Measuring UpAnumānasutta

So I have heard.Evaṁ me sutaṁ— At one time Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was staying in the land of the Bhaggas at Crocodile’s Bellow, in the deer park at Bhesakaḷā’s Wood.ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhaggesu viharati susumāragire bhesakaḷāvane migadāye. There Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants:Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: “Reverends, mendicants!”“āvuso bhikkhavo”ti.

“Reverend,” they replied.“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ. Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

“Suppose a mendicant invites“Pavāreti cepi, āvuso, bhikkhu: other mendicants to admonish them. But they’re hard to admonish, having qualities that make them hard to admonish. They’re impatient, and don’t take instruction respectfully. So their spiritual companions don’t think it’s worth advising and instructing them, and that individual doesn’t gain their trust.‘vadantu maṁ āyasmanto, vacanīyomhi āyasmantehī’ti, so ca hoti dubbaco, dovacassakaraṇehi dhammehi samannāgato, akkhamo appadakkhiṇaggāhī anusāsaniṁ, atha kho naṁ sabrahmacārī na ceva vattabbaṁ maññanti, na ca anusāsitabbaṁ maññanti, na ca tasmiṁ puggale vissāsaṁ āpajjitabbaṁ maññanti.

And what are the qualities that make them hard to admonish?Katame cāvuso, dovacassakaraṇā dhammā? Firstly, a mendicant has corrupt wishes, having fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.Idhāvuso, bhikkhu pāpiccho hoti, pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato. This is a quality that makes them difficult to admonish.ayampi dhammo dovacassakaraṇo.

Furthermore, a mendicant glorifies themselves and puts others down. …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu attukkaṁsako hoti paravambhī.

They’re irritable, overcome by anger …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu kodhano hoti kodhābhibhūto.

They’re irritable, and acrimonious due to anger …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu kodhano hoti kodhahetu upanāhī.

They’re irritable, and stubborn due to anger …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu kodhano hoti kodhahetu abhisaṅgī.

They’re irritable, and blurt out words bordering on anger …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu kodhano hoti kodhasāmantā vācaṁ nicchāretā.

When accused, they object to the accuser …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu codito codakena codakaṁ paṭippharati.

When accused, they rebuke the accuser …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu codito codakena codakaṁ apasādeti.

When accused, they retort to the accuser …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu codito codakena codakassa paccāropeti.

When accused, they dodge the issue, distract the discussion with irrelevant points, and display annoyance, hate, and bitterness …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu codito codakena aññenaññaṁ paṭicarati, bahiddhā kathaṁ apanāmeti, kopañca dosañca appaccayañca pātukaroti.

When accused, they are unable to account for the evidence …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu codito codakena apadāne na sampāyati.

They are offensive and contemptuous …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu makkhī hoti paḷāsī.

They’re jealous and stingy …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu issukī hoti maccharī.

They’re devious and deceitful …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu saṭho hoti māyāvī.

They’re obstinate and arrogant …Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu thaddho hoti atimānī.

Furthermore, a mendicant is attached to their own views, holding them tight, and refusing to let go.Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu sandiṭṭhiparāmāsī hoti ādhānaggāhī duppaṭinissaggī. This too is a quality that makes them difficult to admonish.ayampi dhammo dovacassakaraṇo.

These are the qualities that make them hard to admonish.Ime vuccantāvuso, dovacassakaraṇā dhammā.

Suppose a mendicant doesn’t inviteNo cepi, āvuso, bhikkhu pavāreti: other mendicants to admonish them. But they’re easy to admonish, having qualities that make them easy to admonish. They’re accepting, and take instruction respectfully. So their spiritual companions think it’s worth advising and instructing them, and that individual gains their trust.‘vadantu maṁ āyasmanto, vacanīyomhi āyasmantehī’ti, so ca hoti suvaco, sovacassakaraṇehi dhammehi samannāgato, khamo padakkhiṇaggāhī anusāsaniṁ, atha kho naṁ sabrahmacārī vattabbañceva maññanti, anusāsitabbañca maññanti, tasmiñca puggale vissāsaṁ āpajjitabbaṁ maññanti.

And what are the qualities that make them easy to admonish?Katame cāvuso, sovacassakaraṇā dhammā? Firstly, a mendicant doesn’t have corrupt wishes …Idhāvuso, bhikkhu na pāpiccho hoti, na pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato.

Furthermore, a mendicant isn’t attached to their own views, not holding them tight, but letting them go easily.Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu asandiṭṭhiparāmāsī hoti anādhānaggāhī suppaṭinissaggī.

These are the qualities that make them easy to admonish.Ime vuccantāvuso, sovacassakaraṇā dhammā.

In such a case, a mendicant should measure themselves like this.Tatrāvuso, bhikkhunā attanāva attānaṁ evaṁ anuminitabbaṁ: ‘This individual has corrupt wishes, having fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes. And I don’t like or approve of this individual.‘yo khvāyaṁ puggalo pāpiccho, pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato, ayaṁ me puggalo appiyo amanāpo; And if I were to fall under the sway of corrupt wishes, others wouldn’t like or approve of me.’ahañceva kho panassaṁ pāpiccho pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato, ahampāssaṁ paresaṁ appiyo amanāpo’ti. A mendicant who knows this should give rise to the thought: ‘I will not fall under the sway of corrupt wishes.’ …Evaṁ jānantenāvuso, bhikkhunā ‘na pāpiccho bhavissāmi, na pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato’ti cittaṁ uppādetabbaṁ.

‘This individual is attached to their own views, holding them tight and refusing to let go. And I don’t like or approve of this individual.‘Yo khvāyaṁ puggalo sandiṭṭhiparāmāsī ādhānaggāhī duppaṭinissaggī, ayaṁ me puggalo appiyo amanāpo; And if I were to be attached to my own views, holding them tight and refusing to let go, others wouldn’t like or approve of me.’ahañceva kho panassaṁ sandiṭṭhiparāmāsī ādhānaggāhī duppaṭinissaggī, ahampāssaṁ paresaṁ appiyo amanāpo’ti. A mendicant who knows this should give rise to the thought: ‘I will not be attached to my own views, holding them tight, but will let them go easily.’Evaṁ jānantenāvuso, bhikkhunā ‘asandiṭṭhiparāmāsī bhavissāmi anādhānaggāhī suppaṭinissaggī’ti cittaṁ uppādetabbaṁ.

In such a case, a mendicant should check themselves like this:Tatrāvuso, bhikkhunā attanāva attānaṁ evaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ: ‘Do I have corrupt wishes? Have I fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes?’‘kiṁ nu khomhi pāpiccho, pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato’ti? Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows thatSace, āvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti: they have fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes. Then they should make an effort to give up those bad, unskillful qualities.‘pāpiccho khomhi, pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya vāyamitabbaṁ. But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows thatSace panāvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti: they haven’t fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes. Then they should meditate with rapture and joy, training day and night in skillful qualities. …‘na khomhi pāpiccho, na pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gato’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā teneva pītipāmojjena vihātabbaṁ ahorattānusikkhinā kusalesu dhammesu.

Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant sees that they haven’t given up all these bad, unskillful qualities. Then they should make an effort to give them all up.Sace, āvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno sabbepime pāpake akusale dhamme appahīne attani samanupassati, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā sabbesaṁyeva imesaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya vāyamitabbaṁ. But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant sees that they have given up all these bad, unskillful qualities. Then they should meditate with rapture and joy, training day and night in skillful qualities.Sace panāvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno sabbepime pāpake akusale dhamme pahīne attani samanupassati, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā teneva pītipāmojjena vihātabbaṁ, ahorattānusikkhinā kusalesu dhammesu.

Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. If they see any dirt or blemish there, they’d try to remove it.Seyyathāpi, āvuso, itthī vā puriso vā, daharo yuvā maṇḍanajātiko, ādāse vā parisuddhe pariyodāte, acche vā udakapatte, sakaṁ mukhanimittaṁ paccavekkhamāno, sace tattha passati rajaṁ vā aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tasseva rajassa vā aṅgaṇassa vā pahānāya vāyamati; But if they don’t see any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy, thinking:no ce tattha passati rajaṁ vā aṅgaṇaṁ vā, teneva attamano hoti: ‘How fortunate that I’m clean!’‘lābhā vata me, parisuddhaṁ vata me’ti.

In the same way, suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant sees that they haven’t given up all these bad, unskillful qualities. Then they should make an effort to give them all up.Evameva kho, āvuso, sace bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno sabbepime pāpake akusale dhamme appahīne attani samanupassati, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā sabbesaṁyeva imesaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya vāyamitabbaṁ. But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant sees that they have given up all these bad, unskillful qualities. Then they should meditate with rapture and joy, training day and night in skillful qualities.”Sace panāvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno sabbepime pāpake akusale dhamme pahīne attani samanupassati, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā teneva pītipāmojjena vihātabbaṁ, ahorattānusikkhinā kusalesu dhammesū”ti.

That is what Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said.Idamavocāyasmā mahāmoggallāno. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what Mahāmoggallāna said.Attamanā te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.