Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
III: Pañc'aṅgika Vagga

The Book of the Fives

III: The Fivefold

Sutta 24

Dussīla Suttaṃ

For the Wicked

[19] [14]

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Yes, lord,' they replied; and the Exalted One said:

"Monks,¹ for the wicked,
who lack virtue,
right concentration is perforce destroyed;
when right concentration is not,
true² knowledge and insight
are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks right concentration;
when true knowledge and insight are not,
aversion³ and dispassion
are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks true knowledge and insight;
when aversion and dispassion are not,
emancipated⁴knowledge and insight
are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks aversion and dispassion.

■

Monks, just as in the case of a tree,
devoid of branches and leaves,
its shoots come not to maturity,
nor its bark,
nor its sapwood,
nor its core;
even so in the wicked,
who lack virtue,
right concentration is perforce destroyed;
when right concentration is not,
true knowledge and insight
are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks right concentration;
when true knowledge and insight are not,
aversion and dispassion
are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks true knowledge and insight;
when aversion and dispassion are not,
emancipated knowledge and insight
are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks aversion and dispassion.

Monks, in the moral and virtuous,
right concentration perforce thrives;
when there is right concentration,
true knowledge and insight
perforce thrive
in one who has right concentration;
when there is true knowledge and insight,
aversion and dispassion
perforce thrive
in one who has true knowledge and insight;
when there is aversion and dispassion,
emancipated knowledge and insight
perforce thrive
in one who has aversion and dispassion.

■

Monks, just as in the case of a tree,
possessing branches [15] and leaves,
its shoots,
its bark,
sapwood
and core
come to maturity;
even so in the moral and virtuous
right concentration perforce thrives;
when there is right concentration,
true knowledge and insight
perforce thrive
in one who has right concentration;
when there is true knowledge and insight,
aversion and dispassion
perforce thrive
in one who has true knowledge and insight;
when there is aversion and dispassion,
emancipated knowledge and insight
perforce thrive
in one who has aversion and dispassion.'

¹ Cf.. below V, § 168; VI, § 50; A. iv, 99, 330; v, 4, 313.

² Comy. taruṇa: fresh insight, see DhS. trasl. 256 n.

³ Comy. balava-vipassanā.