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Dhammapada
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  • XIX - The Judge
    • 264-265*:
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264-265*265:

A shaven head
doesn't mean a contemplative.
The liar observing no duties,
filled with greed & desire:
what kind of contemplative's he?

But whoever tunes out
the dissonance
of his evil qualities
-- large or small --
in every way
by bringing evil to consonance:
    he's called a contemplative.

 



265: This verse plays with a number of nouns and verbs related to the adjective sama, which means "even," "equal," "on pitch," or "in tune." Throughout ancient cultures, the terminology of music was used to describe the moral quality of people and acts. Discordant intervals or poorly-tuned musical instruments were metaphors for evil; harmonious intervals and well-tuned instruments, for good. Thus in Pali, samana, or contemplative, also means a person who is in tune with the principles of rightness and truth inherent in nature. Here and in 388, I've attempted to give a hint of these implications by associating the word "contemplative" with "consonance."





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