From: florent.robert@...
Message: 4451
Date: 2015-10-20
Dear Ven. Bodhi,
I would like to thank you very much for
this complete answer which is very helpful. Interestingly, two Sayadaws also
mentioned the story of Santati to which you gave me a link.
The first confusion arose because the Pali seemed to show a simultaneity between a person being immoral and having penetrated the teachings, etc. The second one came up after I read an interpretation of “mā puggalesu pamāṇikā ahuvattha; mā puggalesu pamāṇaṃ gaṇhittha. khaññati hānanda, puggalesu pamāṇaṃ gaṇhanto” as not to judge other people in a general sense. Like for example although this person is a thief or a dictator, one should not judge him. As I now can read from your comment, the context indicates that one should not judge the spiritual status of a person, but does not say that one should not judge his behavior:
<<On either interpretation, the person being criticized by the Buddha is the one who seizes upon the other’s immoral behavior (whether past or present) and on that basis forms a disparaging judgment about that person. Since the Buddha can see the hidden potentials of people, he alone is entitled to make definitive judgments about a person's spiritual status.>>
Thanking you again for your time,
Florent