Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
IV. Upāli Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
IV: Upāli and Ānanda
Sutta 33
Upasampadā Suttaṃ
Full Ordination
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.
Now the venerable Upāli came to see the Exalted One,
and on coming to him
saluted him
and sat down at one side.
So seated, he said this to the Exalted One:
"Pray, sir, how must a monk be qualified in order to give full ordination?
'He must possess ten qualities, Upāli, in order to do so.
What ten?
§
Herein a monk is virtuous,
restrained with the restraint of the obligation,
proficient in following the practice of right conduct,
seeing cause for fear in the slightest faults,
he takes up and trains himself in the rules of morality.
■
Then he has heard much,
bears in mind what he has heard,
he hoards up what he has heard.
Those teachings which are alike lovely at the beginning,
lovely in the middle,
lovely at the end (of life),
proclaim in the spirit and the letter
the all-fulfilled,
the utterly purified brahma-life -
suchlike are the teachings he has much heard,
borne in mind,
practised in speech,
pondered in the heart,
rightly penetrated by view.
■
By him the obligation in full is thoroughly learned by heart,
well analysed,
with thorough knowledge of the meaning,
clearly divided sutta by sutta
and in minute detail.
■
He is competent to attend to the sick
or to cause such attendance.
■
He is competent to calm discontent
or cause it to be calmed.
■
He is competent to restrain bad conduct in accordance with dhamma (lawfully) (or to see that it is done)[1]
■
He is competent to dissuade the adoption of theories (or to see that it is done)[1]
■
He is competent to establish one in the higher virtue.
■
He is competent to establish one in the higher thought.
■
He is competent to establish one in the higher insight.
One must possess these ten qualities, Upāli,
in order to give full ordination.'
[1] Cf. Vin. ii, 74 (words bracketed omitted in our text). For waiting on sick, Vin. i, 64.
