Deep Commentary

These two verses were taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery and relate to certain laypeople and non-Buddhists. A group of children, some from non-Buddhist families and others from Buddhist families, played together. When the non-Buddhist children returned home, their parents forbade them from greeting the monks or entering the monastery and made them take an oath. On another day, while playing near Jetavana, the children became thirsty. The non-Buddhist children asked a Buddhist friend to fetch water from the monastery. This child entered the monastery, met the Buddha, and recounted the story. The Buddha said: after drinking, invite your friends to come and drink. All the children came to see the Buddha. He told them a simple story, explained the Dharma, strengthened their faith, and guided them to take refuge and observe precepts. The non-Buddhist children returned home and told their parents. Their parents became angry, weeping that their children were following a false teacher. A wise neighbor came to comfort and explain the Dharma, and the parents realized its benefit and decided to follow Gotama's guidance. They brought their extended family to the monastery to pay respects and listen to the Dharma. The Buddha observed their minds and delivered these two verses. Verse 318 teaches that what is perceived as fault or non-fault arises from confused, deluded minds, leading to suffering. Human society suffers because of rigid and reversed judgments: seeing white as black, black as white; right as wrong, wrong as right; false as true, true as false, etc. Such distorted perception creates prejudice, conflict, wars, hatred, and diminishes compassion. From individuals to families to society, all suffering arises from false views. The Buddha teaches that right view and discernment—knowing fault as fault and non-fault as non-fault—leads beings away from suffering and towards liberation. When one perceives things clearly, false clinging ceases, and liberation is realized. The story illustrates children's innocence: they play without distinction between Buddhist and non-Buddhist friends. Division and hatred arise from adults who impose prohibitions and discriminatory boundaries, often motivated by ego, narrow-mindedness, fanaticism, prejudice, or rigid beliefs. Humanity continues to suffer from dualistic, biased thinking and false views, failing to recognize innate clarity. Until people see reality clearly and act with wisdom, conflicts, hatred, and suffering persist. The Buddha emphasizes that intelligence and insight illuminate the path to awakening. Children’s natural purity and curiosity offer a model for human transformation; even resistant parents can be guided to the Dharma through wise influence, showing that only wisdom leads to complete liberation.