Spoiling the Park: a past life story

Surely not with one who misunderstands the meaning*A lazy groundskeeper asks the monkeys in the park to water the trees in his absence. They set to work with all good cheer. However, misconstruing the instructions, they pull up each tree to examine the size of the roots before watering, thus ruining the park despite their good intentions.does good conduct lead to happiness.*The verse plays on two meanings of attha. In the opening line, attha is “meaning, basis” (as per Snp 1.8:1.1 or AN 5.169:3.1), and it is glossed āyatane kāraṇe (“reason, cause”). Here it means “good, benefit” and is glossed vuḍḍhi (“growth”).The simpleton destroys the good,like the monkey groundskeeper.

“Na ve anatthakusalena, atthacariyā sukhāvahā; Hāpeti atthaṁ dummedho, kapi ārāmiko yathā”ti.

Surely not with one who misunderstands the meaning*A lazy groundskeeper asks the monkeys in the park to water the trees in his absence. They set to work with all good cheer. However, misconstruing the instructions, they pull up each tree to examine the size of the roots before watering, thus ruining the park despite their good intentions.“Na ve anatthakusalena, does good conduct lead to happiness.*The verse plays on two meanings of attha. In the opening line, attha is “meaning, basis” (as per Snp 1.8:1.1 or AN 5.169:3.1), and it is glossed āyatane kāraṇe (“reason, cause”). Here it means “good, benefit” and is glossed vuḍḍhi (“growth”).atthacariyā sukhāvahā; The simpleton destroys the good,Hāpeti atthaṁ dummedho, like the monkey groundskeeper.kapi ārāmiko yathā”ti.