Aṅguttara Nikāya
VIII. Atthaka Nipāta
IX. Sati-Vagga

VIII. The Book of the Eights

Chapter IX: Mindfulness

Sutta 87

Patta-Nikkujjana Suttaṃ

The Bowl

[227]

THUS have I heard:

Once 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:

"Monks, the Order, should it wish,
may turn down¹ the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of eight qualities.

Of what eight?

He goes about to bring loss to the monks;
he goes about to harm them;
he goes about to evict them from their dwellings;
he reviles and defames them;
he causes disunion between monk and monk;
he speaks in dispraise of the Buddha;
he speaks in dispraise of Dhamma;
he speaks in dispraise of the Order.

Monks, the Order, should it wish,
may turn down the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of these eight qualities.

But the Order, should it wish,
may restore² the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of of eight qualities.

Of what eight?

He does not go about to bring loss to the monks;
he does not go about to harm them;
he does not go about to evict them from their dwellings;
he does not revile and defame them;
he does not causes disunion between monk and monk;
he does not speak in dispraise of the Buddha;
he does not speak in dispraise of Dhamma;
he does not speak in dispraise of the Order.

Monks, the Order, should it wish,
may restore the bowl of a lay-disciple,
who is possessed of these eight qualities."

¹ Nikkujjeyya. Comy. explains thus: (The Order) may turn it down by a bowl-tuming-down act of Council (kamma-vācā; see Child. s.v.), not by placing it face downwards; see Vin. ii, 125 (S.B.E. xx, 120), where these eight recur; cf. also p. 18.