Deep Commentary

This verse was spoken at the Bamboo Grove monastery regarding the laywoman Uttarà. Uttarà, the daughter of a former laborer who had attained great wealth through virtuous giving, was married into a wealthy family. Because her duties left her little time for spiritual practice, she hired a courtesan named Sirima to attend to her husband. One day, seeing her husband smile at Uttarà, Sirima became overcome with jealousy and poured hot butter over Uttarà’s head. Despite the servants wanting to retaliate, Uttarà prevented them and forgave Sirima, thanking her for allowing her time to pursue spiritual merits. Sirima, deeply ashamed, sought forgiveness from the Buddha, who praised Uttarà’s conduct. The Buddha taught that anger can only be conquered by non-anger, wickedness by goodness, stinginess by generosity, and falsehood by truth. This narrative highlights the power of forgiveness and the law of cause and effect, illustrating that true spiritual strength is found not in retaliation, but in the compassionate response to hostility.