EthicsSīlasutta

There Venerable Sāriputta addressed the mendicants:Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:

“Reverends, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for right immersion.“dussīlassa, āvuso, sīlavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti sammāsamādhi; When there is no right immersion, one who lacks right immersion has destroyed a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.sammāsamādhimhi asati sammāsamādhivipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; When there is no true knowledge and vision, one who lacks true knowledge and vision has destroyed a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.yathābhūtañāṇadassane asati yathābhūtañāṇadassanavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti nibbidāvirāgo; When there is no disillusionment and dispassion, one who lacks disillusionment and dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.nibbidāvirāge asati nibbidāvirāgavipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

Suppose there was a tree that lacked branches and foliage.Seyyathāpi, āvuso, rukkho sākhāpalāsavipanno. Its shoots, bark, softwood, and heartwood would not grow to fullness.Tassa papaṭikāpi na pāripūriṁ gacchati, tacopi pheggupi sāropi na pāripūriṁ gacchati.

In the same way, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for right immersion.Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, dussīlassa sīlavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti sammāsamādhi; When there is no right immersion, one who lacks right immersion has destroyed a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.sammāsamādhimhi asati sammāsamādhivipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; When there is no true knowledge and vision, one who lacks true knowledge and vision has destroyed a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.yathābhūtañāṇadassane asati yathābhūtañāṇadassanavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti nibbidāvirāgo; When there is no disillusionment and dispassion, one who lacks disillusionment and dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.nibbidāvirāge asati nibbidāvirāgavipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

An ethical person, who has fulfilled ethics, has fulfilled a vital condition for right immersion.Sīlavato, āvuso, sīlasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti sammāsamādhi; When there is right immersion, one who has fulfilled right immersion has fulfilled a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.sammāsamādhimhi sati sammāsamādhisampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; When there is true knowledge and vision, one who has fulfilled true knowledge and vision has fulfilled a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.yathābhūtañāṇadassane sati yathābhūtañāṇadassanasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti nibbidāvirāgo; When there is disillusionment and dispassion, one who has fulfilled disillusionment and dispassion has fulfilled a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.nibbidāvirāge sati nibbidāvirāgasampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

Suppose there was a tree that was complete with branches and foliage. Its shoots, bark, softwood, and heartwood would grow to fullness.Seyyathāpi, āvuso, rukkho, sākhāpalāsasampanno. Tassa papaṭikāpi pāripūriṁ gacchati, tacopi pheggupi sāropi pāripūriṁ gacchati. In the same way, an ethical person, who has fulfilled ethics, has fulfilled a vital condition for right immersion.Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, sīlavato sīlasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti sammāsamādhi;

When there is right immersion, one who has fulfilled right immersion has fulfilled a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.sammāsamādhimhi sati sammāsamādhisampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; When there is true knowledge and vision, one who has fulfilled true knowledge and vision has fulfilled a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.yathābhūtañāṇadassane sati yathābhūtañāṇadassanasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti nibbidāvirāgo; When there is disillusionment and dispassion, one who has fulfilled disillusionment and dispassion has fulfilled a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.”nibbidāvirāge sati nibbidāvirāgasampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanan”ti.