Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XVII. Āghāta Vaggo
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XVII: Malice
Sutta 161
Paṭhama Āghāta-Paṭivinaya Suttaṃ
The Putting Away of Malice (a)
[137]
Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
2. 'Monks, there are these five ways of putting away malice1
whereby all malice arisen in a monk
ought to be put away.
What five?
Monks, in whatsoever person malice is engendered,
in him amity ought to be made to become more.
In this way malice in him ought to be put away.
■
"Monks, in whomsoever malice is engendered,
in him pity ought to be made to become more.
In this way malice in him ought to be put away.
■
"Monks, in whomsoever malice is engendered,
in him poise ought to be made to become more.
In this way malice in him ought to be put away.
■
Monks, in whomsoever malice is engendered,
in that man2 unmindfulness,
inattention to it,
ought to be brought about.
In this way malice in him ought to be put away.
■
Monks, in whomsoever malice is engendered,
in that man the fact that he is of his own making
ought to be fixed in his mind;
and he should think:
'This,3 reverend sir,
is of one's own making,
the heir to deeds,
deeds are the matrix,
deeds are the kin,
deeds are the foundation;
whatever one does,
good or bad,
one will become heir to that.'
In this way malice in him ought to be put away.
Verily, monks, these are the five ways of putting away malice
whereby all malice arisen in a monk
ought to be put away.'
1 Āghāta-paṭivinayā. Comy. glosses: vūpasamenti; the sutta is partly quoted at Vism. trsl. 345; for other sets see D. iii, 262; A. iv, 408; v, 151. Cf. Ephesians iv, 31. It is curious that, from the first three ways muditā 'happiness' the third of the four brahmavihāras, should be omitted. In S. Nipāta, 73, 'poise' is omitted and vimutti substituted.
2 Asati amana-sikaro āpajjitabbo. Comy. like a person hidden by a wall, etc., and does not appear.
3 Cf. above, § 57.