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

อธิบายบทตั้งTo explain: "All beings" includes both humans and other animals, "the rod" here means a stick or weapon used to cause harm, and "after death" means after one has passed away. This saying warns that seeking happiness for oneself by harming other lives is evil kamma and does not lead to happiness in the next world.

ขยายความบทตั้งThe commentary on the Dhammapada tells that the Buddha saw a group of boys beating a snake with sticks. When he asked why they were doing so, the boys replied that it was because they were afraid the snake would bite them. The Buddha then taught that one who desires happiness for oneself should not harm other beings, and spoke this verse. This story invites us to reflect that just as we love life and do not want to be hurt, other lives likewise want happiness and do not want to be harmed.

ขยายความบทตั้งOne who harms others may gain momentary satisfaction or benefit, but that satisfaction arises from the suffering of the other party, and it may also give rise to fear, conflict and enmity. Harming until it becomes a habit may also make it easier to overlook the pain of others. We should therefore cultivate loving-kindness and consider whether what we are doing for our own happiness is causing trouble for anyone.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑One who keeps finding excuses to abandon work, claiming that it is too cold, too hot, or already too late, misses the benefits they should have gained, because opportunity and time wait for no one. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Dīgha Nikāya, Pāṭikavagga:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: This saying teaches that one who is always finding excuses to postpone or abandon work misses the benefits he should have gained, because opportunity and time wait for no one.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑This saying comes from the Sigālaka Sutta, which the Buddha taught to the young man Sigālaka, describing the dangers of laziness: the lazy person tends to say it is too cold, too hot, too late, too early, too hungry or too full, and so does not work. As a result, wealth that has not yet arisen does not arise, and wealth that has arisen is used up. These excuses sound reasonable, but in truth they conceal the laziness in the mind.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑The excuses of the lazy have one important characteristic: they never run out. When one escapes the cold, one meets the heat; when one escapes the heat, it is evening. If one waits until everything is ready before starting, one may never do anything at all. Nevertheless, resting when truly tired or ill is necessary. This saying warns against using excuses to avoid one's duties; it does not forbid caring for one's health.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๒When a person blindly does evil without knowing it is wrong, that evil does not simply disappear. When the time comes for the results of the deed to arrive, burning remorse torments them severely. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Dhammapada:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒To explain: This saying teaches that a fool does evil without clearly knowing the harmful results that will follow, but when the evil deed bears fruit, he himself must suffer from what he has done. "A fool" here refers to one who lacks the wisdom to weigh evil and merit, benefit and harm; it does not mean one who has little education.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒The commentary explains that "does not realise it" in this verse means not knowing what result the deed one does will bring, not failing to know that one is doing evil. For example, some people know that cheating or harming others is wrong, yet still do it because they want to gain something or want revenge, without being aware of the harmful results that will follow. "As if burned by fire" shows the burning torment that comes from the result of evil kamma, and the commentary also speaks of the suffering in hell, so its meaning is broader than the regret one feels on realising one has done wrong.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒The important lesson is that we should not look only at the satisfaction or benefit gained at the moment, but should use mindfulness and wisdom to consider before acting whether this is right, whom it will harm and what damage it may cause. Even when we are angry or strongly want something, we should stop and think, and not let our emotions lead us into wrongdoing. Not yet seeing harmful results immediately does not make evil something that ought to be done.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๓The results of actions follow the causes a person has made. The doer of good gets good, and the doer of evil gets evil, just as a farmer reaps the very kind of crop whose seed he sows. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Saṃyutta Nikāya, Sagāthāvagga:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๓To 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 ๓The 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 ๓However, 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.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตApplying this lesson in daily life, we should avoid tormenting animals for fun, mocking friends until they are humiliated, or taking advantage of others for our own gain. Though these actions take different forms, they all show that our happiness should not be built on the suffering of others. If we must protect ourselves, we should stay mindful, find a way out of the danger or seek help, and avoid causing more harm than necessary or retaliating out of spite.

สรุปTo conclude: Those who seek happiness should therefore always remember that others love happiness and do not want suffering, just as they do. Before thinking, speaking or doing anything, they should consider whether it will harm anyone, and then choose ways that are honest and kind. Not harming supports living together in peace and is a way of abstaining from the evil kamma that brings suffering. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

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