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

อธิบายบทตั้งTo explain: The word "delusion" (moha) means not knowing things as they really are, a darkness of mind that makes one unable to see what is good and what is evil, what is beneficial and what is harmful. This saying teaches that people often do evil deeds out of delusion; in other words, most evil arises because people do not know, or know but do not truly understand, and so they act out of misunderstanding.

ขยายความบทตั้งDelusion is like darkness. Just as a person walking in the dark easily stumbles, falls into a hole or takes the wrong way, so a person whose mind is overwhelmed by delusion easily makes mistakes. He may wrongly think that evil is a shortcut to success, wrongly think that harming others will benefit him, or wrongly think that no one knows or sees, so that he can do evil without having to receive the results. Delusion is also the root that makes greed and anger arise easily, because when one does not see one's own mind clearly, one becomes a slave to all the defilements.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑One who does not keep to the truth and habitually lies is ready to do any evil at all, having already cast aside the most important safeguard of goodness. This accords with the sense of the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Dhammapada:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: The word "lying" (musā) means falsehood, telling lies, speaking what does not match the truth in order to deceive others. This saying teaches that for a person who habitually lies, there is no evil at all that he would not do. In other words, a person who does not keep to truthfulness is ready to do every kind of evil, because he has already abandoned the most important safeguard of goodness.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑In the Dhammapada, the Buddha said that for a person who transgresses the one principle, namely truthfulness, who habitually tells lies and has no regard for the next world, there is no evil he would not do. The reason is that lying is the tool for concealing all evil. A person who does wrong and dares to lie thinks he can hide his wrongdoing, and so he dares to go on doing wrong. A person who keeps to the truth, however, admits it when he does wrong, so his wrongdoing does not pile up. Truthfulness is therefore like a gate that holds back all evils; when this gate breaks down, other evils flow in easily.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn real life, a person who is deceived by an invitation to invest without checking it may be tricked into taking part in something illegal without realising it. A teenager who wrongly thinks that using violence is cool may hurt others and have to face punishment. A person who believes rumours without consideration may pass on messages that slander others without knowing that he is doing evil by speech. All these wrongs arise from delusion.

สรุปTo conclude: The way to prevent the evil that comes from delusion is to develop wisdom: study regularly, listen to the advice of the wise, think carefully before acting, and have mindfulness to see one's own mind clearly. When wisdom grows bright, delusion fades away and evil deeds decrease as well. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

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