Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
XXI. Karajakāya Vagga

The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha
X. The Book of the Tens
XXI. The Deed-Born Body

Sutta 206

Paṭhama Sañcetanika Suttaṃ

Ruin and Prosperity (a)

Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.

[1][bodh] "I declare, monks, that of intentional^[1] deeds done and accumulated
there can be no wiping out
without experiencing the result thereof,
and that too whenever arising,
either in this same visible state
or in some other state hereafter.

I declare, monks, that there is no ending of ill
as regards intentional deeds done and accumulated
without experiencing the results thereof.

Herein threefold is the fault and guilt
of bodily action
done with deliberate intent,
causing pain
and resulting in pain.

Fourfold is the fault and guilt
of action by speech,
done with deliberate intent,
causing pain
and resulting in pain.

Threefold is the fault and guilt
of mental action,
done with deliberate intent
causing pain
and resulting in pain.

Now herein, monks, a certain one takes life,
he is a hunter,
bloody-handed,
given over to killing and slaying,
void of compassion to all living creatures.

■

He takes what is not given,
he takes with thievish intent
things not given to him,
the property of another person,
situated in village or in jungle.

■

In sensual desires
he is a wrong-doer;
he has intercourse with girls
in ward of [190] mother or father,
brother,
sister
or relatives (or clan);
with girls lawfully guarded,
already plighted to a husband
and protected by the rod,
even with girls crowned
with the flower-garlands (of betrothal).

Thus threefold is the fault and guilt
of bodily action
done with deliberate intent,
causing pain
and resulting in pain.

And how, monks, is the fault and guilt
of action by speech
done with deliberate intent,
causing pain
and resulting in pain,
of a fourfold nature?

■

Herein a certain one is a liar.

When cited to appear before the council
or a company
or amid his relatives
or guild-men
or the royal family,
and asked to bear witness,
with the words:

'Come, good fellow!
Say what you know';

though he knows not,
he says 'I know';
though he knows, he says 'I know not';
though he saw not,
he says he saw;
though he saw,
he denies it.

Thus for his own sake
or that of others
or to get some carnal profit or other
he deliberately utters falsehood.

■

Also he is a slanderer.

Hearing something at one place
he proclaims it at another place
to bring about a quarrel between the parties.

What he has heard here
he repeats there
to bring about a quarrel between the parties.

Thus he breaks up harmony
and foments strife
between those discordant;
discord is his delight;
exulting in discord,
passionately fond of discord
he utters speech that makes for discord.

■

Also he is harsh of speech.

Whatsoever speech is rough,
cutting,
bitter about others,
abusive of others,
provoking wrath
and conducive to distraction -
such speech does he utter.

■

He is given to idle babble,
he speaks out of season,
speaks unrealities,
he speaks unprofitable things,
speaks what is not-dhamma,
what is not-discipline.

He utters words not worth treasuring up,
words unseasonable
and not worth listening to,
undiscriminating
and not concerned with the aim.

■

Thus, monks, fourfold is the fault and guilt
of action by speech,
done with deliberate intent,
causing pain
and resulting in pain.

And how is the fault and guilt
of action by mind,
done with deliberate intent,
causing pain
and resulting in pain
of a threefold nature?

Herein a certain one is covetous,
he is one who covets [191] the property of another, thinking;

'0 that what is another's were mine!'

■

He is malevolent of heart,
the thoughts of his heart are corrupt, thus:

'Let these beings be slain,
come to destruction,
be destroyed,
let them not exist at all.'

■

Likewise he has wrong view,
he is perverse in outlook, holding:

There is no gift,
no offering,
no sacrifice;
there is no fruit or ripening of deeds
ill done or well done;
this world is not;
the world beyond is not;
there is no mother or father
or beings born by supernatural birth (in another state);
there are no recluses and brahmins in the world
who have gone right,
who fare aright,
men who by their own comprehension
have realized this world
and the world beyond
and so declare it.

Thus, monks, threefold is the fault and guilt
of action by mind
causing pain
and resulting in pain.

Monks, it is because of this threefold fault and guilt
of bodily action
done with deliberate intent of wrong
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death arise again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

It is because of this fourfold fault and guilt
of action by speech
done with deliberate intent of wrong
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death arise again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

It is because of this threefold fault and guilt
of action by mind
done with deliberate intent of wrong
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death arise again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

■

Just as, monks, a true die^[2]
when cast upwards
alights sure wherever it alights (when it falls),
even so it is because of this threefold fault and guilt
of bodily action
deliberately done with wrong intent
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death arise again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

It is because of this fourfold fault and guilt
of action by speech,
deliberately done with wrong intent
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death arise again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

It is because of this threefold fault and guilt
of mental action
deliberately done with wrong intent
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death arise again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

■

Monks, I declare that of intentional deeds done and accumulated
there can be no wiping out
without experiencing the result thereof,
and that too wherever arising,
either in this same visible state
or in some other state hereafter.

I declare, monks,
that there is no ending of ill
as regards intentional [192] deeds done and accumulated
without experiencing the result thereof.

Herein, monks, threefold is the prosperity of bodily action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness.

Fourfold is that of action by speech
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness,

threefold that of mental action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness.

And how is the prosperity of bodily action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness threefold?

■

Herein a certain one abandoning the taking of life, abstains therefrom:
he lays aside the rod,
he lays aside the knife;
he dwells modest,
charitable,
feeling compassion for all living creatures.

■

Herein again, monks, a certain one abandons taking what is not given,
he abstains therefrom
he abstains from taking with thievish intent
things not given to him,
the property of another person,
situated in village or in jungle.

■

Herein again, monks, a certain one abandons wrong action in sensual desires
he is no wrong-doer;
he abstains from intercourse with girls
in ward of mother or father,
brother,
sister
or relatives (or clan);
with girls lawfully guarded,
already plighted to a husband
and protected by the rod,
with girls crowned
with the flower-garlands (of betrothal).

Thus threefold is the prosperity of bodily action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness.

And how is the prosperity of action by speech
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness fourfold?

■

He abandons lying speech
he abstains therefrom.

When cited to appear before the council
or a company
or amid his relatives
or guild-men
or before the royal family
and asked to bear witness
with the words:

'Come, good fellow!
Say what you know.'

If he knows not, he says, 'I know not';
if he knows, he says, 'I know';
if he has not seen, he says 'I saw not';
if he saw, he says 'I saw'.

Thus neither for his own sake
or that of others
or to get some carnal profit or other
does he deliberately utter falsehood.

■

Abandoning slanderous speech
he abstains therefrom.

When he hears something at one place
he does not proclaim it elsewhere
to bring about a quarrel between the parties;
what he has heard here
he does not report there
to bring about a quarrel between the parties;
thus he brings together the discordant,
restores harmony,
harmony is his delight,
he exults in,
is passionately fond of harmony;
he utters speech that makes for harmony.

■

Also he abandons harsh speech,
abstains therefrom.

Whatsoever speech is blameless,
pleasant to the ear,
affectionate,
going to the heart,
urbane,
agreeable to many folk,
delightful to many folk,
of such speech he is a speaker.

■

Also abandoning idle babble
he abstains therefrom;
he speaks in season,
of facts,
of the aim,
of dhamma,
of discipline;
he utters speech worth treasuring up,
speech seasonable
and worth listening to,
discriminating
and concerned with the aim.

■

Thus fourfold is the prosperity of action by speech
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness.

And how is the prosperity of mental action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness threefold?

Herein a certain one abandons coveting;
he is of harmless thoughts,
he has right view,
he holds the reasonable view
that there is gift,
that there is offering, sacrifice;
that there is fruit and ripening
of deeds done well or ill;
that this world is,
that the world beyond is;
that there are mother and father
and beings supernaturally born (in other worlds);
that in this world
there are recluses and brahmins who go right,
who fare rightly,
who by their own comprehension
have realized both this world
and the world beyond
and so declares it.

■

Thus threefold is the prosperity of mental action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness.

It is because of this threefold prosperity of bodily action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death rise up again in the happy bourn,
in the heaven world.

It is because of this fourfold prosperity of action by speech
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death rise up again in the happy bourn,
in the heaven world.

It is because of this threefold prosperity of mental action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death rise up again in the happy bourn,
in the heaven world.

■

Just as a true die when cast upwards alights sure wherever it falls,
even so it is because of this threefold prosperity of bodily action
done with deliberate good intent,
causing happiness
and resulting in happiness
that beings, when body breaks up,
beyond death rise up again in the happy bourn,
in the heaven world.

■

I declare, monks,
that there is no ending of ill
as regards intentional deeds done and accumulated
without experiencing the result thereof."

^[1] Sañcetanika; cf. M. iii, 207; Vin. iii, 112; Points of Controv. 266, 313.

^[2] Apaṇṇako maṇi = samantato caturasso pāsako, Comy. As I have noted at G.S. i, 248, the phrase yathābhataṃ nikkhitto may refer to this throwing of a true die. The word apaṇṇaka (derivation unknown) is also an epithet for nibbāna. See Trenckner-Andersen, P. Dict. s.v.

Aṇguttara Nikāya X. Dasaka-Nipāta XXI. Karajakāya Vagga

The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha X. The Book of the Tens XXI. The Deed-Born Body

Sutta 206

Paṭhama Sañcetanika Suttaṃ

Ruin and Prosperity (a)

Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
XXI. Karajakāya Vagga

The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha
X. The Book of the Tens
XXI. The Deed-Born Body