Dhammapada: The Fool
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The fifth chapter of the Buddha’s blessed discourse, The Dhammapada, discusses “The Fool”.
Here is what the Buddha had to say about foolish people:
A deed is good that one doesn’t regret having done,
and that results in joy and delight.
As long as evil has not borne fruit, the fool thinks it is like honey,
but when evil does bear fruit, then the fool suffers.
The foolish ascetic who month after month
eats food with the tip of a blade of grass
is not equal to a fraction of a person
who has contemplated the Dharma.
Like fresh milk, evil deeds do not immediately curdle.
Rather, like fire covered with ash,
they follow the fool, smoldering.
Reasoning is harmful to fools because
it ruins their good fortune and opens their mind.
Fools want unwarranted status and admiration from fellow monks.
They also want authority in monasteries
and homage from common people.
The way to material gain is one thing,
however the path to Nirvana is another.
Knowing this, a monk and dharma practitioner
should not delight in evil or being venerated.
Rather, one should cultivate solitude.
Inspired Source: The Dhammapada, by Gil Fronsdal
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