Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
X: Upāsaka-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
X: The Lay-followers
Sutta 91
Kāma-Bhogī Suttaṃ
Pleasures of Sense
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] THUS have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī
at Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
On that occasion the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika came to see the Exalted One
and on coming to him saluted him
and sat down at one side.
As he sat at one side the Exalted One said this to him:
[177]"Housefather, there are these ten enjoyers of sense-pleasuxes[1]
found existing in the world.
What ten?
Herein, housefather, a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily;
so doing he makes not himself happy and cheerful,[2]
he does not share with others,
he does no meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily;
but in so doing he does make himself happy and cheerful,
but he does not share with others,
and he does no meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily;
but in so doing he does make himself happy and cheerful,
he does share with others,
he does meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth both lawfully and unlawfully,
both arbitrarily and not so;
but in so doing he makes not himself happy and cheerful,
nor does he share with others,
nor does he do meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of senae-pleasures
seeks after wealth both lawfully and unlawfully,
both arbitrarily and not so,
and does make himself happy and cheerful,
yet shares not with [120] others
and does no meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth both lawfully and unlawfully,
both arbitrarily and not so,
and does make himself happy and cheerful,
and shares with others
and does meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeking after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
in so doing neither makes himself happy and cheerful,
nor does he share with others,
nor does he do meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures,
seeking after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
[178]though he makes himself happy and cheerful,
yet shares not with others
and does no meritorious deeds.
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeking after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
does make himself happy and cheerful,
does share with others,
does meritorious deeds.
But he makes use of his wealth
with greed and longing,
he is infatuated therewith,
heedless of the danger,
blind to his own salvation.[3]
■
Again a certain enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeking after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
and making himself happy and cheerful,
both shares with others
and does meritorious deeds,
but makes use of his wealth
without greed and longing,
without infatuation;
he is not heedless of the danger,
he is not blind to his own salvation.
§
Now, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily,
and in so doing makes not himself happy and cheerful,
shares not with others
and does no meritorious deeds,
in such a case
this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
is culpable on three counts:
First he seeks wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily;
this is the first count.
Then he makes not himself happy and cheerful;
this is the second count.
Thirdly he shares not his wealth with others
and does no meritorious deeds;
this is the third count
on which he is culpable.
Thus, housefather, he is culpable on three counts.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where the enjoyer of sense- [121] pleasures
seeks wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily,
but in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful,
yet shares not with others
and does no meritorious deeds,
in such a case he is culpable on two counts,
praiseworthy on one count.
For he seeks wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily;
this is the first count on which he is culpable.
He makes himself happy and cheerful;
this is the count on which he is praiseworthy.
He shares not with others
and does no meritorious deeds;
this is the second count on which he is culpable.
Thus, housefather, he is culpable on two counts,
praiseworthy on one.
■
[179]Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily,
and in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful,
shares with others
and does meritorious deeds -
in such a case he is culpable on one count,
praiseworthy on two.
For in seeking wealth unlawfully and arbitrarily
he is culpable on one count;
in making himself happy and cheerful,
sharing with others
and doing meritorious deeds,
he is praiseworthy on two counts.
Thus, housefather, he is culpable on one,
praiseworthy on two counts.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks wealth both lawfully and unlawfully,
both arbitrarily and not,
and in so doing neither makes himself happy and cheerful,
nor shares with others
nor does meritorious deeds -
in such a case he is praiseworthy on one count,
culpable on three.
For in seeking wealth lawfully and not arbitrarily
he is praiseworthy on this one count only;
in doing so unlawfully and arbitrarily
he is culpable on this first count;
in not making himself happy and cheerful
he is culpable on this second count;
in not sharing or doing meritorious deeds
he is culpable on this third count.
Thus, housefather, on this one count he is praiseworthy,
on these three he is culpable.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks wealth both lawfully and unlawfully,
both arbitrarily and not,
but in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful,
yet shares not with others
and does no meritorious deeds -
in such a case he is praiseworthy on two counts,
culpable on two.
For in seeking wealth lawfully and not arbitrarily
he is praiseworthy on this [122] first count;
in doing so unlawfully and arbitrarily
he is culpable on this first count;
in making himself happy and cheerful
he is praiseworthy on this second count;
in not sharing with others
and doing no meritorious deeds
he is culpable on this second count.
Thus, housefather, [180] he is praiseworthy on two counts,
culpable on two counts.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks wealth both lawfully and unlawfully,
both arbitrarily and not,
and in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful
and shares with others
and does meritorious deeds -
in such a case he is praiseworthy on three counts,
culpable on one.
For in seeking wealth lawfully and not arbitrarily
he is praiseworthy on this first count;
in doing so unlawfully and arbitrarily
he is culpable on this one count;
in making himself happy and cheerful
he is praiseworthy on this second count;
in sharing with others
and doing meritorious deeds
he is praiseworthy on this third count.
Thus on these three counts he is praiseworthy,
culpable on one count.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth lawfully
not arbitrarily,
but in so doing makes not himself happy and cheerful,
nor shares with others
and does no meritorious deeds -
in such a case he is praiseworthy on one count,
culpable on two.
For in seeking wealth lawfully not arbitrarily,
on this one count he is praiseworthy;
in not making himself happy and cheerful
he is culpable on this first count;
in not sharing
and not doing meritorious deeds
he is culpable on this second count.
Thus on this one count he is praiseworthy,
on these two he is culpable.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
and in doing so makes himself happy and cheerful,
yet shares not with others
and does no meritorious deeds -
in this case he is praiseworthy on two counts,
culpable on one count.
For in seeking wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
he is praiseworthy on this first count;
in making himself happy and cheerful
he is praiseworthy on this second count;
in not sharing with others
and not doing meritorious deeds
he is culpable on this one count.
[181]Thus, house [123] father, on these two counts he is praiseworthy,
culpable on this one count.
■
Again, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
and in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful
and likewise shares with others
and does meritorious deeds,
yet makes use of his wealth with greed and longing,
is infatuated therewith,
heedless of the danger
and blind to his own salvation -
in such a case this man is praiseworthy on three counts,
culpable on one count.
For in seeking wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
he is praiseworthy on this first count;
in making himself happy and cheerful
he is praiseworthy on this second count;
in sharing and doing meritorious deeds
he is praiseworthy on this third count;
but as he makes use of his wealth with greed and longing,
is infatuated therewith,
heedless of the danger
and blind to his own salvation -
he is culpable on this one count.
Thus on these three counts he is praiseworthy,
on this one count culpable.
■
But, housefather, in the case where this enjoyer of sense-pleasures
seeks after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
and in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful,
and also shares his wealth with others
and does meritorious deeds therewith,
and further makes use of it without greed and longing,
without infatuation,
and is not heedless of the danger
or blind to his own salvation -
in such a case he is praiseworthy on four counts.
For in seeking after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
on this first count he is praiseworthy;
in making himself happy and cheerful
he is praiseworthy on this second count;
in sharing his wealth with others
and doing meritorious deeds therewith,
on this third count also he is praiseworthy;
in making use of his wealth without greed and longing,
without infatuation,
in not being heedless of the danger,
in not being blind to his own salvation,
on this fourth count he is praiseworthy.
Thus on these four counts he is praiseworthy.
Thus, housefather, these ten sorts of enjoyers of sense-pleasures
are found existing in the world.
§
Now, housefather, of these ten enjoyers of sense-pleasures
he who seeks after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
[182]and in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful,
also shares his wealth with others,
and further does meritorious deeds there- [124] with,
and yet makes use of his wealth without greed and longing,
without infatuation,
heedful of the danger
and alive to his own salvation[4] -
of these ten this one is best and chief,
topmost,
highest
and supreme.
■
Even as from a cow comes milk,
from milk cream,
from cream butter,
from butter ghee,
from ghee the skimmings of ghee,
and that is reckoned the best -
even so of these ten enjoyers of sense-pleasures
he who seeks after wealth lawfully,
not arbitrarily,
and in so doing makes himself happy and cheerful,
also shares his wealth with others,
and further does meritorious deeds therewith,
and yet makes use of his wealth without greed and longing,
without infatuation,
heedful of the danger
and alive to his own salvation -
of these ten this one is best and chief,
topmost,
highest
and supreme."
[1] Kāmā-bhogin = luxurious. Three sorts are described at K.S, iv, 235-41 to the headman Rāsiya, arranged in the same tedious way, but doubtless held suitable for the comprehension of housefathers.
[2] As at D. i, 51; G.S. ii, 75, etc.
[3] As at K.S. iv, 237 but there, as here, ajjhāpanna (guilty of an offence) should read ajjhopanna. See Trenckner-Andersen-Smith, P. Dict. s.v.
[4] This phrase and the simile following are at G.S. ii, 104 (A. ii, 95), where the reading is mokkho for our pāmokkho. Cf. S. iii, 264.
