151 (1) The Fixed Course of Rightness (1)
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, even while listening to the good Dhamma one is incapable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities. What five? One disparages the talk; one disparages the speaker; one disparages oneself; one listens to the Dhamma with a distracted and scattered mind; one attends to it carelessly. Possessing these five qualities, even while listening to the good Dhamma one is incapable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities.
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, while listening to the good Dhamma one is capable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities. What five? One does not disparage the talk; one does not disparage the speaker; one does not disparage oneself; one listens to the Dhamma with an undistracted and one-pointed mind; one attends to it carefully. Possessing these five qualities, while listening to the good Dhamma one is capable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities.”
152 (2) The Fixed Course of Rightness (2)
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, even while listening to the good Dhamma one is incapable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities. What five? One disparages the talk; one disparages the speaker; one disparages oneself; one is unwise, stupid, obtuse; one imagines that one has understood what one has not understood. Possessing these five qualities, even while listening to the good Dhamma one is incapable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities.
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, while listening to the good Dhamma one is capable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities. What five? One does not disparage the talk; one does not disparage the speaker; one does not disparage oneself; one is wise, intelligent, astute; one does not imagine that one has understood what one has not understood. Possessing these five qualities, while listening to the good Dhamma one is capable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities.”
153 (3) The Fixed Course of Rightness (3)
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, even while listening to the good Dhamma one is incapable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities. What five? (1) One listens to the Dhamma as a denigrator obsessed with denigration; (2) one listens to the Dhamma with the intention of criticizing it, seeking faults; (3) one is ill disposed toward the teacher, intent on attacking him; (4) one is unwise, stupid, obtuse; (5) one imagines that one has understood what one has not understood. Possessing these five qualities, even while listening to the good Dhamma one is incapable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities.
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, while listening to the good Dhamma one is capable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities. What five? (1) One does not listen to the Dhamma as a denigrator obsessed with denigration; (2) one listens to the Dhamma without any intention of criticizing it, not as one who seeks faults; (3) one is not ill disposed toward the teacher and intent on attacking him; (4) one is wise, intelligent, astute; (5) one does not imagine that one has understood what one has not understood. Possessing these five qualities, while listening to the good Dhamma one is capable of entering upon the fixed course [consisting in] rightness in wholesome qualities.”
154 (4) Decline of the Good Dhamma (1)
“Bhikkhus, there are these five things that lead to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma. What five? (1) Here, the bhikkhus do not respectfully listen to the Dhamma; (2) they do not respectfully learn the Dhamma; (3) they do not respectfully retain the Dhamma in mind; (4) they do not respectfully examine the meaning of the teachings they have retained in mind; (5) they do not respectfully understand the meaning and the Dhamma and then practice in accordance with the Dhamma. These five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
“Bhikkhus, there are these five [other] things that lead to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma. What five? (1) Here, the bhikkhus respectfully listen to the Dhamma; (2) they respectfully learn the Dhamma; (3) they respectfully retain the Dhamma in mind; (4) they respectfully examine the meaning of the teachings they have retained in mind; (5) they respectfully understand the meaning and the Dhamma and then practice in accordance with the Dhamma.
These five things lead to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.”
155 (5) Decline of the Good Dhamma (2)
“Bhikkhus, there are these five things that lead to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma. What five?
(1) “Here, the bhikkhus do not learn the Dhamma: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, quotations, birth stories, amazing accounts, and questions-andanswers. This is the first thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(2) “Again, the bhikkhus do not teach the Dhamma to others in detail as they have heard it and learned it. This is the second thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(3) “Again, the bhikkhus do not make others repeat the Dhamma in detail as they have heard it and learned it. This is the third thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(4) “Again, the bhikkhus do not recite the Dhamma in detail as they have heard it and learned it. This is the fourth thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(5) “Again, the bhikkhus do not ponder, examine, and mentally inspect the Dhamma as they have heard it and learned it. This is the fifth thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
“These are the five things that lead to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
“Bhikkhus, there are these five [other] things that lead to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma. What five?
(1) “Here, the bhikkhus learn the Dhamma: discourses ... and questions-and-answers. This is the first thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(2) “Again, the bhikkhus teach the Dhamma to others in detail as they have heard it and learned it. This is the second thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(3) “Again, the bhikkhus make others repeat the Dhamma in detail as they have heard it and learned it. This is the third thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and nondisappearance of the good Dhamma.
(4) “Again, the bhikkhus recite the Dhamma in detail as they have heard it and learned it. This is the fourth thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(5) “Again, the bhikkhus ponder, examine, and mentally inspect the Dhamma as they have heard it and learned it. This is the fifth thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
“These are the five things that lead to the continuation, nondecline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.”
156 (6) Decline of the Good Dhamma (3)
“Bhikkhus, there are these five things that lead to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma. What five?
(1) “Here, the bhikkhus learn discourses that have been badly acquired, with badly set down words and phrases. When the words and phrases are badly set down, the meaning is badly interpreted. This is the first thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(2) “Again, the bhikkhus are difficult to correct and possess qualities that make them difficult to correct. They are impatient and do not accept instruction respectfully. This is the second thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(3) “Again, those bhikkhus who are learned, heirs to the heritage, experts on the Dhamma, experts on the discipline, experts on the outlines, do not respectfully teach the discourses to others. When they have passed away, the discourses are cut off at the root, left without anyone to preserve them. This is the third thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(4) “Again, the elder bhikkhus are luxurious and lax, leaders in backsliding, discarding the duty of solitude; they do not arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. [Those in] the next generation follow their example. They, too, become luxurious and lax, leaders in backsliding, discarding the duty of solitude; they, too, do not arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the fourth thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(5) “Again, there is a schism in the Saṅgha, and when there is a schism in the Saṅgha there are mutual insults, mutual reviling, mutual disparagement, and mutual rejection. Then those without confidence do not gain confidence, while some of those with confidence change their minds. This is the fifth thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
“These are the five things that lead to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma.
“There are, bhikkhus, these five [other] things that lead to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma. What five?
(1) “Here, the bhikkhus learn discourses that have been well acquired, with well set-down words and phrases. When the words and phrases are well set down, the meaning is well interpreted. This is the first thing that leads to the continuation, nondecline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(2) “Again, the bhikkhus are easy to correct and possess qualities that make them easy to correct. They are patient and accept instruction respectfully. This is the second thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(3) “Again, those bhikkhus who are learned, experts on the Dhamma, experts on the discipline, experts on the outlines, respectfully teach the discourses to others. When they have passed away, the discourses are not cut off at the root, for there are those who preserve them. This is the third thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(4) “Again, the elder bhikkhus are not luxurious and lax, but discard backsliding and take the lead in solitude; they arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. [Those in] the next generation follow their example. They, too, do not become luxurious and lax, but discard backsliding and take the lead in solitude; they, too, arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the fourth thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.
(5) “Again, the Saṅgha is dwelling at ease—in concord, harmoniously, without disputes, with a single recitation. When the Saṅgha is in concord, there are no mutual insults, no mutual reviling, no mutual disparagement, and no mutual rejection. Then those without confidence gain confidence and those with confidence increase [in their confidence]. This is the fifth thing that leads to the continuation, non-decline, and nondisappearance of the good Dhamma.
“These, bhikkhus, are the five things that lead to the continuation, non-decline, and non-disappearance of the good Dhamma.”
157 (7) Wrongly Addressed Talk
“Bhikkhus, a talk is wrongly addressed when, having weighed one type of person against another, it is addressed to these five [inappropriate] types of persons. What five? A talk on faith is wrongly addressed to one devoid of faith; a talk on virtuous behavior is wrongly addressed to an immoral person; a talk on learning is wrongly addressed to one of little learning; a talk on generosity is wrongly addressed to a miser; a talk on wisdom is wrongly addressed to an unwise person.
(1) “And why, bhikkhus, is a talk on faith wrongly addressed to one devoid of faith? When a talk on faith is being given, a person devoid of faith loses his temper and becomes irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he displays anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he does not perceive that faith in himself and obtain rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on faith is wrongly addressed to a person devoid of faith.
(2) “And why is a talk on virtuous behavior wrongly addressed to an immoral person? When a talk on virtuous behavior is being given, an immoral person loses his temper and becomes irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he displays anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he does not perceive that virtuous behavior in himself and obtain rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on virtuous behavior is wrongly addressed to an immoral person.
(3) “And why is a talk on learning wrongly addressed to a person of little learning? When a talk on learning is being given, a person of little learning loses his temper and becomes irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he displays anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he does not perceive that learning in himself and obtain rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on learning is wrongly addressed to a person of little learning.
(4) “And why is a talk on generosity wrongly addressed to a miser? When a talk on generosity is being given, a miser loses his temper and becomes irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he displays anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he does not perceive that generosity in himself and obtain rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on generosity is wrongly addressed to a miser.
(5) “And why is a talk on wisdom wrongly addressed to an unwise person? When a talk on wisdom is being given, an unwise person loses his temper and becomes irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he displays anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he does not perceive that wisdom in himself and obtain rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on wisdom is wrongly addressed to an unwise person.
“A talk is wrongly addressed when, having weighed one type of person against another, it is addressed to these five [inappropriate] types of persons.
“Bhikkhus, a talk is properly addressed when, having weighed one type of person against another, it is addressed to these five [appropriate] types of persons. What five? A talk on faith is properly addressed to one endowed with faith; a talk on virtuous behavior is properly addressed to a virtuous person; a talk on learning is properly addressed to a learned person; a talk on generosity is properly addressed to a generous person; a talk on wisdom is properly addressed to a wise person.
(1) “And why, bhikkhus, is a talk on faith properly addressed to one endowed with faith? When a talk on faith is being given, a person endowed with faith does not lose his temper and become irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he does not display anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he perceives that faith in himself and obtains rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on faith is properly addressed to a person endowed with faith.
(2) “And why is a talk on virtuous behavior properly addressed to a virtuous person? When a talk on virtuous behavior is being given, a virtuous person does not lose his temper and become irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he does not display anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he perceives that virtuous behavior in himself and obtains rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on virtuous behavior is properly addressed to a virtuous person.
(3) “And why is a talk on learning properly addressed to a learned person? When a talk on learning is being given, a learned person does not lose his temper and become irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he does not display anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he perceives that learning in himself and obtains rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on learning is properly addressed to a learned person.
(4) “And why is a talk on generosity properly addressed to a generous person? When a talk on generosity is being given, a generous person does not lose his temper and become irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he does not display anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he perceives that generosity in himself and obtains rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on generosity is properly addressed to a generous person.
(5) “And why is a talk on wisdom properly addressed to a wise person? When a talk on wisdom is being given, a wise person does not lose his temper and become irritated, hostile, and stubborn; he does not display anger, hatred, and bitterness. For what reason? Because he perceives that wisdom in himself and obtains rapture and joy based upon it. Therefore a talk on wisdom is properly addressed to a wise person.
“Bhikkhus, a talk is properly addressed when, having weighed one type of person against another, it is addressed to these five [appropriate] types of persons.”
“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, a bhikkhu is overcome by timidity. What five? Here, a bhikkhu is devoid of faith, immoral, unlearned, lazy, and unwise. Possessing these five qualities, a bhikkhu is overcome by timidity.
“Bhikkhus, possessing five [other] qualities, a bhikkhu is selfconfident. What five? Here, a bhikkhu is endowed with faith, virtuous, learned, energetic, and wise. Possessing these five qualities, a bhikkhu is self-confident.”
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Kosambī in Ghosita’s Park. Now on that occasion the Venerable Udāyī, surrounded by a large assembly of laypeople, was sitting teaching the Dhamma. The Venerable Ānanda saw this and approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said: “Bhante, the Venerable Udāyī, surrounded by a large assembly of laypeople, is teaching the Dhamma.”
“It isn’t easy, Ānanda, to teach the Dhamma to others. One who teaches the Dhamma to others should first set up five qualities internally. What five? (1) [Having determined:] ‘I will give a progressive talk,’ one should teach the Dhamma to others. (2) [Having determined:] ‘I will give a talk that shows reasons,’ one should teach the Dhamma to others. (3) [Having determined:] ‘I will give a talk out of sympathy,’ one should teach the Dhamma to others. (4) [Having determined:] ‘I will not give a talk while intent on material gain,’ one should teach the Dhamma to others. (5) [Having determined:] ‘I will give a talk without harming myself or others,’ one should teach the Dhamma to others. It isn’t easy, Ānanda, to teach the Dhamma to others. One who teaches the Dhamma to others should first set up these five qualities internally.”
“Bhikkhus, these five things, once arisen, are hard to dispel. What five? Lust, once arisen, is hard to dispel. Hatred ... Delusion ... Discernment ... The urge to travel, once arisen, is hard to dispel. These five things, once arisen, are hard to dispel.”