Aṇguttara Nikāya:
Duka Nipata
3. Bāla Vagga

The Book of Twos

Suttas 21-30

[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]

Fools

Translated from the Pāḷi by Michael M. Olds

 

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Sutta 21

[21] [pts] [than] Two, beggars, are fools.

What two?

He who does not see
what is going too far
as going too far
and he who does not accept
the pointing out
of whatever thing is going too far.

These, beggars, are the two fools.

Two, beggars, are sages.

What two?

He who sees what is going too far
as going too far
and he who accepts
the pointing out
of whatever thing is going too far.

Sutta 22

[22] [pts] Two, beggars, distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

What two?

The evil with evil ends,
the faithful with poor grasp of the way.

These, beggars, are the two
that distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

Sutta 23

[23] [pts] [than] Two, beggars, distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

What two?

He who explains as spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata
what was not spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata
and he who explains as not spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata
what was spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata.

These, beggars, are the two
that distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

Sutta 24

[24] [pts]Two, beggars, do not distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

What two?

He who explains as not spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata
what was not spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata
and he who explains as spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata
what was spoken or uttered
by the Tathāgata.

These, beggars, are the two
that do not distort
the instruction of the Tathāgata.

Sutta 25

[25] [pts] [than] Two, beggars, distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

What two?

He who explains
as a sutta with inferred meaning
as a sutta without inferred meaning
and he who explains
as a sutta without inferred meaning
as a sutta with inferred meaning.

These, beggars, are the two that distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

Sutta 26

[26] [pts] Two, beggars, do not distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

What two?

He who explains
as a sutta without inferred meaning
as a sutta without inferred meaning
and he who explains
as a sutta with inferred meaning
as a sutta with inferred meaning.

These, beggars, are the two that do not distort the instruction
of the Tathāgata.

Sutta 27

[27] [pts] He who is of underhanded works, beggars,
gets one or the other of two ends:
Niraya or the womb of an animal.

He whose works are not underhanded, beggars,
gets one or the other of two ends:
as a deity or as a man.

Sutta 28

[28] [pts] One of misguided views, beggars,
gets one or the other of two ends:
Niraya or the womb of an animal.

One of high views, beggars,
gets one or the other of two ends:
as a deity or as a man.

There are two receptions
for one of poor ethics, beggars:
Niraya or the womb of an animal.

There are two receptions
for the ethical, beggars:
as a deity or as a man.

Sutta 29

[29] [pts] Two, beggars, are the reasons I see
for the practice of sitting and sleeping
in remote forest and jungle thicket.

What two?

Attainment of pleasant living for myself
in the here and now,
and empathy for the generations that follow.

It is because I see these two reasons, beggars,
that I practice sitting and sleeping
in remote forest and jungle thicket.

Sutta 30

[30] [pts] [than] Two, beggars, are things partaking of vision.

What two?

Calm and review.

In developing calm, beggars,
what result is attained?

The heart is developed.

In developing the heart,
what result is attained?

Lust is let go.

In developing review, beggars,
what result is attained?

Wisdom is developed.

In developing wisdom,
what result is attained?

Blindness is let go.

Messed up by lust, beggars,
the heart is not released;
messed up by blindness
wisdom does not develop.

It is the eradication of lust, beggars,
that is the hearts release,
the eradication of blindness
is wisdom-release.