Dhammapada verse 267
Chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga) · verses 256–272
“But one living a spiritual life, who has banished both merit and evil, who wanders having appraised the world, is said to be a mendicant.”
Yodha puññañca pāpañca, bāhetvā brahmacariyavā; Saṅkhāya loke carati, sa ve “bhikkhū”ti vuccati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 267 mean?
Verse 267 belongs to chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga), which gathers verses 256–272 on what makes a person just. It is filed under good & evil, giving & merit. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 266 and verse 268 are part of the same passage.
Seventeen verses on the just person. Most of the chapter is a series of distinctions: you do not become just by passing hasty judgment, by seniority, by eloquence, or by complexion. The chapter defines the just person by what they weigh, not by what they claim.
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