Aṅguttara Nikāya
Chakka-Nipāta
II: Sārāṇīya-Vagga

The Book of the Sixes

Chapter II: Be Considerate

Sutta 14

Bhaddaka Suttaṃ

The Lucky Fate

[210]

Thus have I heard:

Once the venerable Sāriputta was dwelling near Sāvatthī.

There the venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks, saying:

'Reverend sir!'

'Yes, friend,' they replied.

Then said the venerable Sāriputta:

'The more, reverend sirs, a monk thus fashions his life,
the more he fashions it to a luckless death,¹
a luckless fate.²

And how, reverend sirs,
does a monk fashion his life
to a luckless death,
a luckless fate?

Consider, reverend sirs,
the monk who,³
finding delight in worldly activity,⁴
is delighted with worldly activity,
gets engrossed in the delight of worldly activity;

■

who, finding delight in talk,
is delighted with talk,
gets engrossed in the delight of talk;

■

who, finding delight in sleep,
is delighted with sleep,
gets engrossed in the delight of sleep;

■

who, finding delight in company,
is delighted with company,
gets engrossed in the delight of company;

■

who, finding delight in companionship
is delighted with companionship,
gets engrossed in the delight of companionship;

■

who, finding delight in vain fancies⁵ -
is delighted with vain fancies,
gets engrossed in the delight of vain fancies;

■

[211] and thus, reverend sirs,
the more he so fashions his life,
the more he fashions it to a luckless death,
a luckless fate;
and of this monk it is said:

'With his bundle of life⁶
he is greatly delighted;
he has not got rid of his bundle
for the utter ending of Ill.'

But the more, reverend sirs,
a monk fashions his life in this manner,
the more he fashions it to a lucky death,
a lucky fate.

And how, reverend sirs,
does a monk fashion his life
to a lucky death,
a lucky fate?

Consider the monk who,
finding no delight in worldly activity,
is not delighted therewith,
gets not engrossed in the delight thereof;

■

who, finding no delight in talk,
is not delighted with talk,
gets not engrossed in the delight of talk;

■

who, finding no delight in sleep,
is not delighted with sleep,
gets not engrossed in the delight of sleep;

■

who, finding no delight in company,
is not delighted with company,
gets not engrossed in the delight of company;

■

who, finding no delight in companionship
is not delighted with companionship,
gets not engrossed in the delight of companionship;

■

who, finding no delight in vain fancies -
is not delighted with vain fancies,
gets not engrossed in the delight of vain fancies;

■

and thus the more he so fashions his life,
the more he fashions it to a lucky⁷ death,
a lucky fate;
and of him it is said:

'With Nibbāna he is greatly delighted;
he has got rid of his bundle of life
for the utter ending of Ill.'

Fancy⁸-ensnared, fawn-like⁹ too fancy-fond,
Ne'er wins he blest Nibbāna's boundless peace:¹⁰ But fancy-rid, intent on freedom's way,
He wins to blest Nibbāna's boundless peace.'

¹ Na bhaddakaṃ. Comy. na laddhakaṃ.

² Kāla-kiriyā; cf. A. i, 261 (G.S. i, 240).

³ Cf. above V, § 89; A. iv, 331.

⁴ Kamma.

⁵ Papañca, or obsessions, or diffuseness. See Brethr. 343 n.

⁶ Sa-k-kāyābhirato; kāya is from √ci, a heap or collection; Comy. says te-bhūmaka-vaṭṭaṃ. (Cf. the Biblical use of 'the bundle of life.' at 1 Samuel xxv, 29.) The sa- stresses the kāya of things material.

⁷ Bhaddaka.

⁸ These verses recur at Thag. 989-90 (Brethr. 343) as part of Sāriputta's aññā declaration.

⁹ Mago.