they would cut offchindeyyun’ti.
this tooIdampi, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālo seconddutiyaṁ seen·verydiṭṭheva in the dhammadhamme sufferingdukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ he experiencespaṭisaṁvedeti.

If the kings find out about me, they will inflict the same kinds of punishments on me!’ This is the second kind of suffering and sadness that a fool experiences in this very life.

furthermorePuna and·furthercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālaṁ chair·mountedpīṭhasamārūḷhaṁ orvā bed·mountedmañcasamārūḷhaṁ orvā on the groundchamāyaṁ orvā lyingsemānaṁ, whatever for himyānissa in the pastpubbe badpāpakāni deedskammāni donekatāni with bodykāyena misconductduccaritāni with speechvācāya misconductduccaritāni with mindmanasā misconductduccaritāni they for himtānissa at thattamhi timesamaye settle down uponolambanti rest down uponajjholambanti lay down uponabhippalambanti.
just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, of greatmahataṁ mountain·peakpabbatakūṭānaṁ shadowchāyā evening·timesāyanhasamayaṁ upon the earthpathaviyā settles down uponolambanti rests down uponajjholambanti lays down uponabhippalambanti;
just soevameva indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālaṁ chair·mountedpīṭhasamārūḷhaṁ orvā bed·mountedmañcasamārūḷhaṁ orvā on the groundchamāyaṁ orvā lyingsemānaṁ, whatever for himyānissa in the pastpubbe badpāpakāni deedskammāni donekatāni with bodykāyena misconductduccaritāni with speechvācāya misconductduccaritāni with mindmanasā misconductduccaritāni they for himtānissa at thattamhi timesamaye settle down uponolambanti rest down uponajjholambanti lay down uponabhippalambanti.
thenTatra, monksbhikkhave, of the foolbālassa thusevaṁ there ishoti:
not done‘akataṁ alasvata by meme goodkalyāṇaṁ, not·doneakataṁ skillfulkusalaṁ, not·doneakataṁ safeguardbhīruttāṇaṁ;
donekataṁ evilpāpaṁ, donekataṁ cruelluddaṁ, donekataṁ sinkibbisaṁ.
as far asYāvatā, sirbho, not-done·goodakatakalyāṇānaṁ not-done·skillfulakatakusalānaṁ not-done·safeguardakatabhīruttāṇānaṁ done·evilkatapāpānaṁ done·cruelkataluddānaṁ done·sinkatakibbisānaṁ destinationgati thattaṁ destinationgatiṁ after departingpecca I gogacchāmī’ti.

Furthermore, when a fool is resting on a chair or a bed or on the ground, their past bad deeds—misconduct of body, speech, and mind—settle down upon them, rest down upon them, and lay down upon them. It is like the shadow of a great mountain peak in the evening as it settles down, rests down, and lays down upon the earth. In the same way, when a fool is resting on a chair or a bed or on the ground, their past bad deeds—misconduct of body, speech, and mind—settle down upon them, rest down upon them, and lay down upon them. Then that fool thinks, ‘Alas, I haven’t done good and skillful things that keep me safe. And I have done bad things, violence and sin. When I depart, I’ll go to the place where people who’ve done such things go.’

heSo sorrowssocati wearieskilamati all around·lamentparidevati breast-beatingurattāḷiṁ wailskandati confusionsammohaṁ toward·goāpajjati.
this tooIdampi, monksbhikkhave, a foolbālo thirdtatiyaṁ in this very lifediṭṭheva in the dhammadhamme sufferingdukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ back·together·feelpaṭisaṁvedeti.

They sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breasts and falling into confusion. This is the third kind of suffering and sadness that a fool experiences in this very life.

thatSa indeedkho heso, monksbhikkhave, foolbālo by bodykāyena bad conductduccaritaṁ having donecaritvā by speechvācāya bad conductduccaritaṁ having donecaritvā by mindmanasā bad conductduccaritaṁ having donecaritvā of the bodykāyassa from breaking upbhedā afterparaṁ from deathmaraṇā to a place of lossapāyaṁ to a bad placeduggatiṁ to the underworldvinipātaṁ to hellnirayaṁ is rebornupapajjati.

Having done bad things by way of body, speech, and mind, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

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