Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XXI: Sappurisa Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
Chapter XXI: The Worthy Man
Sutta 203
Tatiya Sappurisa Suttaṃ
Destroyer of Beings[1]
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] Thus have I heard:
On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied,
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, I will teach you the unworthy man
and the still more unworthy man.
I will teach you the worthy man
and the still more worthy man.
Do ye listen to it carefully.
Apply your minds and I will speak."
'Yes, lord,'
replied those monks to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said this:
'And of what sort, monks, is the unworthy man?
Herein a certain person
is one who takes life,
steals,
is a wrong-doer in sense-desires,
is a liar,
is of slanderous spech,
is of bitter speech,
is an idle babbler.
This one is called
"the unworthy man."
■
And of what sort, monks, is the still more unworthy man?
Herein a certain person
himself is one who takes life,
and further encourages another to take life;
himself is one who steals,
and further encourages another to steal;
himself is one who is a wrong-doer in sense-desires,
and further encourages another to be a wrong-doer in sense-desires;
himself is one who is a liar,
and further encourages another to be a liar;
himself is one who is of slanderous spech,
and further encourages another to be one who is of slanderous spech;
himself is one who is of bitter speech,
and further encourages another to be one who is of bitter speech;
himself is one who is an idle babbler,
and further encourages another to be one who is an idle babbler.
This one is called
"the still more unworthy man."
■
And of what sort, monks, is the worthy man?
Herein a certain person
is one who abstains from taking life,
stealing,
one who abstains from wrong-doing in sense-desires,
one who abstains from lying,
one who abstains from slanderous spech,
one who abstains from bitter speech,
one who abstains from idle babble.
This one is called
"the worthy man."
■
And of what sort, monks, is the still more worthy man?
Herein a certain person
not only himself abstains from taking life,
but also encourages another
to abstain from taking life;
not only himself abstains from stealing,
but also encourages another
to abstain from stealing;
not only himself abstains from wrong-doing in sense-desires,
but also encourages another
to abstain from wrong-doing in sense-desires;
not only himself abstains from lying,
but also encourages another
to abstain from lying;
not only himself abstains from slanderous spech,
but also encourages another
to abstain from slanderous spech;
not only himself abstains from bitter speech,
but also encourages another
to abstain from bitter speech;
not only himself abstains from idle babble,
but also encourages another
to abstain from idle babble.
This one is called
"the still more worthy man."'
[1] The uddāna calls this satta-naso
