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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

3: The Book of the Threes

XII. Bound for Loss — AN 3.118: Loaded Dice

1“Mendicants, there are three failures. What three? Failure in ethics, mind, and view.

2And what is failure in ethics? It’s when someone kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and uses speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. This is called ‘failure in ethics’.

3And what is failure in mind? It’s when someone is covetous and malicious. This is called ‘failure in mind’.


4And what is failure in view? It’s when someone has wrong view, a distorted perspective, such as: ‘There’s no meaning in giving, sacrifice, or offerings. There’s no fruit or result of good and bad deeds. There’s no afterlife. There’s no obligation to mother and father. No beings are reborn spontaneously. And there’s no ascetic or brahmin who is well attained and practiced, and who describes the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ This is called ‘failure in view’. Some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell because of failure in ethics, mind, or view.


It’s like throwing loaded dice: they always fall the right side up. In the same way, some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell because of failure in ethics, mind, or view.

These are the three failures.


5There are three accomplishments. What three? Accomplishment in ethics, mind, and view.


6And what is accomplishment in ethics? It’s when someone doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, or use speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. This is called accomplishment in ethics.

7And what is accomplishment in mind? It’s when someone is content and kind-hearted. This is called accomplishment in mind.

8And what is accomplishment in view? It’s when someone has right view, an undistorted perspective, such as: ‘There is meaning in giving, sacrifice, and offerings. There are fruits and results of good and bad deeds. There is an afterlife. There is obligation to mother and father. There are beings reborn spontaneously. And there are ascetics and brahmins who are well attained and practiced, and who describe the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ This is called accomplishment in view. Some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm because of accomplishment in ethics, mind, or view.


It’s like throwing loaded dice: they always fall the right side up. In the same way, some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm because of accomplishment in ethics, mind, or view.

These are the three accomplishments.”

1"Tisso imā, bhikkhave, vipattiyo. Katamā tisso? Sīlavipatti, cittavipatti, diṭṭhivipatti.

2Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sīlavipatti? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti … pe … samphappalāpī hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sīlavipatti.

3Katamā ca, bhikkhave, cittavipatti? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco abhijjhālu hoti byāpannacitto. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, cittavipatti.


4Katamā ca, bhikkhave, diṭṭhivipatti? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti viparītadassano:  ‘Natthi dinnaṁ, natthi yiṭṭhaṁ … pe … ye imañca lokaṁ parañca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diṭṭhivipatti. Sīlavipattihetu vā, bhikkhave … pe … diṭṭhivipattihetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti.


Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, apaṇṇako maṇi uddhaṁ khitto yena yeneva patiṭṭhāti suppatiṭṭhitaṁyeva patiṭṭhāti; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, sīlavipattihetu vā sattā … pe … upapajjanti.

Imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso vipattiyoti.


5Tisso imā, bhikkhave, sampadā. Katamā tisso? Sīlasampadā, cittasampadā, diṭṭhisampadā.


6Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sīlasampadā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti … pe … ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sīlasampadā.

7Katamā ca, bhikkhave, cittasampadā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco anabhijjhālu hoti abyāpannacitto. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, cittasampadā.

8Katamā ca, bhikkhave, diṭṭhisampadā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti aviparītadassano:  ‘atthi dinnaṁ, atthi yiṭṭhaṁ … pe … ye imañca lokaṁ parañca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diṭṭhisampadā. Sīlasampadāhetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti. Cittasampadāhetu vā … pe … diṭṭhisampadāhetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti.


Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, apaṇṇako maṇi uddhaṁ khitto yena yeneva patiṭṭhāti suppatiṭṭhitaṁyeva patiṭṭhāti; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, sīlasampadāhetu vā sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti, cittasampadāhetu vā sattā … pe … diṭṭhisampadāhetu vā sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti.

Imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso sampadā"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.