Dhammapada verse 87
Chapter 6, The Astute (Paṇḍitavagga) · verses 76–89
“Rid of dark qualities, an astute person would develop the bright. Having left home for homelessness in seclusion, where joy is hard,”
Kaṇhaṁ dhammaṁ vippahāya, Sukkaṁ bhāvetha paṇḍito; Okā anokamāgamma, Viveke yattha dūramaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 87 mean?
Verse 87 belongs to chapter 6, The Astute (Paṇḍitavagga), which gathers verses 76–89 on the astute. It is filed under happiness. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 86 and verse 88 are part of the same passage.
The astute, the discerning, the one worth following, in fourteen verses. It balances the previous chapter: the wise person is described as one who advises, instructs and steers others away from harm, and the chapter includes the instruction not to keep company with the worst but to keep company with good friends.
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