Dhammapada · Chapter 19
The Just (Established in Dhamma)
17 verses · One is not just because one speaks much, nor an elder because of grey hair, nor a monk because of the robe. The Buddha distinguishes form from substance — true worth lies in restraint, truth, peace, and inner attainment, not in appearances.
Chapter 19
धम्मट्ठवग्गो
Dhammaṭṭhavagga
19.1
One does not become established in Dhamma by deciding cases hastily or violently
19.2
The wise one who guides others without haste, by Dhamma, with impartiality — guarded by…
19.3
One does not become wise merely by talking much
19.4
One is not a keeper of Dhamma merely by reciting much
19.5
One is not an elder merely because the head is grey
19.6
He in whom there is truth, Dhamma, non-harming, restraint, and self-taming — he, the wise…
19.7
Not by fluent speech nor by a handsome appearance does a person become a good man, if he…
19.8
But the wise one in whom this — envy, miserliness, deceit — is cut off, rooted out, and…
19.9
One is not a recluse merely by a shaven head — if without vows, speaking lies, full of…
19.10
But he who calms evils, both subtle and gross, entirely — by his calming of evils, he is…
19.11
One is not a bhikkhu merely by begging from others
19.12
He who, here, has set aside both merit and demerit, who lives the holy life, and fares in…
19.13
One is not a sage by mere silence, if foolish and ignorant
19.14
He who avoids evils — he is a sage, by that he is a sage
19.15
One is not a noble one merely by harming living beings
19.16
Not by mere virtue and vows, not by much learning, not by attaining concentration, not by…
19.17
— '(saying) I touch the bliss of renunciation not enjoyed by ordinary folk' — let no monk…