1At one time 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.

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There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”

“Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:

4“Reverends, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is not diligent 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; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is negligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.

5Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent 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; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.”

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6Then the Buddha got up and said to Venerable Sāriputta:

“Good, good, Sāriputta! Whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is negligent 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; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is negligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.

7Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent 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; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ 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.

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Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:  "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.

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

4"Yassa kassaci, āvuso, saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī natthi … ottappaṁ natthi … vīriyaṁ natthi … paññā natthi … sotāvadhānaṁ natthi … dhammadhāraṇā natthi … atthūpaparikkhā natthi … dhammānudhammappaṭipatti natthi … appamādo 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 … sotāvadhānaṁ natthi … dhammadhāraṇā natthi … atthūpaparikkhā natthi … dhammānudhammappaṭipatti natthi … appamādo natthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāniyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no vuddhi.

5Yassa kassaci, āvuso, saddhā atthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī atthi … ottappaṁ atthi … vīriyaṁ atthi … paññā atthi … sotāvadhānaṁ atthi … dhammadhāraṇā atthi … atthūpaparikkhā atthi … dhammānudhammappaṭipatti atthi … appamādo 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 … pe … appamādo atthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no parihānī"ti.

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6Atha kho bhagavā paccuṭṭhāya āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ āmantesi: 

"sādhu sādhu, sāriputta. Yassa kassaci, sāriputta, saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu hirī natthi … ottappaṁ natthi … paññā natthi … vīriyaṁ natthi … sotāvadhānaṁ natthi … dhammadhāraṇā natthi … atthūpaparikkhā natthi … dhammānudhammappaṭipatti natthi … appamādo 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 … appamādo natthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, hāniyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no vuddhi.

7Yassa kassaci, sāriputta, saddhā atthi kusalesu dhammesu hirī atthi … ottappaṁ atthi … vīriyaṁ atthi … paññā atthi … sotāvadhānaṁ atthi … dhammadhāraṇā atthi … atthūpaparikkhā atthi … dhammānudhammappaṭipatti atthi … appamādo 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 … pe … appamādo atthi kusalesu dhammesu, tassa yā ratti vā divaso vā āgacchati, vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu no parihānī"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.