the four foolish beings, fear what they should not be afraid of.
22.
The fourteenth day of the dark half of a month, a dense forest, an overclouded sky, and midnight—these are the four kinds of darkness: darkness, however great each of these is, an ignorant man is darker still.[1]
23.
An ignorant man does not free himself from suffering, being like a log in (the ocean of) transmigration; therefore two kinds of worldlings have been spoken of by Gotama, the kinsman of the sun,—one a worldling who is blind, and the other a worldling who is intelligent.
24.
By the eye of "mental clearness"[2] one sees an object to be plain and unconcealed—he sees nothing else; by the eye of knowledge he sees everything without doubt.
25.
It is true that an officer, going in search of gain, saved from suffering a Brahman who, was returning (home), having known, by his wisdom, that a snake, from the smell of flour-cake, had entered into the (alms) bag (of the Brahman).
- ↑ Such a person is very often compared to an eclipse caused by Râhu. The latter, in ancient mythology, is represented as a demon who rank part of the nectar obtained by churning the ocean. The sun and moon having revealed the circumstance, Vishṇu severed his head and throat from the rest of his body. He is supposed to wreak vengeance upon them by periodically swallowing them up. See Dhammanîti, stanza 351.
- ↑ Pasâdacakkhunâ.
