Saɱyutta Nikāya
I. Sagatha Vagga
3. Kosalasamyutta
Sutta 7
Atthakarana Sutta
In Judgment
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Provenance, terms and conditons
As he was sitting to one side, King Pasenadi Kosala said to the Blessed One: "Just now, lord, as I was sitting in judgment, I saw that even affluent nobles, affluent brahmans, and affluent householders — rich, with great wealth and property, with vast amounts of gold and silver, vast amounts of valuables and commodities, vast amounts of wealth and grain — tell deliberate lies with sensual pleasures as the cause, sensual pleasures as the reason, simply for the sake of sensual pleasures. Then, the thought occurred to me: 'I've had enough of this judging! Let some other fine fellow be known for his judgments!'"
"That's the way it is, great king! That's the way it is! Even affluent nobles, affluent brahmans, and affluent householders... tell deliberate lies with sensual pleasures as the cause, sensual pleasures as the reason, simply for the sake of sensual pleasures. That will lead to their long-term harm and pain."
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:
Impassioned with sensual possessions,
greedy, dazed by sensual pleasures,
they don't awaken to the fact
that they've gone too far —
like fish into trap set out.
Afterwards it's bitter for them:
evil for them
the result.
