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Not by passing arbitrary judgments
does a man become just;
a wise man is he
who investigates both right and wrong.
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He who does not judge others arbitrarily,
but passes judgment impartially
according to the truth,
that sagacious man is a guardian of law
and is called just.
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One is not wise because one speaks much.
He who is peaceable,
friendly and fearless is called wise.
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A man is not versed in Dhamma
because he speaks much.
He who, after hearing a little Dhamma,
realizes its truth directly
and is not heedless of it,
is truly versed in the Dhamma.
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A monk is not Elder because his head is gray.
He is but ripe in age,
and he is called one grown old in vain.
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One in whom there is truthfulness,
virtue, inoffensiveness, restraint and self-mastery,
who is free from defilements and is wise —
he is truly called an Elder.
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Not by mere eloquence nor by beauty of form
does a man become accomplished,
if he is jealous, selfish and deceitful.
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But he in whom these are wholly destroyed,
uprooted and extinct,
and who has cast out hatred —
that wise man is truly accomplished.
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Not by shaven head does a man
who is indisciplined and untruthful
become a monk. How can he
who is full of desire and greed be a monk?
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He who wholly subdues evil both small and great
is called a monk,
because he has overcome all evil.
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He is not a monk
just because he lives on others' alms.
Not by adopting outward form
does one become a true monk.
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Whoever here (in the Dispensation)
lives a holy life,
transcending both merit and demerit,
and walks with understanding in this world —
he is truly called a monk.
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Not by observing silence does one become a sage,
if he be foolish and ignorant.
But that man is wise who,
as if holding a balance-scale
accepts only the good.
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The sage (thus) rejecting the evil,
is truly a sage.
Since he comprehends both
(present and future) worlds,
he is called a sage.
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He is not noble who injures living beings.
He is called noble
because he is harmless towards all living beings.
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Not by rules and observances,
not even by much learning,
nor by gain of absorption,
nor by a life of seclusion,
nor by thinking,
"I enjoy the bliss of renunciation,
which is not experienced by the worldling"
should you, O monks, rest content,
until the utter destruction of cankers
(Arahantship) is reached.