1. Ācariyo
The Teacher
(10 Verses)
4 = Sbh 5 [rh.q]
Kin-tehi pādasussūsā yesaṁ natthi garūn’ iha?
Ye tappādarajokiṇṇā te va sādhū vivekino. This verse is number 1 in Gray.
Why listen at the feet of those who have no teacher here? Only those who are covered with the dust of (the teacher’s) feet are good and discriminating.
A person without their own lineage of learning and virtue has no true foundation to offer. The truly good and discriminating individuals are identified not by their grand claims, but by a humble, physical mark: they are strewn with the dust of his feet. This indicates their own diligent pursuit: they have traveled far and walked respectfully behind their teacher, collecting the dust kicked up from his heels. Second, it symbolises their humility and devotion. Thus, we should chose our teacher wisely, and then be devoted to his service.
5 = Sbh 11 [rh.q.]
Vinā garūpadesantaṁ, This could also be read as garūpadesan-taṁ, without change of meaning for the translation. bālo ’laṅkattum-icchati,
sampāpuṇe na viññūhi, hasabhāvaṁ kathaṁ nu so?
Without the instruction of a teacher, a fool wishes to adorn himself, when he does not meet with the wise, how does he not attain ridicule?
This verse warns against the folly of intellectual or spiritual arrogance. A fool, believing himself self-sufficient, tries to adorn himself with knowledge or virtue without submitting to a teacher’s instruction. The result is not attainment, but ridicule. The rhetorical question underscores the inevitability of this outcome. In the Buddhist context, where the teacher-student relationship is paramount for transmitting the Dhamma correctly, attempting self-guided adornment is seen as doomed, as true wisdom remains forever out of reach.
6 cf. DN 31 [stm.]
Uṭṭhānā upaṭṭhānā ca sussūsā paricārikā
sakkaccaṁ sippuggahaṇā garuṁ ārādhaye budho.
Through rising, service, listening, attendance and the respectful acquisition of knowledge the wise one satisfies the teacher.
This verse outlines the concrete duties of a worthy student. The wise one pleases or satisfies the teacher not through grand gestures, but through sustained, humble service. Industry is the effort to learn; service is personal attendance; listening is respectful attention; attendance implies caretaking; and knowledge acquisition is mastering what is taught, here meaning the knowledge of Dhamma. This holistic approach ensures the knowledge is earned and embodied, not just intellectually received.
DN 31 prose
Pañcahi … ṭhānehi antevāsinā … ācariyā paccupaṭṭhātabbā—uṭṭhānena upaṭṭhānena sussusāya pāricariyāya sakkaccaṁ sippapaṭiggahaṇena.
In five … ways the pupil … should attend on his teachers: by rising, service, listening, attendance and by the respectful acquisition of knowledge.
7 = Mhn 99 [stm.]
Upajjhācariyānañ-ca, mātāpitūnam-eva ca,
sakkaccaṁ yo n’ upaṭṭhāti, suto pi tassa tādiso.
He who does not attend on his preceptors, teachers, mother and father respectfully, his learning is just so much.
This verse delivers a stark judgment on the value of knowledge acquired without virtue. It states that a person who fails to serve their spiritual guides and parents with due care and respect renders their learning essentially worthless. All his accumulated knowledge, scriptures, and intellectual understanding amount to nothing of true worth. In the Buddha’s teaching, wisdom is inseparable from ethical conduct and mental discipline.
8 [stm.]
Upajjhācariyānañ-ca mātāpitūnam-eva ca
sakkaccaṁ yo upaṭṭhāti, suto pi tassa tādiso.
He who does attend on his preceptors, teachers, mother and father respectfully, his learning is also so much.
This verse forms the essential counterpart to the previous one, completing the moral equation. It affirms that a person who diligently and respectfully attends to their teachers and parents makes their learning meaningful and substantial. The verse teaches that the heart must be prepared through humility and service to properly hold the water of wisdom. The act of honouring one’s sources is not separate from the learning process; it is the very ground in which understanding takes root and grows.
9 = Mhn 110 [adm.]
Sammā upaparikkhitvā akkharesu padesu ca,
coraghāto sisso siyā, garu coraṭṭakārako.
Having properly investigated the syllables and words, the pupil should become a slayer of the thief (ignorance), while the teacher opposes the thief. Aṭṭakāraka means (DPD): one of the parties in a lawsuit.
The thief is ignorance or wrong view that steals true understanding. The pupil must kill this thief by first carefully investigating the basic elements, the syllables and words of the teaching. The teacher opposes the thief, and is the expert guide in this battle. The verse underscores a methodical process: start with precise, analytical attention to the teachings under a teacher’s guidance, then use that clarified understanding to uproot the inner causes of spiritual theft.
10 = Ln 8 [stm.]
Paṇḍito sutasampanno, yattha atthī ti ce suto,
mahussāhena taṁ ṭhānaṁ gantabbaṁ va sutesinā.
A wise person endowed with learning, if he hears: “Where there is (a teacher),” should with great effort go to that place seeking knowledge.
A wise person, even if already learned, must remain a seeker. Upon hearing of a place where a true teacher or profound Dhamma exists, they should undertake the journey, taking great pains and great effort. This combats spiritual complacency. It highlights that wisdom is not a static possession but a continuous journey, and the earnestness of the quest is itself a mark of the truly learned.
11 = Ln 50 [ana., stm.]
Sukhaṁ rukkhassa chāyā va, tato ñātimātāpitu,
tato ācariyarañño, tato Jinassa Ln reads: tato Buddhass’ anekadhā; better than that in many ways is the Buddha. sāsanaṁ.
Good is the shade of a tree, better than that are relatives, mother and father, better than that is a royal teacher, better than that is the teaching of the Victor.
The verse presents a graduated analogy of refuge. The shade of a tree provides immediate, physical relief. The support of family provides emotional and social refuge. A royal teacher provides guidance for worldly and spiritual success. But the supreme good and ultimate refuge is the teaching of the Victorious Buddha. It is the only refuge that offers liberation from all suffering, surpassing all worldly comforts and supports.
12 = Ln 147, Mhn 13 [ana., stm.]
Pāsāṇachattaṁ garukaṁ, tato Devān’ acikkhanaṁ,
tato vuḍḍhānam-ovādo, tato Jinassa Ln, Mhn: Buddhassa; of the Buddha. sāsanaṁ.
A stone parasol is weighty, weightier than that is an announcement of the Devas, weightier than that is the advice of the elders, weightier than that is the teaching of the Victor.
This verse uses the powerful metaphor of weight to describe solemn responsibility. A stone parasol is physically heavy. The announcement of Devas carries the heavier weight of cosmic significance. The advice of the wise elders carries the even greater weight of ethical imperative and accumulated wisdom. Heaviest of all is the Teaching of the Victorious Buddha. To receive it is to take on the profound responsibility of understanding, practicing and realising the truth of liberation. It is a weight that demands serious application.
13 = Ln 146, Mhn 14 [ana., stm.]
Tūlaṁ sallahukaṁ loke, tato capalajātiko,
tato vuḍḍhān’ anovādo yati Dhamme pamādako. Ln, line d: pamatto Buddhasāsane; lighter than that is the one negligent in the Buddha’s dispensation.
A tuft of grass is light in the world, lighter than that is a fickle person, lighter than that is the monastic who is negligent in Dhamma, being without the advice of the elders.
This verse is the antithesis of the previous verse, using lightness to describe insignificance and futility. A tuft of cotton is physically light. A fickle, frivolous person is lighter still, he lacks substance or steadfastness. Lightest of all is the negligent monastic who is not even advised by the elders because he pays no attention. When a practitioner is careless in Dhamma, even the most profound advice has no weight, no impact, and simply drifts away.