English
he does not accept food from the mouth of a pot, nor from the mouth of a bowl, nor across a threshold, nor across a stick, He does not eat between a mortar, nor between two eating, nor from a pregnant woman, nor from a nursing woman, nor from a woman gone to another man, nor in places of gossip, nor where she is present, nor where flies swarm. He does not eat fish, nor meat, nor drink liquor, nor strong drink, nor husk-water. He is a one-house-goer, or a one-mouthful-eater. He is a two-house-goer, or a two-mouthful-eater... ...up to a seven-house-goer, or a seven-mouthful-eater. He sustains himself with even one alms-bowlful, with two alms-bowlfuls... ...up to seven alms-bowlfuls. He takes food once a day, twice a day... ...up to seven times a day. Thus, he lives devoted to such a practice of eating food in turns for half a month. He is a vegetable-eater, or a wild-millet-eater, or a wild-rice-eater, or a skin-scum-eater, or a parched-grain-eater, or a rice-bran-eater, or a rice-gruel-eater, or an oil-cake-eater, or a grass-eater, or a cow-dung-eater. He sustains himself on roots and fruits of the forest, eating fallen fruits. He wears even hemp clothes, even fine hemp clothes, even shrouds, even rag-robes, even tree-bark clothes, even antelope hide, even strips of antelope hide, even kusa-grass garments, even bark garments, even wood-shaving garments, even hair blankets, even horse-hair blankets, even owl's wings. He is even a hair-and-beard-plucker, devoted to plucking hair and beard. He is even one who stands upright, rejecting a seat. He is even one who squats, devoted to the practice of squatting. He is even one who sleeps on thorns, making his bed on a bed of thorns. He lives devoted to the practice of descending into water even three times in the evening. Thus, he lives devoted to such various kinds of practices of heating and tormenting the body. This is called, monks, a person who torments himself, devoted to the practice of self-torment. 8. And what, monks, is a person Or one who torments others, engaged in the practice of tormenting others? Here, monks, some individual is a sheep-butcher, a pig-butcher, a fowler, a hunter, a trapper, a fish-killer, a thief, an executioner of thieves, a cattle-slaughterer, a jailer, or anyone else engaged in cruel occupations. This, monks, is called the individual who torments others, engaged in the practice of tormenting others. 9. And what kind of individual, monks, torments himself and is engaged in the practice of self-torment, and torments others and is engaged in the practice of tormenting others? Here, monks, some individual is a king, a consecrated warrior, or a wealthy brahmin. He, to the east of the city, having had a new assembly hall built, having shaved his hair and beard, having put on a rough deer-hide, having anointed his body with ghee and oil, scratching his back with a deer's horn, enters the new assembly hall together with his chief queen and the brahmin priest. He there, on the unplastered ground, smeared with green cow-dung, makes his bed. From one cow with a calf of the same color, whatever milk is in one udder, with that the king sustains himself; whatever milk is in the second udder, with that the chief queen sustains herself; whatever milk is in the third udder, with that the brahmin priest sustains himself; whatever milk is in the fourth udder, with that he makes an offering to the fire; with the remainder, the calf sustains itself. He speaks thus: ‘So many bulls are to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, so many bullocks are to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, so many heifers are to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, so many goats are to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, so many rams are to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, so many horses are to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, so many trees are to be cut down for the sacrificial posts, so many kusa grasses are to be mown for the sacrificial strew.’ And those who are his slaves, or servants, or workers, they too, threatened with rods, threatened with fear, with tearful faces, weeping, perform the preparations. This is called Monks, there is a person who is devoted to the torment of self, and to the torment of others. 10. And what kind of person, monks, is neither devoted to the torment of self, nor to the torment of others? Such a one, not tormenting self, not tormenting others, is in this very life cooled, extinguished, become cool, experiencing happiness, dwelling with a divine self. Here, monks, a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One. He, having directly known and realized this world with its gods, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with its ascetics and brahmins, with its gods and humans, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, with meaning and with letter, he proclaims the utterly complete, utterly purified holy life. A householder hears that Dhamma, or a householder's son, or one born in some other family. Having heard that Dhamma, he gains faith in the Tathāgata. Endowed with that gained faith, he reflects thus: 'Confined is the household life, a path of dust; open is the going forth. It is not easy for one living in a house to lead the holy life utterly complete, utterly pure, polished like a conch shell. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from the home life into homelessness?' So, at a later time, having abandoned a small portion of wealth, or having abandoned a large portion of wealth, having abandoned a small circle of relatives, or having abandoned a large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from the home life into homelessness. 11. Having thus gone forth, he lives in accordance with the training and livelihood of monks. Having abandoned the taking of life, he abstains from the taking of life, having laid down rod, having laid down weapon. Ho, modest and compassionate, he dwells with pity for all beings and creatures. Abandoning taking what is not given, he refrains from taking what is not given, he is a giver of what is given, expecting what is given, he dwells with a pure self, by means of that. Abandoning unchastity, he is chaste, far-ranging in conduct, refraining from sexual intercourse, the village custom. Abandoning false speech, he refrains from false speech, he is a speaker of truth, bound to truth, firm, reliable, not a deceiver of the world. Abandoning divisive speech, he refrains from divisive speech, having heard here, he does not tell there for the purpose of breaking these apart; or having heard there, he does not tell here for the purpose of breaking those apart – thus he is a reconciler of those who are divided, a promoter of those who are united, delighting in concord, rejoicing in concord, exulting in concord, he is a speaker of words that create concord. Abandoning harsh speech, he refrains from harsh speech, that speech which is gentle, pleasant to the ear, affectionate, reaching the heart, urbane, pleasing to many, agreeable to many, he is a speaker of such speech. Abandoning idle chatter, he refrains from idle chatter, he is a speaker at the right time, a speaker of what is factual, a speaker of what is meaningful, a speaker of the Dhamma, a speaker of the Vinaya, he speaks words that are a treasure, at the right time, with reasons, limited, connected with benefit. He refrains from harming seeds and plants, he eats once a day, abstaining from food at night, refraining from untimely food; he refrains from seeing dancing, singing, and instrumental music; he refrains from wearing garlands, perfumes, and ointments, and from adornment and beautification; he refrains from high beds and large beds; he refrains from accepting gold and silver; he refrains from accepting raw grain; he refrains from accepting raw meat; he refrains from accepting women and girls; he refrains from accepting male and female slaves; he refrains from accepting goats and sheep; he refrains from accepting chickens and pigs; he refrains from accepting elephants, cattle, horses, and mares; he refrains from accepting fields and land; from engaging in messages and errands. He abstains from buying and selling; He abstains from cheating with scales, weights, and measures; He abstains from bribery, deception, fraud, and crookedness; He abstains from cutting, killing, binding, robbery, plunder, and violence. He is content with robes to protect his body and almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these with him. Just as a bird, a winged creature, wherever it flies, flies with only its wings as its burden; even so, a bhikkhu is content with robes to protect his body and almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these with him. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he experiences an inner blameless happiness. Seeing a form with the eye, he is not engrossed in its features or details. He practices for its restraint, guards the eye faculty, and achieves restraint over the eye faculty, whereby evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure might flow in upon him while he dwells with the eye faculty unrestrained. Hearing a sound with the ear... Smelling an odor with the nose... Tasting a flavor with the tongue... Touching a tangible with the body... Discerning a mental phenomenon with the mind, he is not engrossed in its features or details. He practices for its restraint, guards the mind faculty, and achieves restraint over the mind faculty, whereby evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure might flow in upon him while he dwells with the mind faculty unrestrained. Endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties,