Aṅguttara Nikāya
IX. Navaka Nipāta
II. Sīhanāda Vagga

IX. The Book of the Nines

Chapter II: The Lion Roar

Sutta 17

Kul'Opagamana Suttaṃ

The Family¹

 

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[258]

Thus have I heard:

At Savatthī the Exalted One said:

"Monks, if one has not already done so,
it is not meet to visit a family possessing these nine qualities,
nor is it meet to sit down among them,
if one has visited them.

What nine?

They do not rise up pleasantly;
nor greet one pleasantly;
nor offer one a seat pleasantly;
if they have one, they hide it;
from plenty they give little;
though they have choice food, they give coarse food;
they give without respect or care;
they do not sit round to hear Dhamma;
they savour² not the spoken word.

[259] ^ed1Monks, if one has not already done so,
it is not meet to visit a family possessing these nine qualities,
nor is it meet to sit down among them,
if one has visited them.

 

§

 

^ed2Monks, if one has not already done so,
it is meet to visit a family possessing these nine qualities,
it is meet to sit down among them,
if one has visited them.

What nine?

They rise up pleasantly;
greet one pleasantly;
offer one a seat pleasantly;
if they have one, they do not hide it;
from plenty they give plenty;
if they have choice food, they give choice food;
they give with respect and care;
they sit round to hear Dhamma;
they savour the spoken word.

"Monks, if one has not already done so,
it is meet to visit a family possessing these nine qualities,
it is meet to sit down among them,
if one has visited them."

 

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¹ Cf. above, p. 6; Dhp.A. i, 341.

² Na rasīyanti, cf. Ps. cxix, 103. Comy. They are not pleased. (The word) rolls off them, as water poured on the side of a pot.

 

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^ed1 This paragragraph substitutes Hare's first paragraph for his abbreviated version. The Pali is the same in both.

^ed2 This entire section has been reconstructed using Hare's vocabulary.