อารัมภบทI shall now explain and expand upon the meaning of the Dhamma theme written above, as a guide for study and practice.

อธิบายบทตั้งTo explain: This saying is the counterpart of the one about the harm of ingratitude, showing the blessings of gratitude, that is, recognising and remembering the good that others have done for us.

ขยายความบทตั้งGratitude has two parts: kataññū, recognising kindness, and katavedī, repaying kindness. This saying emphasises recognising and appreciating kindness, which is the starting point of repaying it. One who appreciates kindness has a gentle heart and is not conceited, knowing that others have helped behind his success. This feeling leads him to treat others with respect and sincerity.

ขยายความบทตั้งThe benefits he longs for increase because a grateful person is trusted. Those who have helped him are glad to keep helping, and others who see this also want to associate with and support him. Moreover, gratitude brings happiness to the mind, because one who sees the good one has received feels that life has supporters, is not lonely, and is inspired to do good to others in turn.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑One who does not recognize the good and the benefit that others have done for them in the past is ungrateful, and the aims they desire will also come to ruin. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Jātaka, Sattakanipāta:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: This saying speaks of the harm of ingratitude, that is, not recognising or not valuing the good that others have done for us.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑Those who do not recognise the kindness of others tend to see the help they receive as ordinary or as their right. Having received a benefit, they forget it, or sometimes even repay it with bad actions. As a result, people lose trust in them and no longer wish to help. When the time comes that they need help or long for something, they lack supporters, and so the benefits they hoped for are lost.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑Buddhism praises gratitude as the mark of a good person. One of the kinds of people who are hard to find in the world is the one who recognises the kindness of others and repays it. Ingratitude is therefore not a minor flaw, but something that destroys relationships and destroys opportunities in life. Recognising kindness does not always require repaying it with valuable things; simply remembering it, expressing thanks and not harming those who have helped us is already an important foundation.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๒When a person wishes for good results in life, they must diligently sow the seeds of goodness, for no one who sows bad seed can harvest good fruit, and the result always matches the cause. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Saṃyutta Nikāya, Sagāthāvagga:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒To explain: This saying presents the principle of kamma in the simplest way, comparing actions with sowing seeds and the results of actions with the fruit that grows from those seeds.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒The comparison with sowing seeds helps us see several characteristics of kamma. First, the fruit corresponds to the cause: one who plants mangoes gets mangoes, not limes. Second, the fruit may not appear immediately; it needs time and suitable conditions. Third, the one who sows is the one who reaps; no one can reap on behalf of another. Whoever eats is the one who is filled; no one can eat on another's behalf. Such understanding keeps people from becoming discouraged when they have done good but not yet seen the results, and from becoming careless when they have done evil but not yet seen its harm.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒However, in Buddhism the results of kamma are not always fixed in a simple way. Just as seeds that have been sown need soil, water and the right season, kamma depends on many causes and conditions, and those who have done wrong can still change themselves by seriously creating new good kamma. This saying therefore does not teach despair; it teaches us to choose to sow good seeds from today.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn daily life, a student who remembers the kindness of his teachers, studies diligently and visits them after graduating continues to receive their kindness and valuable advice. Children who care for their parents in old age set a good example for their own descendants. An employee who works honestly to repay the opportunities he has received is trusted with advancement.

สรุปTo conclude: Those who wish for prosperity in life should therefore practise seeing the good others do for them, remember it with gratitude, and repay it according to their strength and opportunity. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

ปิดท้ายThus has the meaning been explained, as set forth above.