อนุทิน 119809

Buddha Vacana

There are these four types of people found in the world.  What four?  Those who are concerned neither with their own good nor the good of others, those who are concerned with good of others but not their own, those who are concerned with their own good but not that of others, and those who are concerned with both their own good and the good of others.  Just as a stick from a funeral pyre, burning at both ends and smeared with dung in the middle, serves no useful purpose as fuel in the village or as timber in the forest- using such a simile do I speak of those concerned neither with their own good nor the good of the others.  Those concerned with the good of others but not their own are more excellent and higher than this.  Those who are concerned with their own good but not that of others are more excellent and higher still.  But those who are concerned with both their own good and the good of others – they are, of these four persons, the supreme, the highest the topmost and the best.  Just as from a cow comes milk, from milk cream, from cream butter, from butter ghee, and from ghee the skimming of ghee, which is said to be the best, even so, those who are concerned with their own good and the good of others are, of these four persons, the supreme, the highest, the topmost and the best.

-- A.II,95