不寐夜長 疲倦道長 愚生死長 莫知正法 愚者雖終身 事慧智人 亦不知眞法 如匙嘗湯味 若朝朝自反 觀察所行 知善則行之 不知則止之
bù mèi yè cháng pí juàn dào cháng yú shēng sǐ cháng mò zhī zhèng fǎ yú zhě suī zhōng shēn shì huì zhì rén yì bù zhī zhēn fǎ rú chí cháng tāng wèi ruò zhāo zhāo zì fǎn guān chá suǒ xíng zhī shàn zé xíng zhī bù zhī zé zhǐ zhī
Key Message
The fool may spend a lifetime beside the wise yet remain as ignorant of truth as a spoon of the soup's flavor; true wisdom requires daily self-examination and the transformation of conduct.
▸The Bālavagga (Chapter on the Fool) exposes the nature of foolishness (moha, delusion) and its dire consequences.
The Bālavagga (Chapter on the Fool) exposes the nature of foolishness (moha, delusion) and its dire consequences. For the sleepless, the night is long; for the weary traveler, the road is long — and for the fool who does not know the true Dhamma, the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra) is endlessly long. The fool may spend an entire lifetime in the company of the wise, yet remain ignorant of the truth, just as a spoon cannot taste the flavor of soup. By contrast, one who examines themselves every morning, observes their own conduct, and does what is good while refraining from what is not — such a person is on the path of genuine practice.