Deep Commentary

This Dhammapada verse was taught by the Buddha at Vulture Peak and relates to the nun Khema. One morning, early at dawn, the god Indra led the celestial beings to listen to the Buddha's discourse. At that time, the nun Khema resolved within her mind: 'I will visit the Blessed One.' She approached the Buddha, encountered Indra and the celestial assembly, paid her respects to the Buddha, and then withdrew. Indra asked the Buddha: 'Who is this, O World-Honored One?' The Buddha replied: 'Great King, that is the nun Khema, foremost in wisdom, who understands what is the path and what is not the path.' In this life, suffering abounds because we fail to govern the blind passions and delusions that mislead us. From birth until our final passing, we create countless unwholesome deeds and continually endure suffering, becoming slaves to craving and wandering endlessly in the cycle of birth and death. This is due to the lack of illuminating wisdom. Once we turn our mind back to mindfulness and gain discerning insight, ignorance and mental afflictions vanish, and liberation is present. The transition from delusion to awakening is as effortless as turning the hand over, but difficulty arises because we cling to ignorance, preferring to wander in the turbulence of worldly suffering. Upon awakening, we resolve to cultivate wisdom, reclaiming the priceless spiritual heritage long forgotten, abandoning the life of a transient wanderer. This is how one comes to behold the sublime image of the nun Khema. With clear wisdom, one distinguishes reality from falsehood. Recognizing this, one is no longer misled by illusory appearances, and merges with the vast, boundless source of life, fully restoring one's true self.