Deep Commentary

The Buddha teaches that to live in peace, one must stay away from evil people. To illustrate this, He uses two analogies: a merchant carrying great wealth without an escort avoids dangerous roads, and a person wanting to live a long life avoids poison. Evil people lack a conscience and act unpredictably, driven solely by self-interest. History is full of cruel tyrants who treated human lives like playthings, inflicting torture and death purely for their own amusement. Such extreme cruelty inherently brings short and miserable lives, both for themselves and their subjects. The Buddha advises practitioners to avoid evil and those who commit it, as human nature is easily influenced by its surroundings. Just as a well-behaved child can quickly adopt vicious habits when falling into bad company, negative traits are highly contagious. Walking in the morning mist, one may not feel wet at first, but eventually, the dampness chills to the bone. Similarly, associating with evil may seem harmless initially, but the toxicity gradually ruins one's character. Prevention is always better than cure; steering clear of bad influences is the wisest way to protect oneself and cultivate a virtuous life.