Verse 28

Dhammapada Verse 28

The Story of Thera Mahakassapa

On one occasion, while Thera Mahakassapa was staying at Pipphali cave, he spent his time developing the mental image of light (aloka kasina) and trying to find out through Divine Vision, beings who were mindful and beings who were negligent, also those who were about to die and those who were about to be born.

From his monastery, the Buddha saw through his Divine Vision what Thera Mahakassapa was doing and wanted to warn him that he was wasting his time. So he sent forth his radiance and appeared seated before the thera and exhorted him thus: "My son Kassapa, the number of births and deaths of beings is innumerable and cannot be counted. It is not your concern to count them; it is the concern only of the Buddhas."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Pamadam appamadena
yada nudati pandito
pannapasadamaruyha
asoko sokinim pajam
pabbatatthova bhumatthe
dhiro¹ bale² avekkhati.

Verse 28: The wise one dispels negligence by means of mindfulness; he ascends the tower of wisdom and being free from sorrow looks at the sorrowing beings. Just as one on the mountain top looks at those on the plain below, so also, the wise one (the arahat) looks at the foolish and the ignorant (worldlings).

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1. dhiro: the wise one; in this context, the arahat.
2. bile: the foolish; in this context, the worldings.