Dhammapada verse 271
Chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga) · verses 256–272
“Not by precepts and observances, nor by much learning, nor by meditative immersion, nor by living in seclusion,”
Na sīlabbatamattena, bāhusaccena vā pana; Atha vā samādhilābhena, vivittasayanena vā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 271 mean?
Verse 271 belongs to chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga), which gathers verses 256–272 on what makes a person just. It is filed under the path. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 270 and verse 272 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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