Aṅguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
VIII. Ānanda Vagga
Sutta 78
Sīla-b-Bata Suttaɱ
Habit and Practice
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Proofed against and modified in accordance with the revised edition at dhammatalks.org
Provenance, terms and conditons
[1][pts][olds] Then Ven. Ānanda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival,
having bowed down to him, sat to one side.
As he was sitting there,
the Blessed One said to him,
"Ānanda, every precept and practice,
every life,
every holy life that is followed
as of essential worth:
is every one of them fruitful?"
"Lord, that is not [to be answered]
with a categorical answer."
"In that case, Ānanda,
give an analytical answer."
"When
— by following a life of precept and practice,
a life, a holy life
that is followed as of essential worth —
one's unskillful qualities increase
while one's skillful qualities decline:
that sort of precept and practice,
life, holy life
that is followed as of essential worth
is fruitless.
But when
— by following a life of precept and practice,
a life, a holy life
that is followed as of essential worth —
one's unskillful qualities decline
while one's skillful qualities increase:
that sort of precept and practice,
life, holy life
that is followed as of essential worth
is fruitful."
That is what Ven. Ānanda said,
and the Teacher approved.
Then Ven. Ānanda, [realizing,]
"The Teacher approves of me,"
got up from his seat and,
having bowed down to the Blessed One
and circumambulating him,
left.
Then not long after Ven. Ānanda had left,
the Blessed One said to the monks,
"Monks, Ānanda is in still in training,
but it would not be easy
to find his equal in discernment."
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