4. Sutaṁ
Learning
(6 Verses)
58 [ana, adm.]
Nipuṇe sutam-eseyya vicinitvā sutatthiko;
bhattaṁ h’ ukkhaliyaṁ pakkaṁ, bhājane pi tathā bhave.
One seeking learning, having investigated, should seek out learning in a skilful one; for rice that may have been cooked in a pot, is also cooked when it is in a dish.
A sincere seeker must carefully investigate and then seek out learning from someone who is truly accomplished, refined and skilled. The analogy is direct: rice cooked thoroughly in a pot remains perfectly cooked even when transferred to a serving dish. Similarly, knowledge thoroughly mastered by a true expert remains intact and potent when imparted to a student. The teaching does not degrade through transmission from a genuine source.
59 [stm.]
Vasuṁ gaṇhanti dūraṭṭhā pabbate ratanocite,
na milakkhā samīpaṭṭhā; evaṁ bālā bahussute.
Those who live far off seize wealth on a mountain of jewels, (but) not the barbarian, who lives near; similarly are fools with the learned.
A person from a distant land will travel to a jewel-filled mountain and actively gather its treasures. A local barbarian living right next to it, however, fails to recognise its value and remains poor. The analogy applies to spiritual knowledge: fools who live in close company with the learned, perhaps even in the same monastery or community, remain untouched by that wisdom. They do not perceive its worth, make no effort to gather it, and thus gain no benefit from their fortunate proximity, whereas others may travel a long distance to gather his pearls of wisdom.
60 [ana., rh.q.]
Hiraññena migānaṁ va, susīlena asīlino,
adhammikassa Dhammena, bālānam-pi sutena kiṁ?
Like animals with gold, the unvirtuous with virtue, the unrighteous with Dhamma, how about fools with learning?
Gold is useless to animals; they cannot eat it or understand its value. A code of virtue is meaningless to someone without a moral compass; they cannot apply it. The Dhamma, the law of truth, is irrelevant to one who is fundamentally unrighteous. The rhetorical question is: what use, therefore, is learning to a fool? He may memorise texts, but without the foundational qualities of intelligence, ethics and right intention, that learning is as useless as gold to a cow.
61 [sim., stm.]
Appassutāyaṁ puriso balibaddho va jīvati, Dhp 152 reads jīrati, ages.
maṁsāni tassa vaḍḍhanti, paññā tassa na vaḍḍhati.
The person of little learning lives like an ox, for although his flesh does increase, his wisdom does not increase.
A person who does not pursue learning may grow older, but they mature only physically, like an ox fattened for slaughter. Their body ages and expands, but their inner faculty of wisdom remains stunted and undeveloped. Such a life is one of wasted potential, driven by base instincts and appetites rather than conscious growth. The increase in flesh is ultimately perishable and leads to decay, while the increase in wisdom leads to liberation. Merely surviving through the years is not the same as living a meaningful life.
62 [sim., stm.]
Appassuto sutaṁ appaṁ bahu maññati mānavo,
sindhūdakaṁ apassanto, kūpe toyaṁ va maṇḍuko.
The student of little learning thinks his little learning great, like a frog in a well thinks his water great, having not seen the waters of the ocean.
A person with only a little learning, having never encountered the vast depth of true scholarship, easily misjudges their own understanding as substantial. They are like a frog born and raised in a well, who believes the small pool of water it inhabits is the entire ocean. Lacking any perspective of the immense, boundless ocean of knowledge that exists, the frog and the half-educated person is content in their complacency. True wisdom begins with the recognition of how much one does not know, the humility that comes from glimpsing the vastness of the ocean.
63 [stm.]
Tad-aminā pi jānātha: sobbhesu padaresu ca,
saṇantā yanti kusumbhā, tuṇhī yanti mahodadhī.
Know this also from these: small streams in hollows and crevices flow noisily, (but) great rivers Mahodadhi can mean rivers or the ocean, but here the Snp. comm. defines it as meaning: great rivers. flow quietly.
Small streams rushing through rocky hollows make a great deal of noise with their restricted flow. In contrast, the great, deep rivers as a whole flow quietly. Similarly, those with a little knowledge or minor attainments are often boastful, argumentative and loud in proclaiming their views. Those with profound wisdom and real attainment are characterised by quiet confidence, calm and depth. They have no need for self-promotion; their presence and actions speak volumes, but quietly.