Deep Commentary

These two verses were taught by the Buddha at the Jātiyā cave near Bhaddiya, concerning the monks of Bhaddiya. According to the traditional account: “At one time, the Blessed One was staying in the Jātiyā cave near the city of Bhaddiya. The monks there had developed the habit of decorating their sandals. As it is described in the tradition, ‘The monks of Bhaddiya were accustomed to wearing sandals of many bright colors and styles.’ They made them themselves or had them made from fine, light, expensive, fashionable, and refined materials. Because of this, they became negligent in study, discipline, meditation, and wisdom. Other monks saw this and were greatly displeased, so they reported the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha reproached those monks who were fond of ornamentation, saying: ‘For what purpose did you come here, that now you pursue such useless things?’ On that occasion, the Buddha spoke these two verses. After hearing them, the monks who loved adornment immediately attained arahantship, and the whole assembly also received benefit.” The meaning of these two verses is that the Buddha reminds us to be careful in our actions. What is worth doing should be done; what is not worth doing should not be done. A practitioner must apply wisdom to reflect upon the body, the mind, and one’s conduct. The important point the Buddha teaches here is this: “For those who live carelessly and heedlessly, the taints gradually increase.” Concerning heedlessness in body and mind, especially in the mind, the Buddha already gave very detailed instruction in the chapter on heedfulness. A practitioner who lives carelessly and indulgently, without the restraint of discipline, lives a life of decline. The Buddha said that such a person lives like a corpse; that is, although physically alive, one is spiritually dead. It is not bodily death, but the death of moral virtue and spiritual integrity. The virtue and character of one who has gone forth are no longer present. From that point, all taints and defilements arise and grow. The aspiration of one who has renounced household life is to escape the cycle of birth and death, full of suffering, and quickly realize the fruit of the path. If we constantly allow the mind to be careless and scattered, how can we possibly fulfill that aspiration? In the story quoted above, the Buddha reproached the monks for doing useless things. Their time was wasted in vain. A renunciant should instead keep the mind diligently focused on learning and practice, living constantly in right mindfulness and right contemplation. Only in this way can one accord with the path of awakening and liberation. By contrast, those monks spent their time on trivial matters, worrying all day about decorating their sandals beautifully, without paying any attention to spiritual practice. How, then, could they end the taints and attain awakening and liberation? That is precisely doing what should not be done. From this, we should examine ourselves: are we like those monks who were reproached by the Buddha? If so, each of us should repent and correct the mistakes to which we have long been attached. Only then are we worthy of being called renunciants who study and practice in accordance with the path of awakening and liberation. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to hope to escape the cycle of birth and death, full of suffering.