Buddhist Dhammapadha It is not easy to mislead the wise

Chapter XXVI - BRAHMANA VAGGA - The Brahmana

BE PURE WITHIN

BE PURE WITHIN

Kim te jatahi dummedha kim te ajina satiya
Abbhantaram te gahanam bahiram parimajjasi. [394]

O foolish one! What is the use of your matted hair? What is the use of your wearing a garment made of antelope skin? Within, you are full of passions; without, you embellish yourself. ¹ [394]

XXVI: 11 It is not easy to mislead the wise

Once, a deceitful brahmin climbed up a tree near the city-gate of Vesali and kept himself hanging up side down like a bat from one of the branches of the tree. From this very awkward position, he kept on muttering, 'O People! Give me a hundred head of cattle. Give me money. Give me a woman slave. If you don't bring these to me and if I were to fall down from this tree and die, the city of yours will surely come to ruin.' The ignorant people of the city, fearing that their city might be destroyed if the brahmin were to fall down and die, brought all the things he demanded and pleaded with him to come down.

The bhikkhus related the incident to the Buddha who said that the deceitful one could only cheat the ignorant people but not the wise ones.

Notes:

With the paraphernalia of the ascetics.