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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

2: The Book of the Twos

48

1“There are, mendicants, these two assemblies. What two? An assembly that values material things, not the true teaching, and an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.

And what is an assembly that values material things, not the true teaching? It is an assembly where the mendicants praise each other in front of the white-clothed laypeople, saying: ‘The mendicant so-and-so is freed both ways; so-and-so is freed by wisdom; so-and-so is a personal witness; so-and-so is attained to view; so-and-so is freed by faith; so-and-so is a follower of the teachings; so-and-so is a follower by faith; so-and-so is ethical, of good character; so-and-so is unethical, of bad character.’ In this way they get material things. And when they get these things, they use them tied, infatuated, attached, blind to the drawbacks, and not understanding the escape. This is called an assembly that values material things, not the true teaching.

2And what is an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things? It is an assembly where the mendicants don’t praise each other in front of the white-clothed laypeople, saying: ‘The mendicant so-and-so is freed both ways; so-and-so is freed by wisdom; so-and-so is a personal witness; so-and-so is attained to view; so-and-so is freed by faith; so-and-so is a follower of the teachings; so-and-so is a follower by faith; so-and-so is ethical, of good character; so-and-so is unethical, of bad character.’ In this way they get material things. And when they get these things, they use them untied, uninfatuated, unattached, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape. This is called an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.

These are the two assemblies. The better of these two assemblies is the assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.”

1"Dvemā, bhikkhave, parisā. Katamā dve? Āmisagaru parisā no saddhammagaru, saddhammagaru parisā no āmisagaru.

Katamā ca, bhikkhave, āmisagaru parisā no saddhammagaru? Idha, bhikkhave, yassaṁ parisāyaṁ bhikkhū gihīnaṁ odātavasanānaṁ sammukhā aññamaññassa vaṇṇaṁ bhāsanti:  ‘asuko bhikkhu ubhatobhāgavimutto, asuko paññāvimutto, asuko kāyasakkhī, asuko diṭṭhippatto, asuko saddhāvimutto, asuko dhammānusārī, asuko saddhānusārī, asuko sīlavā kalyāṇadhammo, asuko dussīlo pāpadhammo’ti. Te tena lābhaṁ labhanti. Te taṁ lābhaṁ labhitvā gathitā mucchitā ajjhopannā anādīnavadassāvino anissaraṇapaññā paribhuñjanti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, āmisagaru parisā no saddhammagaru.

2Katamā ca, bhikkhave, saddhammagaru parisā noāmisagaru? Idha, bhikkhave, yassaṁ parisāyaṁ bhikkhū gihīnaṁ odātavasanānaṁ sammukhā aññamaññassa vaṇṇaṁ na bhāsanti:  ‘asuko bhikkhu ubhatobhāgavimutto, asuko paññāvimutto, asuko kāyasakkhī, asuko diṭṭhippatto, asuko saddhāvimutto, asuko dhammānusārī, asuko saddhānusārī, asuko sīlavā kalyāṇadhammo, asuko dussīlo pāpadhammo’ti. Te tena lābhaṁ labhanti. Te taṁ lābhaṁ labhitvā agathitā amucchitā anajjhosannā ādīnavadassāvino nissaraṇapaññā paribhuñjanti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, saddhammagaru parisā noāmisagaru.

Imā kho, bhikkhave, dve parisā. Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ dvinnaṁ parisānaṁ yadidaṁ saddhammagaru parisā noāmisagarū"ti.