The Medium Discourses

Chapter 5: Related to Cultivation

45. Conscience and Modesty

1. Thus I have heard:[1] One time, the Buddha traveled to the country of Śrāvastī and stayed at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove.

2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “If a monk doesn’t have conscience or modesty, then that’s detrimental to affection and respect. If he doesn’t have affection or respect, then that’s detrimental to faith. If he doesn’t have faith, then that’s detrimental to right thinking. If he doesn’t have right thinking, then that’s detrimental to right mindfulness and right knowledge. If he doesn’t have right mindfulness and right knowledge, then that’s detrimental to guarding his faculties … guarding the precepts … having no regrets … gladness … joy … calmness … happiness … samādhi … true seeing and true knowing … disenchantment … lack of desire … liberation. If he doesn’t have liberation, then that’s detrimental to nirvāṇa.

3. “If a monk has conscience and modesty, he readily cultivates affection and respect. If he has affection and respect, he readily cultivates faith. If he has faith, he readily cultivates right thinking. If he has right thinking, he readily cultivates right mindfulness and right knowledge. If he has right mindfulness and right knowledge, he readily cultivates guarding his faculties … guarding the precepts … having no regrets … gladness … joy … calmness … happiness … samādhi … true seeing and true knowing … disenchantment … lack of desire … liberation. If he has liberation, he readily cultivates nirvāṇa.”

4. The Buddha spoke thus. Those monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

1. For the source text, cf. T26.1.486a5-19. This sūtra is parallel with AN 7.65 and AN 11.3. It’s similar to AN 7.65 because it’s point of departure is conscience and modesty, but it uses the larger list from AN 11.1 and lacks the tree metaphors. [Back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 28 March 2024