Commendable Effort

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

[1][pts][bodh] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time the Lucky man, Vajji-land revisiting, Bhaṇḍagāma village.

There Bhagava said:

There are, beggars, these four commendable efforts.^[1]

What four?

Here beggars, a beggar
generates desire,
exerts his heart,
seeks out the energy and self-control
to prevent the arising
of bad, unskillful things
not yet arisen;

generates desire,
exerts his heart,
seeks out the energy and self-control
to let go of
bad, unskillful things
that have arisen;

generates desire,
exerts his heart,
seeks out the energy and self-control
to give rise to
skillful things
not yet arisen;

generates desire,
exerts his heart,
seeks out the energy and self-control
for the non-confusion,
increased standing,
and completely fulfilled development of
skillful things
that have arisen.

These then beggars, are the four commendable efforts.

From the Realm of Mara, Destroyer of Beings
by commendable effort freed,
thrown off the fear of birth and death,
Mara and his weaponry.

From the Captor's^[2] power escaped
well, happy, undisturbed is he.

^[1] Samma-ppadhānāni. Samma here not Sammā. PED gives 'Hail' but suggests a relationship to Sammā. padhānā PED: exertion, energetic effort, striving, concentration of mind.

^[2] Namuci. 'Not-enough'. Another name for Mara. PTS Text footnotes: Comy. on S. v, 1 explains it as na-muñcati, 'does not let go.'

Aṅguttara Nikāya: 4. Catukka Nipāta II. Cara Vaggo

Sutta 13

Padhāna Suttaṃ

Commendable Effort

Aṅguttara Nikāya:
4. Catukka Nipāta
II. Cara Vaggo