Aṇguttara-Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
24. Āvāsika Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XXIV: In Residence
Sutta 232
Piya Suttaṃ
The Pious[1]
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, if a monk in residence
follow the course of five things,
he becomes among his fellows in the godly life
pious [193] and pleasing,
respected
and what he ought to become.
What five?
He becomes virtuous,[2]
abides restrained by the restraint of the Obligations,
is perfect in conduct and habit,
sees peril in the smallest fault,
accepts the training
and trains himself accordantly.
■
He is learned,
with mind retentive and well stored;
those things lovely in the beginning,
lovely in the middle,
lovely in the end,
which set forth in spirit and in letter
the godly life of purity,
perfect in its entirety —
those are fully learnt by him,
resolved upon,
made familiar by speech,
pondered over in the mind,
fully understood in theory.
■
He has a pleasant voice,
a good enunciation,
is urbane in speech,
distinct,
free from hoarseness
and informative.
■
At will,
easily and without trouble,
he attains to the four states of musing,
which bring comfort
both here and now,
transcending thought.
■
By destroying the cankcrs
he enters and abides in the emancipation of the heart
and of insight,
which is free of the cankers,
and this state he knows and realizes for himself,
even in this life.
Verily, monks,if a monk in residence
follow the course of five things,
he becomes among his fellows in the godly life
pious and pleasing,
respected
and what he ought to become.'
[1] Piyo
[2] See above, § 87, for full details.
