Thag 2.34 — Isidinna | Ru-Yi Meditation Center

Reading guide

Correct words, observed alongside contrary conduct

The first verse doesn't accuse anyone of ignorance in the abstract; it describes a specific, observed group: lay disciples who ‘have memorized discourses’ and can recite the correct formula, ‘sensual pleasures are impermanent’, while ‘obsessed with jeweled earrings’ and worried for their families.

Reciting is not the same as knowing

The second verse draws the sharp conclusion: ‘to be honest, they don't know Dhamma’, even though they can repeat the same words as the first verse — the poem's own repetition of ‘sensual pleasures are impermanent’ underlining that correct recitation and actual understanding are being treated as two separate things.

A diagnosis, not simply a complaint

The poem doesn't stop at pointing out the gap; it names a specific cause: ‘they don't have the power to cut their lust’, and clinging to family and wealth follows directly from that missing power — a causal account rather than a moral scolding.

Key terms

dhammadharā upāsakā — “lay disciples who have memorized discourses” — the group this poem observes.

sārattarattā — “obsessed” — describing their actual attachment to jeweled earrings.

addhā na jānanti — “to be honest, they don't know” — the poem's blunt diagnosis, opening the second verse.

rāgaṁ chettuṁ — “to cut their lust” — the power the second verse says these disciples lack.

sitā puttadāraṁ dhanañca — “cling to children, wives, and wealth” — the poem's closing consequence of that missing power.

The text

The text in full: two verses, without a translated attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1I’ve seen lay disciples who have memorized discourses, saying, “Sensual pleasures are impermanent”. But they’re obsessed with jeweled earrings, concerned for their partners and children.

§2To be honest, they don’t know Dhamma, even though they say “Sensual pleasures are impermanent”. They don’t have the power to cut their lust, so they cling to children, wives, and wealth.

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Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10

What group does the first verse describe observing?

Correct: A. A specific, observed group, not an abstract accusation.

Question 2 of 10

What do these lay disciples say, according to the first verse?

Correct: C. The correct formula, recited but not, the poem argues, understood.

Question 3 of 10

What are these lay disciples said to be obsessed with, despite their recitation?

Correct: C. A gap between correct words and actual attachment.

Question 4 of 10

What blunt diagnosis opens the second verse?

Correct: B. Correct recitation treated as distinct from actual understanding.

Question 5 of 10

What specific cause does the poem name for their continued clinging?

Correct: D. A causal account, not simply a moral complaint.

Question 6 of 10

What does 'sārattarattā' mean?

Correct: D. Describing their actual attachment to jeweled earrings.

Question 7 of 10

What does the poem's closing line say they cling to?

Correct: C. The direct consequence of lacking the power to cut lust.

Question 8 of 10

What does 'addhā na jānanti' mean?

Correct: D. The poem's blunt diagnostic phrase.

Question 9 of 10

Does the poem's own text repeat the phrase 'sensual pleasures are impermanent'?

Correct: A. A deliberate repetition marking the contrast the poem draws.

Question 10 of 10

Where does this poem fall in Chapter Four?

Correct: B. Following Migasira, Sivaka, and Upavāṇa.

Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Isidinna

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