1At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a large Saṅgha of mendicants when he arrived at a town of the Kosalans named Naḷakapāna. There the Buddha stayed near Naḷakapāna in the parrot tree grove. Now, at that time it was the sabbath, and the Buddha was sitting surrounded by the Saṅgha of monks. The Buddha spent most of the night educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk. Then he looked around the Saṅgha of monks, who were so very silent. He addressed Venerable Sāriputta:

2“Sāriputta, the Saṅgha of mendicants is rid of dullness and drowsiness. Give them some Dhamma talk as you feel inspired. My back is sore, I’ll stretch it.”

“Yes, sir,” Sāriputta replied.

3And then the Buddha spread out his outer robe folded in four and laid down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up. There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”

“Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:

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4“Reverends, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, light, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.

5A faithless individual is in decline. An individual with no conscience is in decline. An imprudent individual is in decline. A lazy individual is in decline. A witless individual is in decline. An irritable individual is in decline. A hostile individual is in decline. An individual with bad desires is in decline. An individual with bad friends is in decline. An individual with wrong view is in decline.

6Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, light, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.

7A faithful individual doesn’t decline. An individual with a conscience doesn’t decline. A prudent individual doesn’t decline. An energetic individual doesn’t decline. A wise individual doesn’t decline. A loving individual doesn’t decline. A kind individual doesn’t decline. An individual with few desires doesn’t decline. An individual with good friends doesn’t decline. An individual with right view doesn’t decline.”

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8Then the Buddha got up and said to Venerable Sāriputta:

“Good, good, Sāriputta! Whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, light, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.

9A faithless individual is in decline. An individual with no conscience … imprudent … lazy … witless … irritable … hostile … with bad desires … bad friends … An individual with wrong view is in decline.

10Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, light, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.

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11A faithful individual doesn’t decline. A conscientious individual … prudent … energetic … wise … loving … kind … with few desires … good friends … An individual with right view doesn’t decline.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kosalesu cārikaṁ caramāno mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ yena naḷakapānaṁ nāma kosalānaṁ nigamo tadavasari. Tatra sudaṁ bhagavā naḷakapāne viharati palāsavane. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā tadahuposathe bhikkhusaṅghaparivuto nisinno hoti. Atha kho bhagavā bahudeva rattiṁ bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetvā samādapetvā samuttejetvā sampahaṁsetvā tuṇhībhūtaṁ tuṇhībhūtaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ anuviloketvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ āmantesi: 

2"Vigatathinamiddho kho, sāriputta, bhikkhusaṅgho. Paṭibhātu taṁ, sāriputta, bhikkhūnaṁ dhammī kathā. Piṭṭhi me āgilāyati; tamahaṁ āyamissāmī"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavato paccassosi.

3Atha kho bhagavā catugguṇaṁ saṅghāṭiṁ paññāpetvā dakkhiṇena passena sīhaseyyaṁ kappesi pāde pādaṁ accādhāya sato sampajāno uṭṭhānasaññaṁ manasi karitvā. Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:  "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.

"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca: 

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4"Yassa kassaci, āvuso, saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī natthi … ottappaṁ natthi … vīriyaṁ natthi … paññā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāniyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no vuddhi. Seyyathāpi, āvuso, kāḷapakkhe candassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāyateva vaṇṇena hāyati maṇḍalena hāyati ābhāya hāyati ārohapariṇāhena; evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, yassa kassaci saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī natthi … ottappaṁ natthi … vīriyaṁ natthi … paññā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāniyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no vuddhi.

5‘Assaddho purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘ahiriko purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘anottappī purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘kusīto purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘duppañño purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘kodhano purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘upanāhī purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘pāpiccho purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘pāpamitto purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ; ‘micchādiṭṭhiko purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, parihānametaṁ.

6Yassa kassaci, āvuso, saddhā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī atthi … ottappaṁ atthi … paññā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no parihāni. Seyyathāpi, āvuso, juṇhapakkhe candassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vaḍḍhateva vaṇṇena vaḍḍhati maṇḍalena vaḍḍhati ābhāya vaḍḍhati ārohapariṇāhena; evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, yassa kassaci saddhā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī atthi … ottappaṁ atthi … vīriyaṁ atthi … paññā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no parihāni.

7‘Saddho purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘hirīmā purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘ottappī purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘āraddhavīriyo purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘paññavā purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘akkodhano purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘anupanāhī purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘appiccho purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘kalyāṇamitto purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametaṁ; ‘sammādiṭṭhiko purisapuggalo’ti, āvuso, aparihānametan"ti.

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8Atha kho bhagavā paccuṭṭhāya āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ āmantesi: 

"sādhu sādhu, sāriputta. Yassa kassaci, sāriputta, saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī natthi … ottappaṁ natthi … vīriyaṁ natthi … paññā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāniyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no vuddhi. Seyyathāpi, sāriputta, kāḷapakkhe candassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāyateva vaṇṇena hāyati maṇḍalena hāyati ābhāya hāyati ārohapariṇāhena; evamevaṁ kho, sāriputta, yassa kassaci saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu … pe … paññā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā … pe … no vuddhi.

9‘Assaddho purisapuggalo’ti, sāriputta, parihānametaṁ; ahiriko … anottappī … kusīto … duppañño … kodhano … upanāhī … pāpiccho … pāpamitto … ‘micchādiṭṭhiko purisapuggalo’ti, sāriputta, parihānametaṁ.

10Yassa kassaci, sāriputta, saddhā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī atthi … ottappaṁ atthi … vīriyaṁ atthi … paññā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no parihāni. Seyyathāpi, sāriputta, juṇhapakkhe candassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vaḍḍhateva vaṇṇena vaḍḍhati maṇḍalena vaḍḍhati ābhāya vaḍḍhati ārohapariṇāhena; evamevaṁ kho, sāriputta, yassa kassaci saddhā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī atthi … ottappaṁ atthi … vīriyaṁ atthi … paññā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no parihāni.

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11‘Saddho purisapuggalo’ti, sāriputta, aparihānametaṁ; hirīmā … ottappī … āraddhavīriyo … paññavā … akkodhano … anupanāhī … appiccho … kalyāṇamitto … ‘sammādiṭṭhiko purisapuggalo’ti, sāriputta, aparihānametan"ti.

Sattamaṁ.