Dhammapada verse 268
Chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga) · verses 256–272
“You don’t become a sage by being sagelike, while still confused and ignorant. The astute one who holds the scales, taking only the best,”
Na monena munī hoti, mūḷharūpo aviddasu; Yo ca tulaṁva paggayha, varamādāya paṇḍito.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 268 mean?
Verse 268 belongs to chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga), which gathers verses 256–272 on what makes a person just. It is filed under wisdom & folly, the buddha & teachers. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 267 and verse 269 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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