English
Just as a thief caught at the break-in by royal officers and others is tormented and bound by his own deed, by the act of thievery he committed, so too, this evil-doing populace, having passed away to the other world, is tormented by its own unwholesome deeds, by weapons and so forth, and is bound by chains and so forth. Living beings desire happiness, whoever harms them with a stick; Seeking his own happiness, having passed away, he does not obtain happiness. This discourse, too, is called a discourse belonging to the defilement-producing category. The explanation is that whatever being, seeking his own happiness, harms other living beings who desire happiness with a stick, that harming being, having passed away to the other world, does not obtain happiness. If among cattle crossing, the bull goes crookedly; All of them go crookedly, when the leader has gone crookedly. "Just so among humans, whoever is deemed foremost; If he practices unrighteousness, how much more the other people; The whole realm lies in suffering, if the king is unrighteous." – This discourse is also called a discourse contributing to defilement. The explanation is: Just as if the bull among cattle crossing a river goes crookedly, and thus when the leader has gone crookedly, all those cows go crookedly; just so among humans, whoever is the king deemed foremost, if that king practices unrighteousness, then when the king practices unrighteousness, the other people practice unrighteousness even more, right from the start. If the king is unrighteous, then when the king is unrighteous, the whole realm lies in suffering. "Truly, these humans are wretched, they do evil, attached to attachments; They go to the abode of many beings, to Avīci hell, bitter and terrifying." – This discourse is also called a discourse contributing to defilement. The explanation is: Those humans who, attached to attachments, to the attachments of sense-pleasures, overcome by lust, do evil, unwholesome deeds—these evil-doing humans are truly wretched, truly fallen into wretchedness. Those evil-doing humans go to the bitter, terrifying abode of many beings, Avīci hell. "Indeed, fruit destroys the banana, fruit destroys the bamboo, fruit destroys the reed; Honour destroys the ignoble man, just as a fetus destroys the mule-mare." – This discourse is also called a discourse contributing to defilement. The explanation is: Just as the fruit of the banana, the fruit, indeed, utterly destroys the banana; just as fruit, indeed, utterly destroys the bamboo; just as fruit, indeed, utterly destroys the reed; just as a fetus, indeed, utterly destroys the mule-mare, its mother; just so honour, indeed, utterly destroys the ignoble man. "A monk heavy with anger and scorn, revering gain and honour; Like a rotten seed in good soil, does not grow in the True Dhamma." – This too is a discourse belonging to defilement. Just as a rotten seed, though sown in a good, beautiful field, does not grow, so too, a monk who is greedy for gain and honor, who considers anger (which has the characteristic of being angry) and ingratitude (which has the characteristic of disparaging others' good qualities and virtues) as important, and lives thus, that monk, living thus, does not grow in the True Dhamma. This is the connection. 91. "Here, monks, I discern the mind of a certain individual, corrupted in mind, by encompassing it with my own mind... and so I have heard." This discourse too is called a discourse belonging to defilement. Monks, here in this teaching, or in the world, I discern a certain individual, corrupted in mind, by encompassing and comprehending their mind with my own mind, with the Buddha-eye, in this way. If you were to ask, "How do you discern?" This individual has entered upon a certain practice, has ascended a certain path, by which wrong practice, by which wrong path they move and proceed. By that wrong practice, by that wrong path, at this very time, at this time of wrong practice, if this individual, having entered upon wrong practice, having ascended a wrong path, were to die, then just as a brought object is cast down, so too would they be cast into hell. For what reason? Monks, because the mind of that individual is corrupted, defiled, therefore they are cast down. Thus, here in this teaching, or in the world, due to the defilement of mind, some beings, some individuals, upon the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of woe, a bad destination, a downfall. This is how I discern. The Blessed One spoke this meaning. There, in that discourse, this verse is spoken thus: "Having known the corrupted mind... he is reborn in hell." The Teacher, having known a certain individual with a corrupted mind, here in this teaching or in the world, declared this meaning in the presence of the monks. If this individual were to die at this very time, then, being endowed with a corrupted mind, they would indeed be reborn in hell. The individual's mind is corrupted... Because it is indeed defiled, therefore it would arise. Due to defilement of mind, beings go to a bad destination. Just as one would cast aside a brought-in object, even so, such a foolish person, that individual with a defiled mind, at the breaking up of the body, after death, is reborn in hell. This meaning too was spoken by the Blessed One. Thus it was heard by me—this is the connection. "If you fear suffering, if suffering is displeasing to you; Do not do evil deeds, whether openly or in secret. "And if evil deeds, you will do or are doing; There is no escape for you from suffering, even if you flee after knowing." This discourse is also called a discourse contributing to defilement. Good people, if you fear suffering—the eight kinds of suffering: suffering of birth, suffering of old age, suffering of sickness, suffering of death, suffering of the lower realms, suffering rooted in the past cycle, suffering rooted in the future cycle, suffering rooted in present nutriment—if such eightfold suffering is displeasing to you, then do not do evil deeds, whether openly or in secret. Good people, if you will do or are doing evil deeds, whether openly or in secret, then even if you flee, even if you flee intentionally, there is no escape for you from the eight kinds of suffering—this is the connection. "Having gained wealth by unrighteousness, and both by falsehood; Fools think, 'This is mine,' how then will that be? "Indeed, there will be obstacles, what is gathered will perish; Having died, they do not go to heaven, are they not ruined by that much?" This discourse is also called a discourse contributing to defilement. Those fools who, having gained wealth—all that is to be gained, animate and inanimate wealth—by unrighteousness and by falsehood, think of both kinds of wealth as "my wealth," how then, by what means, will that dual wealth be for those fools? Because it was gathered by unrighteousness, it does not last long. Obstacles, such as royal obstacles, will be obstacles for those fools will be for them. By which unrighteous dealings and so forth wealth is gathered, of that unrighteous dealings and so forth that gathered wealth perishes. Dead, dying, those fools do not go to heaven, a good destination. A good destination indeed, by excellent enjoyments, is supreme, thus "heaven" is intended. By this much, by such a decline of benefits for oneself in this life and the next, are those fools not ruined and destroyed? This is the connection. How does one dig up oneself? How does one waste away with friends? How does one turn away from the Dhamma? How does one not go to heaven? Through greed one digs up oneself; greedy, one wastes away with friends; through greed one turns away from the Dhamma; through greed one does not go to heaven. This discourse too is called a discourse leading to defilement. The meaning of the connection is clear. Fools, dull-witted, wander, as if by an enemy, by themselves; doing evil deeds, which have bitter fruit. That deed is not well done, which, having done, one repents; whose result, weeping with tearful face, one experiences. This discourse too is called a discourse leading to defilement. The dull-witted, witless fools wander, doing evil deeds which have bitter fruit, as if an evil deed done by an enemy, thus by themselves. That deed, having done which one later repents, that deed is not well done. That deed, whose result one experiences weeping, crying with a tearful face, that deed is not well done; this is the connection. "Difficult to do, difficult to endure... (etc.) ...one not free from craving" - this discourse too is called a discourse leading to defilement. The meaning of the discourse is explained in detail in the commentary. Measuring the immeasurable, how could a wise one speculate? One who measures the immeasurable, I consider him to be covered, not a stainless one. This discourse too is called a discourse leading to defilement. Here in the Dispensation, who, measuring the immeasurable, the person whose defilements are destroyed, with immeasurable qualities, saying "This person whose defilements are destroyed has such and such virtue, such and such concentration, such and such wisdom,"... The ordinary person speculates. Regarding the immeasurable individual, the one whose defilements are destroyed, the one who is heedful, the one who is becoming heedful, that ordinary person, this one, with obscured wisdom, with inverted wisdom, I think, I believe, is without a teacher, is without wisdom. For a person born, an axe is born in their mouth; With which they cut themselves, the fool, speaking ill. For a well-sharpened weapon, or a deadly poison, Does not fell one so wrongly, as ill-spoken words do. This discourse is also called a discourse leading to defilement. The fool, the wicked person, speaking harsh words, speaking ill-spoken words, which are called slandering the Noble Ones, with that axe-like ill-spoken word, they cut themselves.