AN 5.250

Puggalappasādasutta

“Pañcime, bhikkhave, ādīnavā puggalappasāde. Katame pañca? Yasmiṁ, bhikkhave, puggale puggalo abhippasanno hoti, so tathārūpaṁ āpattiṁ āpanno hoti yathārūpāya āpattiyā saṅgho ukkhipati. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘yo kho myāyaṁ puggalo piyo manāpo so saṅghena ukkhitto’ti. Bhikkhūsu appasādabahulo hoti. Bhikkhūsu appasādabahulo samāno aññe bhikkhū na bhajati. Aññe bhikkhū abhajanto saddhammaṁ na suṇāti. Saddhammaṁ asuṇanto saddhammā parihāyati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamo ādīnavo puggalappasāde.

Faith in Individuals

“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks of placing faith in an individual. What five? The individual to whom an individual is devoted falls into an offense such that the Saṅgha suspends them. It occurs to them: ‘This individual dear and beloved to me has been suspended by the Saṅgha.’ They lose much of their faith in mendicants. So they don’t frequent other mendicants, they don’t hear the true teaching, and they fall away from the true teaching. This is the first drawback in placing faith in an individual.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, yasmiṁ puggale puggalo abhippasanno hoti, so tathārūpaṁ āpattiṁ āpanno hoti yathārūpāya āpattiyā saṅgho ante nisīdāpeti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘yo kho myāyaṁ puggalo piyo manāpo so saṅghena ante nisīdāpito’ti. Bhikkhūsu appasādabahulo hoti. Bhikkhūsu appasādabahulo samāno aññe bhikkhū na bhajati. Aññe bhikkhū abhajanto saddhammaṁ na suṇāti. Saddhammaṁ asuṇanto saddhammā parihāyati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyo ādīnavo puggalappasāde.

Furthermore, the individual to whom an individual is devoted falls into an offense such that the Saṅgha makes them sit at the end of the line. … This is the second drawback in placing faith in an individual.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, yasmiṁ puggale puggalo abhippasanno hoti, so disāpakkanto hoti …pe… so vibbhanto hoti …pe… so kālaṅkato hoti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘yo kho myāyaṁ puggalo piyo manāpo so kālaṅkato’ti. Aññe bhikkhū na bhajati. Aññe bhikkhū abhajanto saddhammaṁ na suṇāti. Saddhammaṁ asuṇanto saddhammā parihāyati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, pañcamo ādīnavo puggalappasāde. Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca ādīnavā puggalappasāde”ti.

Furthermore, the individual to whom an individual is devoted leaves for another region … disrobes … passes away. It occurs to them: ‘This individual dear and beloved to me has passed away.’ So they don’t frequent other mendicants, they don’t hear the true teaching, and they fall away from the true teaching. This is the fifth drawback in placing faith in an individual. These are the five drawbacks of placing faith in an individual.”