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 words "one of evil nature" mean a person in whose mind an evil disposition is deeply rooted, who habitually likes to do evil. As for the words "suffers because of his own kamma", they mean that the trouble he meets does not come from others, but from his own actions. This saying emphasises the principle of kamma: whoever does a certain kamma must receive the result of that kamma, and no one can receive it in his place.

ขยายความบทตั้งIn the verse from which this saying comes, there is a comparison: just as a thief caught at the very hole he broke through in order to steal is punished because of his own action, so beings who have done evil, after leaving this world, suffer because of their own kamma. That thief cannot blame anyone at all, because the hole where he was caught is the hole he broke through himself. Evil is the same: it is a trap that the doer digs for himself. When the time comes for the result of kamma to appear, there is no escaping it.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑Most evil arises from delusion, that is, not knowing things as they truly are, which makes one unable to see what is good and what is evil, and so one does evil deeds out of misunderstanding. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Majjhima Nikāya, Majjhimapaṇṇāsaka:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To 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.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑Delusion 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.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn real life, a person who drives while drunk and causes an accident, and is injured, disabled or sent to prison, suffers because of his own actions. A person who is corrupt and embezzles until he is caught loses his position, his reputation and his freedom, all because of his own kamma. A student who does not pay attention to his studies because he is busy playing, until he fails and has to repeat the year, cannot blame his teachers or fate. Everyone must receive the results of his own actions.

สรุปTo conclude: Those who do not want hardship should therefore be careful about their own actions and not set traps of evil to catch themselves. When they meet with suffering, they should consider whether its cause lies in their own actions, instead of blaming others. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

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