AN 4.47

Suvidūrasutta

“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, suvidūravidūrāni. Katamāni cattāri? Nabhañca, bhikkhave, pathavī ca; idaṁ paṭhamaṁ suvidūravidūre. Orimañca, bhikkhave, tīraṁ samuddassa pārimañca; idaṁ dutiyaṁ suvidūravidūre. Yato ca, bhikkhave, verocano abbhudeti yattha ca atthameti; idaṁ tatiyaṁ suvidūravidūre. Satañca, bhikkhave, dhammo asatañca dhammo; idaṁ catutthaṁ suvidūravidūre. Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri suvidūravidūrānīti.

Very Far Apart

“Mendicants, these four things are very far apart. What four? The firmament and the earth. … The near and the far shore of the ocean. … Where the dazzling sun rises and where it sets. … The teaching of the virtuous and the teaching of the wicked. … These are the four things very far apart.

Nabhañca dūre pathavī ca dūre, Pāraṁ samuddassa tadāhu dūre; Yato ca verocano abbhudeti, Pabhaṅkaro yattha ca atthameti; Tato have dūrataraṁ vadanti, Satañca dhammaṁ asatañca dhammaṁ.

The firmament is far from the earth; they say the other shore of the ocean is far; and where the dazzling sun rises is far from where that beacon sets. But even further apart than that, they say, is the teaching of the virtuous from the wicked.

Abyāyiko hoti sataṁ samāgamo, Yāvāpi tiṭṭheyya tatheva hoti; Khippañhi veti asataṁ samāgamo, Tasmā sataṁ dhammo asabbhi ārakā”ti.

The company of the virtuous is reliable; as long as it remains, it stays the same. But the company of the wicked is fickle, and so the teaching of the virtuous is far from the wicked.”