The Wise and the Fool

revised on 2019-07-02

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 11th December 1960

[ In this talk Sayadaw was using the first verse of the 38 highest blessings—Maṅgala Sutta for the teaching. “Not to associate with fools; to associate with the wise; to honour those worthy of honour” ]

A fool (bāla) doesn’t mean a person is foolish but for the dhamma latency in the mind. In the same way, the wise (paṇḍita) also is not a person but the dhamma. The mind has ignorance (avijjā) and becomes the fool. The mind has knowledge (vijjā) and becomes the wise. We have to decide by the dhamma latency in the mind. Association with what is good becomes wise and bad becomes a fool. Not knowing is ignorance (avijjā) and foolishness is saṅkhāra (kammic formation).

Take the five khandhas as man and woman who are not exist is foolishness. Contemplation of the impermanence of the khandha is wise. By dying in this way is worthy of honour (pūjā ca pūjaneyyānaṁ). Someone dies by clinging to the khandha as a living being is the corpse of a fool. If you associate with impermanence will realize the incomparable Nibbāna.

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revised on 2019-07-02; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4036&p=35627#p35627 (posted on 2018-12-19)

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• Content of Part 4 on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

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• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

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• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

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According to the translator— Ven. Uttamo's words, this is strictly for free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma—Dhamma Dāna. You may re-format, reprint, translate, and redistribute this work in any medium.