19. The Chapter about One Who Stands by Dhamma, Dhammaṭṭhavagga
19.1 The Story about the Ministers of Justice
Vinicchayamahāmattavatthu
Dhp 256-257
Burlingame: The Unjust Judges
After their almsround the bhikkhus noticed that judges were accepting bribes, and depriving people of their property; they reported this to the Buddha who spoke a verse advising on who is a real judge.
Keywords: Justice, Righteousness, Ministers
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“One who would hastily settle a case,”
For on a certain day the bhikkhus made their rounds for alms in a settlement at the north gate of Sāvatthī, and returning from their pilgrimage to the monastery, passed through the center of the city. At that moment a cloud came up, and the rain began to fall. Entering a hall of justice opposite, they saw the ministers of justice taking bribes and depriving lawful owners of their property. Seeing this, they thought: “Ah, these men are unrighteous! Until now we supposed they rendered righteous judgments.”
When the rain was over, they went to the monastery, worshipped the Teacher, and sitting respectfully on one side, informed him of the incident. The Teacher said: “Bhikkhus, they that yield to wicked desires and decide a cause arbitrarily, are not properly called justices;
256. Na tena hoti Dhammaṭṭho yenatthaṁ sahasā naye,
yo ca atthaṁ anatthañ-ca ubho niccheyya paṇḍito.
One who would hastily settle a case
is thereby not one who stands by Dhamma,
the wise one should discriminate the two:
what is the case and what is not the case.
257. Asāhasena dhammena samena nayatī pare,
Dhammassa gutto medhāvī, Dhammaṭṭho ti pavuccati.
The one who settles for other people
without haste, justly and impartially,
the sagacious one, protecting Dhamma,
is said to be one who stands by Dhamma.
At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.