AN 10.44

Kusinārasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kusinārāyaṁ viharati baliharaṇe vanasaṇḍe. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

At Kusinārā

At one time the Buddha was staying near Kusinārā in the Forest of Offerings. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Codakena, bhikkhave, bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena pañca dhamme ajjhattaṁ paccavekkhitvā pañca dhamme ajjhattaṁ upaṭṭhāpetvā paro codetabbo. Katame pañca dhammā ajjhattaṁ paccavekkhitabbā? Codakena, bhikkhave, bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena evaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ: ‘parisuddhakāyasamācāro nu khomhi, parisuddhenamhi kāyasamācārena samannāgato acchiddena appaṭimaṁsena. Saṁvijjati nu kho me eso dhammo udāhu no’ti? No ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhu parisuddhakāyasamācāro hoti parisuddhena kāyasamācārena samannāgato acchiddena appaṭimaṁsena, tassa bhavanti vattāro: ‘iṅgha tāva āyasmā kāyikaṁ sikkhassū’ti, itissa bhavanti vattāro.

“Mendicants, a mendicant who wants to accuse another should first check five things in themselves and establish five things in themselves. What five things should they check in themselves? A mendicant who wants to accuse another should check this: ‘Is my bodily behavior pure? Do I have pure bodily behavior that is impeccable and irreproachable? Is this thing found in me or not?’ If it’s not, there’ll be some who say: ‘Come on, venerable, train your own bodily behavior first.’

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, codakena bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena evaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ: ‘parisuddhavacīsamācāro nu khomhi, parisuddhenamhi vacīsamācārena samannāgato acchiddena appaṭimaṁsena. Saṁvijjati nu kho me eso dhammo udāhu no’ti? No ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhu parisuddhavacīsamācāro hoti parisuddhena vacīsamācārena samannāgato acchiddena appaṭimaṁsena, tassa bhavanti vattāro: ‘iṅgha tāva āyasmā vācasikaṁ sikkhassū’ti, itissa bhavanti vattāro.

Furthermore, a mendicant who wants to accuse another should check this: ‘Is my verbal behavior pure? Do I have pure verbal behavior that is impeccable and irreproachable? Is this thing found in me or not?’ If it’s not, there will be people who say: ‘Come on, venerable, train your own verbal behavior first.’

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, codakena bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena evaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ: ‘mettaṁ nu kho me cittaṁ paccupaṭṭhitaṁ sabrahmacārīsu anāghātaṁ. Saṁvijjati nu kho me eso dhammo udāhu no’ti? No ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno mettaṁ cittaṁ paccupaṭṭhitaṁ hoti sabrahmacārīsu anāghātaṁ, tassa bhavanti vattāro: ‘iṅgha tāva āyasmā sabrahmacārīsu mettaṁ cittaṁ upaṭṭhāpehī’ti, itissa bhavanti vattāro.

Furthermore, a mendicant who wants to accuse another should check this: ‘Is my heart established in love for my spiritual companions, without resentment? Is this thing found in me or not?’ If it’s not, there will be people who say: ‘Come on, venerable, establish your heart in love for your spiritual companions first.’

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, codakena bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena evaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ: ‘bahussuto nu khomhi sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpā me dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā. Saṁvijjati nu kho me eso dhammo udāhu no’ti? No ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā, tassa bhavanti vattāro: ‘iṅgha tāva āyasmā āgamaṁ pariyāpuṇassū’ti, itissa bhavanti vattāro.

Furthermore, a mendicant who wants to accuse another should check this: ‘Am I very learned, remembering and keeping what I’ve learned? These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. Am I very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically? Is this thing found in me or not?’ If it’s not, there will be people who say: ‘Come on, venerable, memorize the scriptures first.’

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, codakena bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena evaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ: ‘ubhayāni kho pana me pātimokkhāni vitthārena svāgatāni honti suvibhattāni suppavattīni suvinicchitāni suttaso anubyañjanaso. Saṁvijjati nu kho me eso dhammo udāhu no’ti? No ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ubhayāni pātimokkhāni vitthārena svāgatāni honti suvibhattāni suppavattīni suvinicchitāni suttaso anubyañjanaso, ‘idaṁ panāyasmā, kattha vuttaṁ bhagavatā’ti, iti puṭṭho na sampāyissati. Tassa bhavanti vattāro: ‘iṅgha tāva āyasmā vinayaṁ sikkhassū’ti, itissa bhavanti vattāro. Ime pañca dhammā ajjhattaṁ paccavekkhitabbā.

Furthermore, a mendicant who wants to accuse another should check this: ‘Have both monastic codes been passed down to me in detail, well analyzed, well mastered, and well evaluated in both the rules and accompanying material? Is this thing found in me or not?’ If it’s not, and if they are unable to respond when asked “Venerable, where was this spoken by the Buddha?” there will be people who say: ‘Come on, venerable, train in the monastic code first.’ These are the five things they should check in themselves.

Katame pañca dhammā ajjhattaṁ upaṭṭhāpetabbā? ‘Kālena vakkhāmi, no akālena; bhūtena vakkhāmi, no abhūtena; saṇhena vakkhāmi, no pharusena; atthasaṁhitena vakkhāmi, no anatthasaṁhitena; mettacitto vakkhāmi, no dosantaro’ti— ime pañca dhammā ajjhattaṁ upaṭṭhāpetabbā. Codakena, bhikkhave, bhikkhunā paraṁ codetukāmena ime pañca dhamme ajjhattaṁ paccavekkhitvā ime pañca dhamme ajjhattaṁ upaṭṭhāpetvā paro codetabbo”ti.

What five things should they establish in themselves? ‘I will speak at the right time, not at the wrong time. I will speak truthfully, not falsely. I will speak gently, not harshly. I will speak beneficially, not harmfully. I will speak lovingly, not from secret hate.’ These are the five things they should establish in themselves. A mendicant who wants to accuse another should first check these five things in themselves and establish these five things in themselves.”