The Wise (Paṇḍita Vagga)
Verse 80
Pāli Source
Udakaṃ hi nayanti nettikā usukārā namayanti tejanaṃ; dāruṃ namayanti tacchakā attānaṃ damayanti paṇḍitā.
English Translation
Irrigators channel water where they wish; fletchers shape their arrow shafts; carpenters shape wood — and the wise shape themselves.
Way to Enlightenment draft translation — not yet reviewed for accuracy.
Editorial Note
From the Paṇḍita Vagga (The Wise) — a set of everyday craft-based similes (irrigation, fletching, carpentry) for deliberate self-cultivation.
Source
Pali critical edition: O. von Hinüber & K.R. Norman (Pali Text Society, 1995), digitized by the Dhammakaya Foundation via GRETIL, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0