Conceiving so his foolishness
the fool is thereby wise,
while ‘fool’ is called that fool
conceited that he’s wise.
Explanation: If a foolish person were to become aware that he is foolish, by virtue of that awareness, he could be described as a wise person. On the other hand, if a foolish person were to think that he is wise, he could be described as a foolish person.
The Story of Two Pick-pockets (Verse 63)
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to two pick-pockets.
The story goes that these two men, who were lucky companions, accompanied a great throng to Jetavana to hear the Buddha. One of them listened to the Teaching, the other watched for a chance to steal something. The first, through listening to the Teaching ‘Entered the Stream’ ; the second found five coins tied to the belt of a certain man and stole the money. The thief had food cooked as usual in his house, but there was no cooking done in the house of his companion. His comrade the thief, and likewise the thief’s wife, ridiculed him, saying, “You are so excessively wise that you cannot obtain money enough to have regular meals cooked in your own house” He who entered the stream thought to himself, “This man, just because he is a fool, does not think that he is a fool.” And going to Jetavana with his kinsfolk, he told the Buddha of the incident.