Fine Steed or Lazy Horse? A Dhammapada Lesson on the Wise Person

In a quiet forest, two young monks practiced together. Life there was not easy: the Indian nights were cold, mosquitoes were bothersome, and the alms round was long. One monk devoted himself to sitting in meditation, wasting not a single hour. The other found every way to "kill time" — lighting fires to keep warm, inviting his friend to talk about the Dharma, and then about worldly matters. As the conversation drifted on, he forgot his practice entirely.

When the Buddha came to visit, the lazy monk hastily claimed that he was diligent. But the Buddha rebuked him at once, and then spoke of the other: "This one is truly my child. Like a fine steed that outpaces others on the long road, leaving the weak horse far behind." And he taught this verse:

"Diligent among the careless, awake among the deluded. The wise one is like a fine steed, leaving the lazy horse behind."

The verse is brief, yet it holds a profound philosophy of life. The Buddha did not speak of wisdom found in books, nor of eloquent words. True wisdom is measured by how we use our time and how we live our lives.

The Wise Person Is Not the One Who Talks Much

When we first study the Dharma, we are all eager to share what we understand. Speaking about the teachings makes us feel wise, but we should not mistake this for true wisdom. Master Thích Chân Quang taught:

"The measure of a person's wisdom is to see whether their time is fully used, or whether they do not know what to do. To have time and not know what to do with it — that is not a wise person."

Consider this: our day has twenty-four hours. If there is even one hour when we do not know what to do, we are becoming the foolish. For there is so much to be done — studying the teachings, practicing compassion, helping others. The wise person always finds work and never has idle time.

Awake Amid Delusion — Awareness or Mindfulness?

The Master made a clear distinction: meditative awareness is a state of meditative concentration, while being awake is an attitude toward life. To be awake means that amid a crowd of the deluded, we do not make mistakes, we do not indulge in pleasure.

For example: someone invites us out drinking instead of listening to the Dharma. If we soften and give in, we are not awake. If we firmly refuse, we are awake. Or when we are entrusted to guard someone's gold, if we hesitate and let greed arise, treating another's possessions as our own, we are not awake. The one who is awake will think: "This is another person's property; I must guard it carefully. If they should lose it, I will dedicate merit to them."

"In such difficult situations, if we always remain clear-headed, never letting the mind of greed, the mind of hatred, or the mind of delusion control us, always holding firm to the teachings and to our own heart — that is called being awake."

Diligence Means Wasting No Time

Diligence is not only the hour of meditation or chanting. Diligence means working, studying, and practicing. The Master taught:

"If we live in this world and feel that twenty-four hours a day are too long, then we know right away what kind of person we are."

Those lacking wisdom find time long, always waiting for bedtime. The wise find twenty-four hours not enough. Since learning the Dharma, they see countless things to do: paying homage to the Buddha, sitting in meditation, visiting others, learning new knowledge, doing good deeds. They can never be "idle."

Not Knowing What to Do — A Sign of Lacking Wisdom

Do not confuse being unemployed with not knowing what to do. Being unemployed is a lack of blessings from merit, not being hired. But not knowing what to do is a lack of wisdom. A Buddhist is never without something to do. If we have no work, let us go create merit. Spend time visiting the sick, offering comfort, and sharing the teachings.

That is why there is the story of a meditation master who appeared to be "idle," yet in truth never had a single lazy moment. When criticized, he smiled and said: "I have no time." — No time even to wipe his nose, because his mind was always concentrated. And he proved it by walking over a sutra buried in the ground by... planting banana trees and walking on his hands. That is uninterrupted diligence.

Meditative Concentration — The Peak of Diligence

Both monks in the story received a meditation subject from the Buddha. One diligently meditated; the other wasted his time. Thus, the diligence in the verse refers precisely to the practice of meditative concentration. The wise person must devote much time to meditation in order to let go and keep the mind peaceful and still.

"If our mind is restless and tense, and yet we still do not set aside time for meditative concentration, then we know we are foolish — we have gone astray from the Buddha."

May we, from this moment on, live every hour and every minute like a fine steed: leaving behind all laziness and carelessness. Let us be awake amid the murky currents of life. And let time pass with meaningful actions that contribute to the world and to our own soul.