AN 8.71

Paṭhamasaddhāsutta

“Saddho ca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu hoti, no ca sīlavā. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ: ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ sīlavā cā’ti. Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hoti.

Inspiring All Around (1st)

“Mendicants, a mendicant is faithful but not ethical. So they’re incomplete in that respect, and should fulfill it, thinking: ‘How can I become faithful and ethical?’ When the mendicant is faithful and ethical, they’re complete in that respect.

Saddho ca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu hoti sīlavā ca, no ca bahussuto. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ: ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ, sīlavā ca, bahussuto cā’ti. Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca bahussuto ca, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hoti.

A mendicant is faithful and ethical, but not learned. So they’re incomplete in that respect, and should fulfill it, thinking: ‘How can I become faithful, ethical, and learned?’ When the mendicant is faithful, ethical, and learned, they’re complete in that respect.

Saddho ca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu hoti sīlavā ca bahussuto ca, no ca dhammakathiko …pe… dhammakathiko ca, no ca parisāvacaro …pe… parisāvacaro ca, no ca visārado parisāya dhammaṁ deseti …pe… visārado ca parisāya dhammaṁ deseti, no ca catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī …pe… catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, no ca āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati; evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ: ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ, sīlavā ca, bahussuto ca, dhammakathiko ca, parisāvacaro ca, visārado ca parisāya dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ, catunnañca jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī assaṁ akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānañca khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihareyyan’ti.

A mendicant is faithful, ethical, and learned, but not a Dhamma speaker. … they don’t frequent assemblies … they don’t teach Dhamma to the assembly with assurance … they don’t get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty … they don’t realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements. So they’re incomplete in that respect, and should fulfill it, thinking: ‘How can I become faithful, ethical, and learned, a Dhamma speaker, one who frequents assemblies, one who teaches Dhamma to the assembly with assurance, one who gets the four absorptions when they want, and one who lives having realized the ending of defilements?’

Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti, sīlavā ca, bahussuto ca, dhammakathiko ca, parisāvacaro ca, visārado ca parisāya dhammaṁ deseti, catunnañca jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānañca khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati; evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hoti. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, aṭṭhahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu samantapāsādiko ca hoti sabbākāraparipūro cā”ti.

When they’re faithful, ethical, and learned, a Dhamma speaker, one who frequents assemblies, one who teaches Dhamma to the assembly with assurance, one who gets the four absorptions when they want, and one who lives having realized the ending of defilements, they’re complete in that respect. A mendicant who possesses these eight qualities is impressive all around, and is complete in every respect.”