AN 2.62

62

“Asantasannivāsañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi santasannivāsañca. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti. “Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

62

“Mendicants, I will teach you about living with bad people and living with good people. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Kathañca, bhikkhave, asantasannivāso hoti, kathañca asanto sannivasanti? Idha, bhikkhave, therassa bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti: ‘theropi maṁ na vadeyya, majjhimopi maṁ na vadeyya, navopi maṁ na vadeyya; therampāhaṁ na vadeyyaṁ, majjhimampāhaṁ na vadeyyaṁ, navampāhaṁ na vadeyyaṁ. Thero cepi maṁ vadeyya ahitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no hitānukampī, noti naṁ vadeyyaṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa nappaṭikareyyaṁ. Majjhimo cepi maṁ vadeyya …pe… navo cepi maṁ vadeyya, ahitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no hitānukampī, noti naṁ vadeyyaṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa nappaṭikareyyaṁ’. Majjhimassapi bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti …pe… navassapi bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti: ‘theropi maṁ na vadeyya, majjhimopi maṁ na vadeyya, navopi maṁ na vadeyya; therampāhaṁ na vadeyyaṁ, majjhimampāhaṁ na vadeyyaṁ, navampāhaṁ na vadeyyaṁ. Thero cepi maṁ vadeyya ahitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no hitānukampī noti naṁ vadeyyaṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa nappaṭikareyyaṁ. Majjhimo cepi maṁ vadeyya … navo cepi maṁ vadeyya ahitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no hitānukampī, noti naṁ vadeyyaṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa nappaṭikareyyaṁ’. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, asantasannivāso hoti, evañca asanto sannivasanti.

“What is it like living with bad people? How do bad people live together? It’s when a senior mendicant thinks: ‘No mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior, should admonish me; and I shouldn’t admonish any mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior. If a mendicant—whether senior, middle, or junior—were to admonish me, they wouldn’t be sympathetic, and I’d bother them by saying “No!” And anyway I wouldn’t deal with it even if I saw what I did wrong.’ And a middle or a junior mendicant also thinks: ‘No mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior, should admonish me; and I shouldn’t admonish any mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior. If a mendicant—whether senior, middle, or junior—were to admonish me, they wouldn’t be sympathetic, and I’d bother them by saying “No!” And anyway I wouldn’t deal with it even if I saw what I did wrong.’ That’s what it’s like living with bad people; that’s how bad people live together.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, santasannivāso hoti, kathañca santo sannivasanti? Idha, bhikkhave, therassa bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti: ‘theropi maṁ vadeyya, majjhimopi maṁ vadeyya, navopi maṁ vadeyya; therampāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, majjhimampāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, navampāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ. Thero cepi maṁ vadeyya hitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no ahitānukampī, sādhūti naṁ vadeyyaṁ na naṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa paṭikareyyaṁ. Majjhimo cepi maṁ vadeyya …pe… navo cepi maṁ vadeyya hitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no ahitānukampī, sādhūti naṁ vadeyyaṁ na naṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa paṭikareyyaṁ’. Majjhimassapi bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti …pe… navassapi bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti: ‘theropi maṁ vadeyya, majjhimopi maṁ vadeyya, navopi maṁ vadeyya; therampāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, majjhimampāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, navampāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ. Thero cepi maṁ vadeyya hitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no ahitānukampī, sādhūti naṁ vadeyyaṁ na naṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa paṭikareyyaṁ. Majjhimo cepi maṁ vadeyya …pe… navo cepi maṁ vadeyya hitānukampī maṁ vadeyya no ahitānukampī, sādhūti naṁ vadeyyaṁ na naṁ viheṭheyyaṁ passampissa paṭikareyyaṁ’. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, santasannivāso hoti, evañca santo sannivasantī”ti.

What is it like living with good people? How do good people live together? It’s when a senior mendicant thinks: ‘Any mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior, should admonish me; and I should admonish any mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior. If a mendicant—whether senior, middle, or junior—were to admonish me, they’d be sympathetic, so I wouldn’t bother them, but say “Thank you!” And I’d deal with it when I saw what I did wrong.’ And a middle or a junior mendicant also thinks: ‘Any mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior, may admonish me; and I’ll admonish any mendicant, whether senior, middle, or junior. If a mendicant—whether senior, middle, or junior—were to admonish me, they’d be sympathetic, so I wouldn’t bother them, but say “Thank you!” And I’d deal with it when I saw what I did wrong.’ That’s what it’s like living with good people; that’s how good people live together.”