Dhammapada, Chapter 4: samenvatting

Wat er gebeurt

1. An opening question identifies the disciple as the person who can overcome the worlds and find virtue.
2. Recognizing the body's fragility defeats Mara's weapon, while distracted pleasure seekers remain exposed to death.
3. A bee's harmless gathering offers a model for the sage, who should examine personal faults rather than others' failings.
4. Flowers with and without scent illustrate the difference between words supported by action and words without results.
5. Virtue spreads farther than perfume, and Mara cannot reach those freed by knowledge and careful living.
6. A lily growing in rubbish illustrates how Buddha's knowledgeable disciple stands out among people living in darkness.

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The comparison gives goodness a reach that ordinary scents lack. It captures the chapter's use of flowers to explain the power of virtue.

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