Aṅguttara Nikāya
Sattaka Nipāta
Mahā Vaggo

The Book of the Sevens

Chapter VII.-The Great Chapter

Sutta 61

Hir'Ottappa Suttaṃ

Conscientiousness

[63]

THUS have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

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

"Monks,¹ when conscientiousness and fear of blame are lacking,
the control of the senses is perforce destroyed
in one who lacks conscientiousness and fear of blame.

When the control of the senses is lacking,
moral practice is perforce destroyed
in one who lacks the control of the senses.

When moral practice is lacking,
right concentration is perforce destroyed
in one who lacks moral practice.

When right concentration is lacking,
true² knowledge and vision are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks right concentration.

When true knowledge and vision are lacking,³
aversion and dispassion are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks true knowledge and vision.

When aversion and dispassion are lacking,
emancipated⁴ knowledge and vision are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks aversion and dispassion^ed1.

Monks, just⁵ as when a tree is devoid of branches and foliage,
the shoots thereof come not to maturity,
nor the bark,
nor the sap-wood,
nor the core;
even so, when conscientiousness and fear of blame are lacking,
the control of the senses is perforce destroyed
in one who lacks conscientiousness and fear of blame⁶

When the control of the senses is lacking,
moral practice is perforce destroyed
in one who lacks the control of the senses.

When moral practice is lacking,
right concentration is perforce destroyed
in one who lacks moral practice.

When right concentration is lacking, knowledge and vision are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks right concentration.

When true knowledge and vision are lacking,
aversion and dispassion are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks true knowledge and vision.

When aversion and dispassion are lacking,
emancipated knowledge and vision are perforce destroyed
in one who lacks aversion and dispassion.

Monks, when conscientiousness and fear of blame are present,
control of the senses is the efficient cause⁷
of possessing conscientiousness and fear of blame.

Monks, when control of the senses is present,
[64] virtue is tbe efficient cause,
of possessing control of the senses.

Monks, when virtue is present,
right concentration is the efficient cause,
of possessing virtue.

Monks, when right concentration is present,
true knowledge and true vision are the efficient cause,
of possessing right concentration.

Monks, when true knowledge and true vision are present,
aversion and dispassion are the efficient cause,
of possessing true knowledge and true vision.

Monks, when aversion and dis-passion are present,
emancipated knowledge and vision are the efficient causes
of possessing aversion and dispassion.

Monks, just as when a tree bears branches and foliage,
the shoots thereof mature,
and the bark
and the sap-wood
and the core;
even so, when conscientiousness and fear of blame are present,
control of the senses is the efficient cause
of possessing concientiousness and fear of blame.

Monks, when control of the senses is present,
virtue is tbe efficient cause,
of possessing control of the senses.

Monks, when virtue is present,
right concentration is the efficient cause,
of possessing virtue.

Monks, when right concentration is present,
true knowledge and true vision are the efficient cause,
of possessing right concentration.

Monks, when true knowledge and true vision are present,
aversion and dispassion are the efficient cause,
of possessing true knowledge and true vision.

Monks, when aversion and dis-passion are present,
emancipated knowledge and vision are the efficient causes
of possessing aversion and dispassion.

¹ This method of stating causal sequence recurs elsewhere, see below, p. 219; A. iii, 19, 200, 360; v. 4, 313; cf. also K.S. ii, p. vii.

² Yathā-bhūta-ñāṇa-dassana. Comy. vision (vipassanā) freshly acquired (taruṇa); cf. DhS. trsl. 256 'It (vision = dassana) represented a certain vantage point ... from which ... Nibbāna was caught sight of.'

³ Comy. vigorous vision and the Way free from passion.

⁴ Ibid. of arahantship.

⁵ This simile recurs in Ang. loc. cit.; cf. M. i, 488.

⁶ Repeat the opening paragraphs.

⁷ Upanisa-sampanno.