6.
The First Discourse on Training
87.
"This more than one hundred and fifty training rules comes up for recitation fortnightly, monks, in which sons of good family desiring their own welfare train.
There are these three trainings, monks, in which all this is contained.
Which three?
The training in higher morality, the training in higher consciousness, the training in higher wisdom -
these, monks, are the three trainings in which all this is contained.
"Here, monks, a monk is one who fulfils the moral precepts, one who practises to a moderate degree in concentration, one who practises to a moderate degree in wisdom. He commits and emerges from whatever lesser and minor training rules there are. What is the reason for this? For I have not declared inability here, monks. But whatever training rules are the fundamentals of the holy life, befitting the holy life, there he is one of stable morality and established morality, having accepted the training rules he trains in them. He, with the utter elimination of the three mental fetters, becomes a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.
"Here again, monks, a monk is one who fulfils the moral precepts, one who practises to a moderate degree in concentration, one who practises to a moderate degree in wisdom. He commits and emerges from whatever lesser and minor training rules there are. What is the reason for this? For I have not declared inability here, monks. But whatever training rules are the fundamentals of the holy life, befitting the holy life, there he is one of stable morality and established morality, having accepted the training rules he trains in them. He, with the utter elimination of the three mental fetters and with the reduction of lust, hate, and delusion, becomes a once-returner, who, having come to this world only once more, makes an end of suffering.
"Here again, monks, a monk is one who fulfils the moral precepts, one who fulfils concentration, one who practises to a moderate degree in wisdom. He commits and emerges from whatever lesser and minor training rules there are. What is the reason for this? For I have not declared inability here, monks. But whatever training rules are the fundamentals of the holy life, befitting the holy life, there he is one of stable morality and established morality, having accepted the training rules he trains in them. He, with the utter elimination of the five lower mental fetters, becomes one of spontaneous birth, attaining final nibbāna there, not subject to return from that world.
"Here again, monks, a monk is one who fulfils the moral precepts, one who fulfils concentration, one who fulfils wisdom. He commits and emerges from whatever lesser and minor training rules there are. What is the reason for this? For I have not declared inability here, monks. But whatever training rules are the fundamentals of the holy life, befitting the holy life, there he is one of stable morality and established morality, having accepted the training rules he trains in them. He, through the elimination of the mental corruptions, realised by his own direct knowledge, in this very life, the liberation of mind and the liberation by wisdom that are free from mental corruptions and, having entered upon them, dwells in them.
"Thus indeed, monks, one who fulfils a portion attains a portion, one who fulfils the complete attains the complete. The training rules are not barren, monks, I say." The sixth.