Deep Commentary

The Buddha delivered this verse at the Jetavana Monastery concerning a novice monk named Tissa. Tissa had developed a habitual vice of criticizing the alms and offerings given by laypeople to the Buddha and the monastic community. He would complain about the quality of the food and contrast it with what he deemed better, while simultaneously boasting of his own noble background—a fabrication, as he was actually the son of a gatekeeper. When the monks discovered the truth of his origin and brought his behavior to the Buddha, the Buddha explained that Tissa had also been prone to such vanity and dishonesty in his past lives. The Buddha warned that one who harbors envy or discontent regarding the offerings given to others lacks the necessary purity of mind to attain meditative absorption (samadhi). This verse serves as a crucial lesson on 'mudita' (sympathetic joy). Instead of harboring envy toward the good fortune or offerings received by others, a practitioner should cultivate a heart that rejoices in the virtuous deeds of others. By doing so, they relinquish the egoistic poison of jealousy, attaining the same merit as the donor through the purity of their own intentions.