Dhammapada 158

First establish yourself in what is fitting

First establish yourself in what is fitting; then instruct another. The wise would not become tainted.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

Before telling someone else how to live, establish the fitting conduct yourself. The verse links teaching with the teacher's own practice.

Key words

patirūpa

fitting, appropriate — What one is to establish oneself in before instructing others.

The story behind the verse

The greedy monk

In the commentary, a monk known for teaching traveled among monasteries and collected many requisites. Two young monks asked him to settle a disagreement about their belongings, and they had robes and a valuable blanket to divide. He awarded a robe to each of them, and he kept the costly blanket for himself as the price of the judgment. The monks complained to the Buddha, and the Buddha taught that a person should establish fitting conduct before instructing others and compared the judge to a jackal dividing fish for otters.

Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.