One
should not make an effort everywhere,
should not be another’s hireling,
should not live dependent on another,
should not go about
as a trader in the Dhamma.1
Notes
1. SN 3:11 tells a nearly identical version of this story, although it replaces this verse with the following:
Not by appearance
is a man rightly known,
nor should trust be based
on a quick glance,
–for, disguised as well-restrained,
the unrestrained go through this world.
A counterfeit earring made of clay,
a bronze half-dollar coated in gold:
They go about in this world
hidden all around:
impure inside,
beautiful out.
The verse in SN 3:11 may seem more immediately relevant to the situation than the verse given here, but the verse given here is a more interesting and original response to what is happening.
Origin URL: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Ud/ud6_2.html