(1) “Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu may be endowed with faith but he is not virtuous; thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, [thinking]: ‘How can I be endowed with faith and also be virtuous?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is also virtuous, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
(2) “A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith and virtuous, but he is not learned; thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, [thinking]: ‘How can I be endowed with faith, virtuous, and also learned?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith, virtuous, and also learned, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
(3) “A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith, virtuous, and learned, but he is not a speaker on the Dhamma ... (4) ... a speaker on the Dhamma, but not one who frequents assemblies ... (5) ... one who frequents assemblies, but not one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly ... (6) ... one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly, but not one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life ... (7) ... one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life, but not one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it. Thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, thinking]: ‘How can I be endowed with faith ... and also be one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it’?
(8) “But when a bhikkhu is (i) endowed with faith, (ii) virtuous, and (iii) learned; (iv) a speaker on the Dhamma; (v) one who frequents assemblies; (vi) one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly; (vii) one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life; and (viii) he is also one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
“A bhikkhu who possesses these eight qualities is one who inspires confidence in all respects and who is complete in all aspects.”
(1) “Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu may be endowed with faith but he is not virtuous; thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, [thinking]: ‘How can I be endowed with faith and also be virtuous?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is also virtuous, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
(2) “A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith and virtuous, but he is not learned; thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, [thinking]: ‘How can I be endowed with faith, virtuous, and also learned?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith, virtuous, and also learned, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
(3) “A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith, virtuous, and learned, but he is not a speaker on the Dhamma ... (4) ... a speaker on the Dhamma, but not one who frequents assemblies ... (5) ... one who frequents assemblies, but not one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly ... (6) ... one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly, but he is not one who contacts with the body and dwells in those peaceful emancipations, transcending forms, that are formless ... (7) ... one who contacts with the body and dwells in those peaceful emancipations, transcending forms, that are formless, but not one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it. Thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, [thinking]: ‘How can I be endowed with faith ... and also be one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it?” (8) “But when a bhikkhu is (i) endowed with faith, (ii) virtuous, and (iii) learned; (iv) a speaker on the Dhamma; (v) one who frequents assemblies; (vi) one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly; (vii) one who contacts with the body and dwells in those peaceful emancipations, transcending forms, that are formless; and (viii) he is also one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
“A bhikkhu who possesses these eight qualities is one who inspires confidence in all respects and who is complete in all aspects.”
73 (3) Mindfulness of Death (1)
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Nādika in the brick hall. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:
“Bhikkhus!”
“Venerable sir!” those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Bhikkhus, mindfulness of death, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and benefit, culminating in the deathless, having the deathless as its consummation. But do you, bhikkhus, develop mindfulness of death?”
(1) When this was said, one bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “Bhante, I develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think thus: ‘May I live just a night and a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(2) Another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?” “Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(3) Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just half a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(4) Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just the time it takes to eat a single alms meal so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(5) Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just the time it takes to eat half an alms meal so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(6) Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just the time it takes to chew and swallow four or five mouthfuls of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(7) Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just the time it takes to chew and swallow a single mouthful of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
(8) Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “I too, Bhante, develop mindfulness of death.”
“But how, bhikkhu, do you develop mindfulness of death?”
“Here, Bhante, I think: ‘May I live just the time it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’ It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death.”
When this was said, the Blessed One said to those bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, (1) the bhikkhu who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just a night and a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’; and (2) the one who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’; and (3) the one who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just half a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’; and (4) the one who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just the length of time it takes to eat a single alms meal so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’; and (5) the one who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just the length of time it takes to eat half an alms meal so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’; and (6) the one who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just the length of time it takes to chew and swallow four or five mouthfuls of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’: these are called bhikkhus who dwell heedlessly. They develop mindfulness of death sluggishly for the destruction of the taints. “But (7) the bhikkhu who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just the length of time it takes to chew and swallow a single mouthful of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’; and (8) the one who develops mindfulness of death thus: ‘May I live just the length of time it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, so that I may attend to the Blessed One’s teaching. I could then accomplish much!’: these are called bhikkhus who dwell heedfully. They develop mindfulness of death keenly for the destruction of the taints.
“Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will dwell heedfully. We will develop mindfulness of death keenly for the destruction of the taints.’ Thus should you train yourselves.”
74 (4) Mindfulness of Death (2)
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Nādika in the brick hall. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus!”
“Venerable sir!” those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Bhikkhus, mindfulness of death, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and benefit, culminating in the deathless, having the deathless as its consummation. And how is this so?
“Here, bhikkhus, when day has receded and night has approached, a bhikkhu reflects thus: ‘I could die on account of many causes. (1) A snake might bite me, or a scorpion or centipede might sting me, and I might thereby die; that would be an obstacle for me. (2) I might stumble and fall down, or (3) my food might disagree with me, or (4) my bile might become agitated, or (5) my phlegm might become agitated, or (6) sharp winds in me might become agitated, or (7) people might attack me, or (8) wild spirits might attack me, and I might die; that would be an obstacle for me.’
“This bhikkhu should reflect thus: ‘Do I have any bad unwholesome qualities that have not been abandoned, which might become an obstacle for me if I were to die tonight?’ If, upon review, the bhikkhu knows: ‘I have bad unwholesome qualities that have not been abandoned, which might become an obstacle for me if I were to die tonight,’ then he should put forth extraordinary desire, effort, zeal, enthusiasm, indefatigability, mindfulness, and clear comprehension to abandon those bad unwholesome qualities. Just as one whose clothes or head had caught fire would put forth extraordinary desire, effort, zeal, enthusiasm, indefatigability, mindfulness, and clear comprehension to extinguish [the fire on] his clothes or head, so that bhikkhu should put forth extraordinary desire, effort, zeal, enthusiasm, indefatigability, mindfulness, and clear comprehension to abandon those bad unwholesome qualities.
“But if, upon review, the bhikkhu knows: ‘I do not have any bad unwholesome qualities that have not been abandoned, which might become an obstacle for me if I were to die tonight,’ then he should dwell in that same rapture and joy, training day and night in wholesome qualities.
“But when night has receded and day has approached, a bhikkhu reflects thus: ‘I could die on account of many causes. A snake might bite me ... or wild spirits might attack me, and I might die; that would be an obstacle for me.’
“This bhikkhu should reflect thus: ‘Do I have any bad unwholesome qualities that have not been abandoned which might become an obstacle for me if I were to die this day?’ If, upon review, the bhikkhu knows: ‘I have bad unwholesome qualities that I have not yet abandoned, which might become an obstacle for me if I were to die this day,’ then he should put forth extraordinary desire, effort, zeal, enthusiasm, indefatigability, mindfulness, and clear comprehension to abandon those bad unwholesome qualities. Just as one whose clothes or head had caught fire would put forth extraordinary desire, effort, zeal, enthusiasm, indefatigability, mindfulness, and clear comprehension to extinguish [the fire on] his clothes or head, so that bhikkhu should put forth extraordinary desire, effort, zeal, enthusiasm, indefatigability, mindfulness, and clear comprehension to abandon those bad unwholesome qualities.
“But if, upon review, the bhikkhu knows: ‘I do not have any bad unwholesome qualities that I have not yet abandoned, which might become an obstacle for me if I were to die this day,’ then he should dwell in that same rapture and joy, training day and night in wholesome qualities.
“It is, bhikkhus, when mindfulness of death is developed and cultivated in this way that it is of great fruit and bene fit, culminating in the deathless, having the deathless as its consummation.”
“Bhikkhus, there are these eight accomplishments. What eight? Accomplishment in initiative, accomplishment in protection, good friendship, balanced living, accomplishment in faith, accomplishment in virtuous behavior, accomplishment in generosity, and accomplishment in wisdom. These are the eight accomplishments.”
[Four verses are attached, identical with those of 8:54.]
“Bhikkhus, there are these eight accomplishments. What eight? Accomplishment in initiative, accomplishment in protection, good friendship, balanced living, accomplishment in faith, accomplishment in virtuous behavior, accomplishment in generosity, and accomplishment in wisdom.
(1) “And what is accomplishment in initiative? Here, whatever may be the means by which a clansman earns his living — whether by farming, trade, raising cattle, archery, government service, or by some other craft — he is skillful and diligent; he possesses sound judgment about it in order to carry out and arrange it properly. This is called accomplishment in initiative.
(2) “And what is accomplishment in protection? Here, a clansman sets up protection and guard over the wealth he has acquired by initiative and energy, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, thinking: ‘How can I prevent kings and thieves from taking it, fire from burning it, floods from sweeping it off, and displeasing heirs from taking it?’ This is called accomplishment in protection.
(3) “And what is good friendship? Here, in whatever village or town a clansman lives, he associates with householders or their sons — whether young but of mature virtue, or old and of mature virtue — who are accomplished in faith, virtuous behavior, generosity, and wisdom; he converses with them and engages in discussions with them. Insofar as they are accomplished in faith, he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in faith; insofar as they are accomplished in virtuous behavior, he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in virtuous behavior; insofar as they are accomplished in generosity, he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in generosity; insofar as they are accomplished in wisdom, he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in wisdom. This is called good friendship.
(4) “And what is balanced living? Here, a clansman knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life, neither too extravagant nor too frugal, [aware]: ‘In this way my income will exceed my expenditures rather than the reverse.’ Just as an appraiser or his apprentice, holding up a scale, knows: ‘By so much it has dipped down, by so much it has gone up,’ so a clansman knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life, neither too extravagant nor too frugal, [aware]:
‘In this way my income will exceed my expenditures rather than the reverse.’
“If this clansman has a small income but lives luxuriously, others would say of him: ‘This clansman eats his wealth just like an eater of figs.’ But if he has a large income but lives sparingly, others would say of him: ‘This clansman may even starve himself.’ But it is called balanced living when a clansman knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life, neither too extravagant nor too frugal, [aware]: ‘Thus my income will exceed my expenditures rather than the reverse.’
(5) “And what is accomplishment in faith? Here, a clansman is endowed with faith. He places faith in the enlightenment of the Tathāgata thus: ‘The Blessed One is an arahant ... teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.’ This is called accomplishment in faith.
(6) “And what is accomplishment in virtuous behavior? Here, a clansman abstains from the destruction of life, from taking what is not given, from sexual misconduct, from false speech, and from liquor, wine, and intoxicants, the basis for heedlessness. This is called accomplishment in virtuous behavior.
(7) “And what is accomplishment in generosity? Here, a clansman dwells at home with a heart devoid of the stain of miserliness, freely generous, openhanded, delighting in relinquishment, one devoted to charity, delighting in giving and sharing. This is called accomplishment in generosity.
(8) “And what is accomplishment in wisdom? Here, a clansman is wise; he possesses the wisdom that discerns arising and passing away, which is noble and penetrative and leads to the complete destruction of suffering. This is called accomplishment in wisdom.
“These, bhikkhus, are the eight accomplishments.” [The four verses are identical with those in 8:54.]
There the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: “Friends, bhikkhus!”
“Friend,” those bhikkhus replied. The Venerable Sāriputta said this:
“Friends, there are these eight kinds of persons found existing in the world. What eight?”...
[What follows is identical with 8:61, but spoken by Sāriputta.] ...
“These are the eight kinds of persons found existing in the world.”
There the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: “Friends, bhikkhus!”...
(1) “Friends, possessing six qualities, a bhikkhu is able [to benefit] both himself and others. What six? ...
[What follows is identical with 8:62, but spoken by Sāriputta.] ...
“Possessing these two qualities, a bhikkhu is able [to benefit] others but not himself.”
“Bhikkhus, these eight qualities lead to the decline of a bhikkhu who is a trainee. What eight? Delight in work, delight in talk, delight in sleep, delight in company, not guarding the doors of the sense faculties, lack of moderation in eating, delight in bonding, and delight in proliferation. These eight qualities lead to the decline of a bhikkhu who is a trainee.
“Bhikkhus, these eight qualities lead to the non-decline of a bhikkhu who is a trainee. What eight? Not taking delight in work, not taking delight in talk, not taking delight in sleep, not taking delight in company, guarding the doors of the sense faculties, moderation in eating, not taking delight in bonding, and not taking delight in proliferation. These eight qualities lead to the non-decline of a bhikkhu who is a trainee.”
80 (10) Grounds for Laziness and Arousing Energy
“Bhikkhus, there are these eight grounds for laziness. What eight?
(1) “Here, a bhikkhu has to do some work. It occurs to him: ‘I have some work to do. While I’m working, my body will become tired. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does 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 first ground for laziness.
(2) “Again, a bhikkhu has done some work. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve done some work. Because of the work, my body has become tired. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does not arouse energy ... for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the second ground for laziness.
(3) “Again, a bhikkhu has to make a trip. It occurs to him: ‘I have to make a trip. While traveling, my body will become tired. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does not arouse energy ... for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the third ground for laziness.
(4) “Again, a bhikkhu has made a trip. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve made a trip. While traveling, my body has become tired. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does not arouse energy ... for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the fourth ground for laziness.
(5) “Again, a bhikkhu has walked for alms in a village or town but has not gotten as much food as he needs, whether coarse or excellent. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve walked for alms in the village or town but didn’t get as much food as I need, whether coarse or excellent. My body has become tired and unwieldy. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does not arouse energy ... for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the fifth ground for laziness.
(6) “Again, a bhikkhu has walked for alms in a village or town and has gotten as much food as he needs, whether coarse or excellent. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve walked for alms in the village or town and gotten as much food as I need, whether coarse or excellent. My body has become as heavy and unwieldy as a heap of wet beans. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does not arouse energy ... for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the sixth ground for laziness.
(7) “Again, a bhikkhu is a little ill. It occurs to him: ‘I’m a little ill. I need to lie down. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does not arouse energy ... for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the seventh ground for laziness.
(8) “Again, a bhikkhu has recovered from illness. Soon after recovering, it occurs to him: ‘I’ve recovered from illness; I’ve just recovered from illness. My body is still weak and unwieldy. Let me lie down.’ He lies down. He does 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 eighth ground for laziness.
“These are the eight grounds for laziness.
“Bhikkhus, there are these eight grounds for arousing energy. What eight?
(1) “Here, a bhikkhu has some work to do. It occurs to him: ‘I have to do some work. While working, it won’t be easy for me to attend to the teaching of the Buddhas. Let me in advance 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.’ He arouses energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yetunachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the first ground for arousing energy.
(2) “Again, a bhikkhu has done some work. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve done some work. While working, it wasn’t possible for me to attend to the teaching of the Buddhas. Let me arouse energy. ’ This is the second ground for arousing energy.
(3) “Again, a bhikkhu has to make a trip. It occurs to him: ‘I have to make a trip. While traveling, it won’t be easy for me to attend to the teaching of the Buddhas. Let me in advance arouse energy. ’ This is the third ground for arousing energy.
(4) “Again, a bhikkhu has made a trip. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve made a trip. While traveling, it wasn’t possible for me to attend to the teaching of the Buddhas. Let me arouse energy. ’ This is the fourth ground for arousing energy.
(5) “Again, a bhikkhu has walked for alms in a village or town but has not gotten as much food as he needs, whether coarse or excellent. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve walked for alms in a village or town but didn’t get as much food as I need, whether coarse or excellent. My body is light and wieldy. Let me arouse energy. ’ This is the fifth ground for arousing energy.
(6) “Again, a bhikkhu has walked for alms in a village or town and has gotten as much food as he needs, whether coarse or excellent. It occurs to him: ‘I’ve walked for alms in the village or town and gotten as much food as I need, whether coarse or excellent. My body is strong and wieldy. Let me arouse energy. ’ This is the sixth ground for arousing energy.
(7) “Again, a bhikkhu is a little ill. It occurs to him: ‘I’m a little ill. It’s possible that my illness will grow worse. Let me in advance arouse energy. ’ This is the seventh ground for arousing energy.
(8) “Again, a bhikkhu has recovered from illness. Soon after recovering, it occurs to him: ‘I’ve recovered from illness, just recovered from illness. It is possible that my illness will return. Let me in advance arouse energy for the attainment of the asyet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized.’ He arouses energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yetunrealized. This is the eighth ground for arousing energy.
“These are the eight grounds for arousing energy.”