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 of evil nature, with bad habits rooted in the mind, suffers hardship and distress through their own deeds, not because of others, for whoever does a deed receives its result. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Majjhima Nikāya, Majjhimapaṇṇāsaka:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To 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.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑In 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.

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.