[ p. 189 ]
1. ‘Now wherein, Vâsettha, is his conduct good?’
‘Herein, O Vâsettha, that putting away the murder of that which lives, he abstains from destroying life. The cudgel and the sword he lays aside; and, full of modesty and pity, he is compassionate and kind to all creatures that have life!
‘This is the kind of goodness that he has.
2. 'Putting away the theft of that which is not his, he abstains from taking anything not given. He takes only what is given, therewith is he content, and he passes his life in honesty and in purity of heart!
‘This, too, is the kind of goodness that he has.
3. 'Putting away inchastity, he lives a life of chastity and purity, averse to the low habit of sexual intercourse.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)[2]
[ p. 190 ]
4. 'Putting away lying, he abstains from speaking falsehood. He speaks truth, from the truth he never swerves; faithful and trustworthy, he injures not his fellow man by deceit.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
5. 'Putting away slander, he abstains from calumny. What he hears here he repeats not elsewhere to raise a quarrel against the people here: what he hears elsewhere he repeats not here to raise a quarrel against the people there. Thus he lives as a binder together of those who are divided, an encourager of those who are friends, a peacemaker, a lover of peace, impassioned for peace, a speaker of words that make for peace.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
6. 'Putting away bitterness of speech, he abstains from harsh language. Whatever word is humane, pleasant to the ear, lovely, reaching to the heart, urbane, pleasing to the people, beloved of the people—such are the words he speaks.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
7. 'Putting away foolish talk, he abstains from vain conversation. In season he speaks; he speaks that which is; he speaks fact; he utters good doctrine; he utters good discipline; he speaks, and at the right time, that which redounds to profit, is well-grounded, is well-defined, and is full of wisdom.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
8. 'He refrains from injuring any herb or any creature. He takes but one meal a day; abstaining [ p. 191 ] from food at night time, or at the wrong time. He abstains from dancing, singing, music, and theatrical shows. He abstains from wearing, using, or adorning himself with garlands, and scents, and unguents, and he abstains from lofty couches and large beds.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
9. 'He abstains from the getting of silver or gold. He abstains from the getting of grain uncooked. He abstains from the getting of flesh that is raw. He abstains from the getting of any woman or girl. He abstains from the getting of bondmen or bondwomen. He abstains from the getting of sheep or goats. He abstains from the getting of fowls or swine. He abstains from the getting of elephants, cattle, horses, and mares. He abstains from the getting of fields or lands.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
10. 'He refrains from carrying out those commissions on which messengers can be sent. He refrains from buying and selling. He abstains from tricks with false weights, alloyed metals, or false measures. He abstains from bribery, cheating, fraud, and crooked ways.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
11. 'He refrains from maiming, killing, imprisoning, highway robbery, plundering villages, or obtaining money by threats of violence.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)’
End of the Short Paragraphs on Conduct.
[ p. 192 ]
1. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to injuring plants or vegetables: that is to say, the germs arising from roots, the germs arising from trunks of trees, the germs arising from joints, the germs arising from buds, or the germs arising, from seeds. He, on the other hand, refrains from injuring such plants or animals.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
2. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to storing up property: that is to say, meat, drink, clothes, equipages, beds, perfumes, and grain. He, on the other hand, refrains from storing up such property.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
3. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brahmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to witnessing public spectacles: that is to say, dancing, singing, concerts, theatrical representations, recitations, instrumental music, funeral ceremonies, drummings, balls, gymnastics, tumblings, feasts in honour of the dead, combats between elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, goats, rams, cocks, and quails, cudgel playing, boxing, wrestling, fencing, musters, marching, and reviews of troops. He, on the other hand, refrains from such public spectacles.
[ p. 193 ]
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
4. ‘Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to occupying their time with games detrimental to their progress in virtue: that is to say, with a board of sixty-four squares, or of one hundred squares; tossing up; hopping over diagrams formed on the ground; removing substances from a heap without shaking the remainder; dicing; trap-ball; sketching rude figures; tossing balls; blowing trumpets; ploughing matches; tumbling; forming mimic windmills; guessing at measures; chariot races; archery; shooting marbles from the fingers; guessing other people’s thoughts; and mimicking other people’s acts. He, on the other hand, refrains from such games detrimental to virtue.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
5. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to the use of elevated and ornamented couches or things to recline upon: that is to say, of large couches; ornamented beds; coverlets with long fleece; embroidered counterpanes; woollen coverlets, plain or worked with thick flowers; cotton coverlets, worked with knots, or dyed with figures of animals; fleecy carpets; carpets inwrought with gold or with silk; far-spreading carpets; rich elephant housings, trappings, or harness; rugs for chariots; skins of the tiger or antelope; and pillows or cushions ornamented with gold lace or embroidery. He, on the other hand, refrains from the use of such elevated or ornamented couches or things to recline upon.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
[ p. 194 ]
6. ’Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to the use of articles for the adornment of their persons: that is to say, unguents; fragrant oils; perfumed baths; shampooings; mirrors; antimony for the eyebrows and eyelashes; flowers; cosmetics; dentifrices; bracelets; diadems; handsome walking-sticks; tiaras; swords; umbrellas; embroidered slippers; fillets; jewelry; fans of the buffalo tail; and long white garments. He, on the other hand, refrains from the use of such articles for the adornment of the person.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
7. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to mean talk: that is to say, tales of kings, of robbers, or of ministers of state; tales of arms, of war, of terror; conversation respecting meats, drinks, clothes, couches, garlands, perfumes, relationships, equipages, streets, villages, towns, cities, provinces, women, warriors, demigods; fortune-telling; hidden treasures in jars; ghost stories; empty tales; disasters by sea; accidents on shore; things which are, and things which are not. He, on the other hand, refrains from such mean conversation.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
8. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to wrangling: that is to say, to saying, “You are ignorant of this doctrine and discipline, but I understand them!” “What do you know of doctrine or discipline?” “You are heterodox, but I am orthodox!” “My discourse is profitable, but yours is worthless!” “That which you should speak [ p. 195 ] first you speak last, and that which you should speak last you speak first!” “What you have long studied I have completely overturned!” “Your errors are made quite plain!” “You are disgraced!” “Go away and escape from this disputation; or if not, extricate yourself from your difficulties!” He, on the other hand, refrains from such wrangling.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
9. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brahmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to performing the servile duties of a go-between: that is to say, between kings, ministers of state, soldiers, Brahmans, people of property, or young men, who say, “Come here!” “Go there!” “Take this to such a place!” “Bring that here!” But he refrains from such servile duties of a messenger.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
10. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue addicted to hypocrisy: that is to say, they speak much; they make high professions; they disparage others; and they are continually thirsting after gain. But he refrains from such hypocritical craft.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)’
End of the Middle Paragraphs on Conduct.
[ p. 196 ]
1. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices as these: that is to say, by divination from marks on the body; by auguries; by the interpretation of prognostics, of dreams, and of omens, good or bad; by divinations from the manner in which cloth and other such things have been bitten by rats; by sacrifices to the god of fire, offerings of Dabba grass, offerings with a ladle, offerings of husks, of bran, of rice, of clarified butter, of oil, and of liquids ejected from the mouth; and by bloody sacrifices; by teaching spells for preserving the body, for determining lucky sites, for protecting fields, for luck in war, against ghosts and goblins, to secure good harvests, to cure snake bites, to serve as antidotes for poison, and to cure bites of scorpions or rats; by divination, by the flight of hawks, or by the croaking of ravens; by guessing at length of life; by teaching spells to ward off wounds; and by pretended knowledge of the language of beasts.—
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
2. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying [ p. 197 ] practices as these: that is to say, by explaining the good and bad points in jewels, sticks, garments, swords, arrows, bows, weapons of war, women, men, youths, maidens, male and female slaves, elephants, horses, bulls, oxen, goats, sheep, fowl, snipe, iguanas, long-eared creatures, turtle, and deer.—
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
3. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts and such lying practices as these: that is to say, by foretelling future events, as these:
‘“There will be a sortie by the king.” “There will not be a sortie by the king.” “The king within the city will attack.” “The king outside the city will retreat.” “The king within the city will gain the victory.” “The king outside the city will be defeated.” “The king outside the city will be the conqueror.” “The king inside the city will be vanquished.” Thus prophesying to this one victory and to that one defeat.—
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
4. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brahmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts and such lying practices as these: that is to say, by predicting—
‘“There will be an eclipse of the moon.” “There will be an eclipse of the sun.” “There will be an eclipse of a planet.” “The sun and the moon will be in conjunction.” "The sun and the moon will be in [ p. 198 ] opposition.“ ”The planets will be in conjunction.“ ”The planets will be in opposition.“ ”There will be falling meteors, and fiery coruscations in the atmosphere.“ ”There will be earthquakes, thunderbolts, and forked lightnings.“ ”The rising and setting of the sun, moon, or planets will be cloudy or clear.“ And then: ”The eclipse of the moon will have such and such a result.“ ”The eclipse of the sun will have such and such a result.“ ”The eclipse of the moon will have such and such a result.“ ”The sun and the moon being in conjunction will have such and such a result.“ ”The sun and the moon being in opposition will have such and such a result.“ ”The planets being in conjunction will have such and such a result.“ ”The planets being in opposition will have such and such a result.“ ”The falling meteors and fiery coruscations in the atmosphere will have such and such a result.“ ”The earthquakes, thunderbolts, and forked lightnings will have such and such a result.“ ”The rising and setting of the sun, moon, or planets, cloudy or clear, will have such and such a result.”
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)
5. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts and such lying practices as these: that is to say, by predicting—
‘“There will be an abundant rainfall.” “There will be a deficient rainfall.” “There will be an abundant harvest.” “There will be famine.” “There will be tranquillity.” “There will be disturbances.” “The season will be sickly.” “The season will be healthy.” [ p. 199 ] Or by drawing deeds, making up accounts, giving pills, making verses, or arguing points of casuistry.—
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
6. ‘Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts and such lying practices as these: that is to say, by giving advice touching the taking in marriage, or the giving in marriage; the forming of alliances, or the dissolution of connections; the calling in property, or the laying of it out. By teaching spells to procure prosperity, or to cause adversity to others; to remove sterility; to produce dumbness, locked-jaw, deformity, or deafness. By obtaining oracular responses by the aid of a mirror, or from a young girl, or from a god. By worshipping the sun, or by worshipping Brahmâ; by spitting fire out of their mouths, or by laying hands on people’s heads.—
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2)
7. 'Or whereas some Samana-Brâhmans, who live on the food provided by the faithful, continue to gain a livelihood by such low arts and such lying practices as these: that is to say, by teaching the ritual for making vows and performing them; for blessing fields; for imparting virility and rendering impotent; for choosing the site of a house; for performing a house-warming. By teaching forms of words to be used when cleansing the mouth, when bathing, and when making offerings to the god of [ p. 200 ] fire. By prescribing medicines to produce vomiting or purging, or to remove obstructions in the higher or lower intestines, or to relieve head-ache. By preparing oils for the ear, collyriums, catholicons, antimony, and cooling drinks. By practising cautery, midwifery, or the use of root decoctions or salves.—
‘He, on the other hand, refrains from seeking a livelihood by such low arts, by such lying practices.
‘This, too, (&c., see § II, 2.)’
End of the Long Paragraphs on Conduct.
There is no division into actual chapters in the original, but it is convenient to arrange the following enumeration of moral precepts separately, as they occur in various suttas in the same order—and are always divided into the three divisions of Lower, Medium, and Higher Morality. ↩︎
The clause ‘this, too, is the kind of goodness that he has’ is repeated in the text after each section. The clause, which differs {footnote p. 190} in the different suttas in which this enumeration of Buddhist morality is found, is distinct from the enumeration itself, and, like the opening reference to Vâsettha, characteristic only of the particular Sutta. ↩︎