SN 47.47

Duccaritasutta

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe… “sādhu me, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena dhammaṁ desetu, yamahaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ sutvā eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihareyyan”ti. “Tasmātiha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, ādimeva visodhehi kusalesu dhammesu. Ko cādi kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ? Idha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāvessasi. Vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāvessasi. Manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāvessasi. Yato kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, tato tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya cattāro satipaṭṭhāne bhāveyyāsi.

Bad Conduct

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and said: “Sir, may the Buddha please teach me Dhamma in brief. When I’ve heard it, I’ll live alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute.” “Well then, mendicant, you should purify the starting point of skillful qualities. What is the beginning of skillful qualities? Give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind. When you’ve done this, you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, depending on and grounded on ethics.

Katame cattāro? Idha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāye kāyānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Yato kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ime cattāro satipaṭṭhāne evaṁ bhāvessasi, tato tuyhaṁ, bhikkhu, yā ratti vā divaso vā āgamissati vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no parihānī”ti …pe… aññataro ca pana so bhikkhu arahataṁ ahosīti.

What four? Meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. Meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. When you develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation in this way, depending on and grounded on ethics, you can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.” … And that mendicant became one of the perfected.