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 teaches that one who does evil cannot find a truly secret place. The fool assumes that a place where no one sees is a secret place, and so dares to do evil; but in truth, even a place that seems as quiet as a forest still has others who can know and see. The word "vanabhūtāni" in Pali literally means the beings or creatures that dwell in the forest. This line therefore literally means "the beings in the forest see (that deed)." The book translates it by its sense as "people see it as a forest." Both readings point to the same thing: what the fool believes no one sees is in truth always seen by someone.

ขยายความบทตั้งThis verse comes from the Jātaka. The story in brief is that a certain teacher wanted to test the virtue of his pupils, so he told them to go and steal property without letting anyone see. Most of the pupils did as they were told, but the pupil who was the Bodhisatta refused, saying that there is no secret place in the world for one who does evil; at the very least, one knows it oneself. The teacher was therefore pleased with that pupil. This story shows that one who truly keeps the precepts does not do evil even in a place where he thinks no one sees.

ขยายความบทตั้งThe related Dhamma principles are hiri and ottappa, the Dhammas that protect the world. Hiri is inner shame of evil, and ottappa is fear of the results of evil. One who has hiri knows that he himself is a witness to his own actions, and that deeds once done bear fruit according to their causes, regardless of whether anyone sees them. Students should therefore not understand this as merely a fear of being caught, but as training to make goodness firm from within.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑Utter immorality overwhelms the life of the one who practises it, like a creeper that winds around a sal tree until it breaks and falls. The person without virtue harms themselves more than any enemy could. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Dhammapada:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: This saying shows the danger of being unvirtuous, that is, lacking precepts, with bodily and verbal conduct that is corrupt. The word "accantadussīlyaṃ" means extreme lack of virtue, or lack of virtue that overwhelms oneself completely. "Māluvā" is the māluvā creeper, a vine that winds around large trees; as it grows, it covers the tree until the tree finally breaks and falls. The final line, "yathā naṃ icchatī diso", literally means "just as an enemy wishes for him." The word "diso" means an enemy or one who wishes harm. The book translates it by its sense as "held captive by a villain," to make it vivid that the unvirtuous person falls into the very state his enemy wishes to see: bound by his own evil and not free. The key meaning of the verse is therefore that the unvirtuous person harms himself as much as an enemy would harm him.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑In the Dhammapada commentary, this verse was spoken concerning Devadatta, who was envious and committed many evil deeds. Those evil deeds accumulated until they brought ruin upon himself. The Buddha therefore compared this, saying that lack of virtue overwhelms such a person like a māluvā creeper covering a sāla tree. The unvirtuous person harms himself as much as an enemy or villain would wish to do to him, without anyone else needing to harm him.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑It should be noted that the simile of the māluvā creeper shows that evil often begins with something small and then gradually winds around until it is hard to undo, just as breaking the precepts starts from carelessness or habit, but if left alone becomes one's character. This saying does not condemn those who have once gone wrong, for one who becomes aware and returns to keeping the precepts can cut that creeper away. In the Dhamma teachings, virtue is the foundation of concentration and wisdom, so one whose virtue is deficient finds it hard to progress in the higher Dhamma.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๒When a person associates with those who stir up division, anger easily, are possessive or are obsessed with wealth, they are led into decline by those habits. The wise are therefore very careful in choosing friends. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Theragāthā:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒To explain: This saying identifies four types of people with whom the wise should not make friends: the slanderer (pisuṇa), who likes to carry tales from one side to the other to cause division; the angry person (kodhana), who is quick to anger and holds grudges; the stingy person (maccharī), who is possessive and unwilling to share; and the one who delights in possessions (vibhūtinandī). It then concludes that association with bad people (kāpurisa) is vile. The word "vibhūti" in Pali can have two meanings: prosperity or possessions, and ruin. The book translates it according to the first meaning, that is, one who is absorbed in wealth and prosperity to the point of forgetting the Dhamma. If taken in the latter sense, it would mean one who delights in the ruin of others, that is, one who feels gratified on seeing someone decline, which is also a characteristic of a person who should not be associated with.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒This verse comes from the Theragāthā, the utterances of elder monks who saw the danger of associating with fools from their own experience. The essence of the verse aims to teach us to observe people by their conduct of body, speech and mind, because all four of these characteristics are causes of suffering for those close to them. The slanderer destroys harmony; the angry person makes the atmosphere heated; the stingy person does not help in times of need; the one infatuated with possessions measures people's worth by wealth rather than goodness; and one who delights in the ruin of others is ready to kick even his own friends when they slip.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒The word "kāpurisa" literally means a contemptible man, that is, a person who lacks the virtues of a good person. The four characteristics in this verse are thus marks by which to recognize such people, and they are the opposites of the virtues that should be developed: harmonious speech, patience, generosity, contentment, and muditā, that is, rejoicing when others do well. Moreover, this verse does not teach us to look down on or hate anyone, since everyone may have some anger or possessiveness; rather, it warns us not to become intimate with those for whom such traits are habitual, until we are swallowed up by them.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn daily life, a novice who does the chanting services only when his teacher is present does not gain as much benefit as one who practises consistently even when alone. A monk who keeps the Vinaya both in public and in private has a mind free from remorse. A student who thinks of copying in an exam because he thinks no one sees still knows in his heart that the knowledge is not his own. A worker who embezzles a little, thinking there is no evidence, may one day find that the truth comes out.

สรุปTo conclude: We should therefore train ourselves to do good consistently from beginning to end, whether anyone sees or not, keeping hiri and ottappa in mind. Before doing anything, ask yourself: if others knew and saw this, would I be ashamed? If so, one should not do it even in secret. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

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