Buddhist Dhammapadha Nothing too much and too little Atula

Chapter XVII - KODHA VAGGA - Anger

THERE IS NONE WHO IS BLAMELESS

THERE IS NONE WHO IS BLAMELESS

Poranam etam atula n'etam ajjatanam iva
Nindanti tunhim asinam nindanti bahu bhaninam
Mita bhaninam pi nindanti natthi loke anindito. [227]

NO ONE IS ALWAYS BLAMED OR PRAISED

Na cahu na ca bhavissati na c'etarahi vijjati
Ekantam nindito poso ekantam va pasamsito. [228]

THE BLAMELESS ARE PRAISED. WHO DARE BLAME THE PURE?

Yan ce vinnu pasamsanti anuvicca suve suve Acchidda vuttim medhavim pannasila samahitam.
Nekkham jambonadass' eva ko tam ninditum arahati
Deva' pi tam pasamsanti brahmuna' pi pasamsito. [229-230]

It is not new, O Atula! ¹ It has always been done from ancient times. They blame one who is silent, they blame one who speaks much, and they blame one who speaks little. There is no one in this world who is not blamed. [227]

There never has been, there never will be, nor is there now, anyone who is always blamed or always praised. [228]

If the wise praise him day after day, knowing him to be truly faultless, wise and endowed with knowledge and virtue, who would blame him, who is like a piece of refined gold? Even the gods praise him; he is praised even by the great Brahma. [229-230]

XVII: 07 Nothing too much and too little (Atula)

Once Atula and his companions wanted to listen to the Dhamma. They went to see Venerable Revata, but he was very aloof and he did not say anything to them. They were very disappointed and went to Venerable Sariputta. When he learned why they had come, Sariputta expounded very deep Dhamma to them. His preaching also was not to their liking, and they grumbled that Sariputta had been too lengthy and too profound. Next Atula and his party approached Venerable Ananda, who expounded to them the bare essentials of the Dhamma. This time they remarked that Ananda had been too brief and too sketchy. Finally they came to the Buddha and said to him, 'Venerable Sir, we have come to listen to your teaching. We have been to other preachers before we came here, but we are not satisfied with any of them. Venerable Revata did not bother to teach us and he kept silent; Venerable Sariputta was too exhaustive and the Dhamma he taught us was too difficult for us. As for Venerable Ananda, he was too brief and too sketchy. We did not like any of their discourses.'

To them the Buddha said, 'My disciples, blaming others is not something new. There is no one in this world who is never blamed; people would blame even a king, or even a Buddha. To be blamed or to be praised by a narrowminded one is of no consequence. One is truly criticised only when he is censured by a wise man, and truly praised when commended by a wise man.'

Notes:

Atula is the name of a person.