5: The Book of the Fives
IX. Senior Mendicants — AN 5.88: Senior Mendicants
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1“Mendicants, a senior mendicant who has five qualities is acting for the hurt and unhappiness of the people, for the harm, hurt, and suffering of gods and humans.
2What five?
They are senior and have long gone forth.
They’re well-known, famous, with a large following that includes both laypeople and renunciates.
They receive robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.
They’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, reinforcing them by recitation, mentally scrutinizing them, and understanding them with view.
But they have wrong view and distorted perspective. They draw many people away from the true teaching and establish them in false teachings.
People follow their example, thinking that the senior mendicant is senior and has long gone forth. Or that they’re well-known, famous, with a large following that includes both laypeople and renunciates. Or that they receive robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. Or that they’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned.
A senior mendicant who has these five qualities is acting for the hurt and unhappiness of the people, for the harm, hurt, and suffering of gods and humans.
3A senior mendicant who has five qualities is acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans.
4What five?
They are senior and have long gone forth.
They’re well-known, famous, with a large following, including both laypeople and renunciates.
They receive robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.
They’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, reinforcing them by recitation, mentally scrutinizing them, and comprehending them theoretically.
And they have right view and an undistorted perspective. They draw many people away from false teachings and establish them in the true teaching.
People follow their example, thinking that the senior mendicant is senior and has long gone forth. Or that they’re well-known, famous, with a large following that includes both laypeople and renunciates. Or that they receive robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. Or that they’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned.
A senior mendicant who has these five qualities is acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans.”
1"Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato thero bhikkhu bahujanaahitāya paṭipanno hoti bahujanaasukhāya bahuno janassa anatthāya ahitāya dukkhāya devamanussānaṁ.
Thero hoti rattaññū cirapabbajito;
ñāto hoti yasassī sagahaṭṭhapabbajitānaṁ bahujanaparivāro;
lābhī hoti cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ;
bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā diṭṭhiyā appaṭividdhā;
micchādiṭṭhiko hoti viparītadassano, so bahujanaṁ saddhammā vuṭṭhāpetvā asaddhamme patiṭṭhāpeti.
Thero bhikkhu rattaññū cirapabbajito itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti, ñāto thero bhikkhu yasassī sagahaṭṭhapabbajitānaṁ bahujanaparivāro itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti, lābhī thero bhikkhu cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti, bahussuto thero bhikkhu sutadharo sutasannicayo itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti.
Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato thero bhikkhu bahujanaahitāya paṭipanno hoti bahujanaasukhāya bahuno janassa anatthāya ahitāya dukkhāya devamanussānaṁ.
3Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato thero bhikkhu bahujanahitāya paṭipanno hoti bahujanasukhāya bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānaṁ.
Thero hoti rattaññū cirapabbajito;
ñāto hoti yasassī sagahaṭṭhapabbajitānaṁ bahujanaparivāro;
lābhī hoti cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ;
bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā;
sammādiṭṭhiko hoti aviparītadassano, so bahujanaṁ asaddhammā vuṭṭhāpetvā saddhamme patiṭṭhāpeti.
Thero bhikkhu rattaññū cirapabbajito itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti, ñāto thero bhikkhu yasassī sagahaṭṭhapabbajitānaṁ bahujanaparivāro itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti, lābhī thero bhikkhu cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti, bahussuto thero bhikkhu sutadharo sutasannicayo itipissa diṭṭhānugatiṁ āpajjanti.
Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato thero bhikkhu bahujanahitāya paṭipanno hoti bahujanasukhāya bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānan"ti.
Aṭṭhamaṁ.