Dhammapada verse 256
Chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga) · verses 256–272
“You don’t become just by passing hasty judgment. An astute person evaluates both what is pertinent and what is irrelevant.”
Na tena hoti dhammaṭṭho, yenatthaṁ sāhasā naye; Yo ca atthaṁ anatthañca, ubho niccheyya paṇḍito.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 256 mean?
Verse 256 belongs to chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga), which gathers verses 256–272 on what makes a person just. It is filed under good & evil. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 255 and verse 257 are part of the same passage.
Seventeen verses on the just person. Most of the chapter is a series of distinctions: you do not become just by passing hasty judgment, by seniority, by eloquence, or by complexion. The chapter defines the just person by what they weigh, not by what they claim.
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