Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
XII. Āpāyika Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
XII. The Downfall
Sutta 117
Kammanta Suttaṃ
Action
Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied,
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these three failures.
What three?
Failure in action,
failure in livelihood,
failure in view.
■
[249] And of what sort
is failure in action?
Herein, monks, a certain one
takes life,
steals,
is a wrongdoer in sensual desires,
a liar,
a slanderer,
of bitter speech,
an idle babbler.
This is called 'failure in action.'
■
2. And of what sort
is failure in livelihood?
Herein, monks, a certain one
is a wrong liver,
gets a livelihood in a wrong way.
This is called
'failure in livelihood.'
■
3. And of what sort
is failure in view?
Herein a certain one
holds the depraved,
the perverse view
that there is no (virtue in) almsgiving,
in sacrifice,
in offerings:
that there is no fruit,
no result
of good and evil deeds:
that this world is not,
that there is no world beyond:
that there is no mother,
no father,
no beings of spontaneous birth:
that in the world are no recluses and brahmins
who have won the summit,
who have won perfection,
who of themselves
by their own intuitional powers
have realized the world beyond
and can proclaim it.
This, monks, is called
'failure in view.'
These are the three failures.
§
4. Monks, there are these three successes.
What three?
Success in action,
success in livelihood,
success in view.
■
Now of what sort
is success in action?
Herein, monks, a certain one
abstains from taking life
abstains from stealing,
abstains from wrongdoing in sensual desires,
abstains from lies,
abstains from slander,
abstains from bitter speech,
abstains from idle babble.
This is called
'success in action.'
■
5. And of what sort
is success in livelihood?
Herein a certain one
is a right liver,
he gets a livelihood in a right way.
This is called
'success in livelihood.'
■
7. And of what sort
is success in view?
Herein a certain one has right view:
he holds with certainty
that there is (virtue in) almsgiving,
in sacrifice,
in offerings:
that there is fruit and result
of good and evil deeds:
that this world is,
that there is a world beyond:
that mother,
father
and beings of spontaneous birth do exist:
that in the world there are recluses and brahmins
who have won the summit,
who have won perfection,
who of themselves
by their own intuitional powers
have realized the world beyond
and can proclaim it.
This, monks, is called
'success in view.'
These are the three successes."
