Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
The Study of Conduct. He wanders through the world, clinging to delusion, not finding a place in the lineage of the silent ones. He who, seeking honor, exalts himself, not understanding the true nature of things. ||1|| Commentary - He who, considering himself to be a vessel of virtue and knowledge, without examination, without understanding his true nature, praises himself, thinking, "I am a practitioner of austerity," sees other men as insignificant, like the reflection of the moon in water. ||8|| He, the proud man, wanders through the world, clinging to delusion, not finding a place in the lineage of the silent ones. He who, seeking honor, exalts himself, not understanding the true nature of things. ||9|| Commentary - It is common for ascetics to be proud of their knowledge and austerity. Therefore, the author of the text addresses this issue: "He who, being of a low nature, considers himself to be a vessel of virtue, and, thinking that austerity is the true wealth, considers himself to be a practitioner of austerity, thinking, 'I am the one who truly upholds the fundamental and secondary virtues, there is no one else like me,' and who, considering himself to be knowledgeable, counts and defines the elements of existence, without examining the true nature of things, is proud of his own excellence, sees other men, the virtuous or the householders, as insignificant, like the reflection of the moon in water, or like a counterfeit coin, a mere form, a mere human shape." ||8|| Further - Just as a deer, bound by a snare, is trapped by a snare and suffers greatly, so too does this man, bound by the snare of attachment, wander through the cycle of existence, or is completely absorbed in it. He wanders through the world in many ways, deluded by desire and other attachments. He who is like this does not find a place among the silent ones. This silence, this path, is the path of the silent ones, the path of austerity, the path of the omniscient. He does not find a place in the path laid down by the omniscient. He who, seeking honor, exalts himself, not understanding the true nature of things. ||9|| Commentary - Ascetics often become proud of their knowledge and austerity. Therefore, the author of the text addresses this issue: "He who, being of a low nature, considers himself to be a vessel of virtue, and, thinking that austerity is the true wealth, considers himself to be a practitioner of austerity, thinking, 'I am the one who truly upholds the fundamental and secondary virtues, there is no one else like me,' and who, considering himself to be knowledgeable, counts and defines the elements of existence, without examining the true nature of things, is proud of his own excellence, sees other men, the virtuous or the householders, as insignificant, like the reflection of the moon in water, or like a counterfeit coin, a mere form, a mere human shape." ||8|| Further - Just as a deer, bound by a snare, is trapped by a snare and suffers greatly, so too does this man, bound by the snare of attachment, wander through the cycle of existence, or is completely absorbed in it. He wanders through the world in many ways, deluded by desire and other attachments. He who is like this does not find a place among the silent ones. This silence, this path, is the path of the silent ones, the path of austerity, the path of the omniscient. He does not find a place in the path laid down by the omniscient. He who, seeking honor, exalts himself, not understanding the true nature of things. ||9||