KN.DHP256-272 — The Chapter on Being Established in the Dhamma
The Story of the Great Minister of Judgment
One is not established in the Dhamma merely by hastily deciding a matter. A wise person discerns both what is beneficial and what is not. By guiding others with fairness and righteousness, without haste, a wise person, protected by the Dhamma, is called one established in the Dhamma.
The Story of the Group of Six Disciples
One is not wise simply because one speaks much. A person who is secure, without enmity, and fearless is called wise.
The Story of the One Who Has Destroyed the Defilements
One is not a bearer of the Dhamma merely because one speaks much. One who, having heard even a little, sees the Dhamma with the body and does not neglect it is truly a bearer of the Dhamma.
The Story of Elder Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya
One is not an elder merely because one's head is gray. If one is ripe in age but immature in wisdom, one is called an old fool. One in whom truth, Dhamma, non-violence, restraint, and discipline are present, who has abandoned impurities, is called an elder.
The Story of Several Disciples
One is not noble merely by eloquence or by a beautiful appearance. A person who is envious, stingy, and deceitful is not noble. One who has uprooted these qualities, who is wise and free from faults, is called noble.
The Story of Hatthaka
One is not a recluse merely by shaving the head or by speaking falsehoods. One who is overcome by desire and greed cannot be a recluse. One who has completely subdued both small and large evils is called a recluse.
The Story of a Certain Brahmin
One is not a disciple merely because one begs from others. One is not a disciple simply by adopting the outward form. One who has abandoned both merit and demerit, who lives the holy life, and who moves through the world with understanding is called a disciple.
The Story of the Heretics
One is not a sage by silence if one is foolish and ignorant. A wise person, like one holding a scale, chooses the best and avoids evil. Such a person is called a sage because they understand both worlds.
The Story of the Fisherman
One is not noble by harming living beings. One who does not harm any living being is called noble.
The Story of Several Disciples Perfect in Virtue and Other Qualities
One is not a true disciple merely by virtue, vows, much learning, attainment of concentration, or living in solitude. A disciple who experiences the bliss of renunciation, not indulged in by ordinary people, and who has not yet reached the destruction of the taints, gains confidence.