4.
The Discourse on What Should and Should Not Be Cultivated
109.
Thus have I heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.
There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus:
"Monks."
"Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"I will teach you, monks, an exposition of the Teaching on what is to be cultivated and what is not to be cultivated.
Listen to that and attend closely,
I will speak."
"Yes, venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"Bodily conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that bodily conduct is mutually distinct. Verbal conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that verbal conduct is mutually distinct. Mental conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that mental conduct is mutually distinct. Arising of consciousness, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that arising of consciousness is mutually distinct. Acquisition of perception, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of perception is mutually distinct. Acquisition of view, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of view is mutually distinct. Acquisition of individual existence, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of individual existence is mutually distinct."
When this was said, the venerable Sāriputta said this to the Blessed One: "I, venerable sir, understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus.
110.
"'Bodily conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
and that bodily conduct is mutually distinct' -
thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever bodily conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such bodily conduct should not be cultivated;
and whatever bodily conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such bodily conduct should be cultivated.
111.
"What kind of bodily conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline?
Here, venerable sir, some one is a killer of living beings, cruel, with bloody hands, devoted to striking and killing, without compassion for living beings;
and he is a taker of what is not given; whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, whether in the village or in the forest, that which is not given, reckoned a theft, he takes;
and he engages in sexual misconduct; those women who are protected by the mother, protected by the father, protected by both mother and father, protected by the brother, protected by the sister, protected by relatives, protected by the clan, protected by co-religionists, having an owner, under penalty, even those encircled with a garland of flowers, he commits adultery with such women -
such bodily conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of bodily conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, venerable sir, some one, having abandoned the killing of living beings, abstains from killing living beings; with rod laid down, with knife laid down, one who has shame, compassionate, he dwells concerned for the welfare of all living beings; having abandoned taking what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given; whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, whether in the village or in the forest, that which is not given, reckoned a theft, he does not take; having abandoned sexual misconduct, he abstains from sexual misconduct; those women who are protected by the mother, protected by the father, protected by both mother and father, protected by the brother, protected by the sister, protected by relatives, protected by the clan, protected by co-religionists, having an owner, under penalty, even those encircled with a garland of flowers, he does not commit adultery with such women - such bodily conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Bodily conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that bodily conduct is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
"'Verbal conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that verbal conduct is mutually distinct' - thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One. With reference to what was this said? Whatever verbal conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such verbal conduct should not be cultivated; and whatever verbal conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such verbal conduct should be cultivated.
112.
"What kind of verbal conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline?
Here, venerable sir, some one is a liar; having gone to an assembly, or having gone to a company, or having gone among relatives, or having gone among a guild, or having gone among the royal court, being brought forward and questioned as a witness -
'Come, good man, tell what you know' - he, not knowing, says -
'I know,' or knowing, says -
'I do not know';
or not seeing, says -
'I see,' or seeing, says -
'I do not see' -
thus for his own sake, or for another's sake, or for the sake of some trifling material gain, he becomes a conscious speaker of falsehood;
and he is a speaker of divisive speech; having heard here, he repeats it elsewhere to divide these people, or having heard elsewhere, he repeats it here to divide those people -
thus he is one who divides those who are united, or a supporter of those who are divided, rejoicing in discord, delighting in discord, taking delight in discord, he is a speaker of words that create discord;
and he is a speaker of harsh speech; whatever speech is rough, harsh, hurtful to others, offensive to others, bordering on wrath, not conducive to concentration, he speaks such speech;
and he is a speaker of idle chatter; he speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not factual, speaks what is unbeneficial, speaks what is not the Teaching, speaks what is not the discipline; he speaks words not worth treasuring, at the wrong time, without reason, without limit, not connected with benefit -
such verbal conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of verbal conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, venerable sir, some one, having abandoned lying, abstains from lying; having gone to an assembly, or having gone to a company, or having gone among relatives, or having gone among a guild, or having gone among the royal court, being brought forward and questioned as a witness - 'Come, good man, tell what you know' - he, not knowing, says - 'I do not know,' or knowing, says - 'I know,' or not seeing, says - 'I do not see,' or seeing, says - 'I see' - thus for his own sake, or for another's sake, or for the sake of some trifling material gain, he does not become a conscious speaker of falsehood; having abandoned divisive speech, he abstains from divisive speech; having heard here, he does not repeat it elsewhere to divide these people, or having heard elsewhere, he does not repeat it here to divide those people - thus he is one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of those who are united, rejoicing in concord, delighting in concord, taking delight in concord, he is a speaker of words that create concord; having abandoned harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech; he speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, affectionate, going to the heart, urbane, pleasing and agreeable to many people; having abandoned idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter; he speaks at the right time, speaks what is factual, speaks what is beneficial, speaks on the Teaching, speaks on the discipline; he speaks words worth treasuring, timely, reasonable, well-defined, connected with the goal - such verbal conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Verbal conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that verbal conduct is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
"'Mental conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that mental conduct is mutually distinct' - thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One. With reference to what was this said? Whatever mental conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such mental conduct should not be cultivated; and whatever mental conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such mental conduct should be cultivated.
113.
"What kind of mental conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline?
Here, venerable sir, some one is covetous; whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, he covets -
'Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!'
And he has a corrupted mind, with evil mental intentions -
'May these beings be killed, or slaughtered, or annihilated, or destroyed, or may they not exist!'
Such mental conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of mental conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, venerable sir, some one is non-covetous; whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, he does not covet - 'Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!' And he has a mind without ill-will, with uncorrupted mental intention - 'May these beings be free from enmity, free from affliction, free from trouble, may they look after themselves happily.' Such mental conduct, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Mental conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that mental conduct is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
114.
"'Arising of consciousness, monks, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
and that arising of consciousness is mutually distinct' -
thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever arising of consciousness, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such arising of consciousness should not be cultivated;
and whatever arising of consciousness, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such arising of consciousness should be cultivated.
"What kind of arising of consciousness, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline? Here, venerable sir, some one is covetous, he dwells with a mind accompanied by covetousness; he has anger, he dwells with a mind accompanied by anger; he is harming, he dwells with a mind accompanied by harming - such arising of consciousness, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of arising of consciousness, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, venerable sir, some one is non-covetous, he dwells with a mind accompanied by non-covetousness; he has non-anger, he dwells with a mind accompanied by non-anger; he is non-harming, he dwells with a mind accompanied by non-harming - such arising of consciousness, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Arising of consciousness, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that arising of consciousness is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
115.
"'Acquisition of perception, monks, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
and that acquisition of perception is mutually distinct' -
thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever acquisition of perception, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such acquisition of perception should not be cultivated;
and whatever acquisition of perception, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such acquisition of perception should be cultivated.
"What kind of acquisition of perception, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline? Here, venerable sir, some one is covetous, he dwells with perception accompanied by covetousness; he has anger, he dwells with perception accompanied by anger; he is harming, he dwells with perception accompanied by harming - such acquisition of perception, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of acquisition of perception, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, venerable sir, some one is non-covetous, he dwells with perception accompanied by non-covetousness; he has non-anger, he dwells with perception accompanied by non-anger; he is non-harming, he dwells with perception accompanied by non-harming - such acquisition of perception, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Acquisition of perception, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of perception is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
116.
"'Acquisition of view, monks, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
and that acquisition of view is mutually distinct' -
thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever acquisition of view, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such acquisition of view should not be cultivated;
and whatever acquisition of view, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase -
such acquisition of view should be cultivated.
"What kind of acquisition of view, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline? Here, venerable sir, some one holds such a view: 'There is not what is given, there is not what is sacrificed, there is not what is offered, there is no result and consequence of good and bad actions, there is not this world, there is not the other world, there is not mother, there is not father, there are no spontaneously reborn beings, there are not in the world ascetics and brahmins who have gone the right way, who have rightly practised, who proclaim this world and the other world, having realised them by their own direct knowledge' - such acquisition of view, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of acquisition of view, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, venerable sir, some one holds such a view: 'There is what is given, there is what is sacrificed, there is what is offered, there is result and consequence of good and bad actions, there is this world, there is the other world, there is mother, there is father, there are spontaneously reborn beings, there are in the world ascetics and brahmins who have gone the right way, who have rightly practised, who proclaim this world and the other world, having realised them by their own direct knowledge' - such acquisition of view, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Acquisition of view, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of view is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
117.
"'Acquisition of individual existence, monks, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
and that acquisition of individual existence is mutually distinct' -
thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever acquisition of individual existence, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline -
such acquisition of individual existence should not be cultivated;
and whatever acquisition of individual existence, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase -
such acquisition of individual existence should be cultivated.
"What kind of acquisition of individual existence, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline? When one brings into existence an afflictive acquisition of individual existence, venerable sir, for the non-completion of existences, unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline; when one brings into existence a non-afflictive acquisition of individual existence, venerable sir, for the completion of existences, unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Acquisition of individual existence, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of individual existence is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
"I, venerable sir, understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus."
118.
"Good, good, Sāriputta!
Good indeed, Sāriputta, you understand in detail the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus in detail.
"'Bodily conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that bodily conduct is mutually distinct' - thus indeed this was said by me. With reference to what was this said? Whatever bodily conduct, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such bodily conduct should not be cultivated; and whatever bodily conduct, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase - such bodily conduct should be cultivated.
"What kind of bodily conduct, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline? Here, Sāriputta, some one is a killer of living beings, cruel, with bloody hands, devoted to striking and killing, without compassion for living beings; and he is a taker of what is not given; whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, whether in the village or in the forest, that which is not given, reckoned a theft, he takes; and he engages in sexual misconduct; those women who are protected by the mother, protected by the father, protected by both mother and father, protected by the brother, protected by the sister, protected by relatives, protected by the clan, protected by co-religionists, having an owner, under penalty, even those encircled with a garland of flowers, he commits adultery with such women - such bodily conduct, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline.
"What kind of bodily conduct, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase? Here, Sāriputta, some one, having abandoned the killing of living beings, abstains from killing living beings; with rod laid down, with knife laid down, one who has shame, compassionate, he dwells concerned for the welfare of all living beings; having abandoned taking what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given; whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, whether in the village or in the forest, that which is not given, reckoned a theft, he does not take; having abandoned sexual misconduct, he abstains from sexual misconduct; those women who are protected by the mother, protected by the father, protected by both mother and father, protected by the brother, protected by the sister, protected by relatives, protected by the clan, protected by co-religionists, having an owner, under penalty, even those encircled with a garland of flowers, he does not commit adultery with such women - such bodily conduct, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Bodily conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that bodily conduct is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by me, it was said with reference to that.
‘'Verbal conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: etc. Mental conduct, monks, is of two kinds, I say: etc. Arising of consciousness, monks, is of two kinds, I say: etc. Acquisition of perception, monks, is of two kinds, I say: etc. Acquisition of view, monks, is of two kinds, I say: etc.
"'Acquisition of individual existence, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of individual existence is mutually distinct' - thus indeed this was said by me. With reference to what was this said? Whatever acquisition of individual existence, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such acquisition of individual existence should not be cultivated; and whatever acquisition of individual existence, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase - such acquisition of individual existence should be cultivated.
"What kind of acquisition of individual existence, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline? When one brings into existence an afflictive acquisition of individual existence, Sāriputta, for the non-completion of existences, unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline; when one brings into existence a non-afflictive acquisition of individual existence, Sāriputta, for the completion of existences, unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase. 'Acquisition of individual existence, monks, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated; and that acquisition of individual existence is mutually distinct' - thus what was said by me, it was said with reference to that. This, Sāriputta, is how the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief should be understood in detail.
119.
"Visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
sound cognisable by the ear, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
odour cognisable by the nose, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
flavour cognisable by the tongue, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
tangible object cognisable by the body, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated;
mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated."
When this was said, the venerable Sāriputta said this to the Blessed One: "I, venerable sir, understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus. 'Visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' - thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One. With reference to what was this said? Whatever visible form cognisable by the eye, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such visible visible form cognisable by the eye should not be cultivated; and whatever visible form cognisable by the eye, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such visible visible form cognisable by the eye should be cultivated. 'Visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
"Sound cognisable by the ear, Sāriputta, etc. such sound cognisable by the ear should not be cultivated... such sound cognisable by the ear should be cultivated... such odour cognisable by the nose should not be cultivated... such odour cognisable by the nose should be cultivated... such flavour cognisable by the tongue should not be cultivated... such flavour cognisable by the tongue should be cultivated... tangible object cognisable by the body, Sāriputta... such tangible object cognisable by the body should not be cultivated... such tangible object cognisable by the body should be cultivated.
"'Mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' - thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One. With reference to what was this said? Whatever mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind should not be cultivated; and whatever mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, venerable sir, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind should be cultivated. 'Mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that. I, venerable sir, understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus."
120.
"Good, good, Sāriputta!
Good indeed, Sāriputta, you understand in detail the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus in detail.
'Visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' -
thus indeed this was said by me.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such visible visible form cognisable by the eye should not be cultivated;
and whatever visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, when cultivating which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such visible visible form cognisable by the eye should be cultivated.
'Visible form cognisable by the eye, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say:
to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' -
thus what was said by me, it was said with reference to that.
"Sound cognisable by the ear, Sāriputta, etc. such sound cognisable by the ear should not be cultivated... such sound cognisable by the ear should be cultivated... such odour cognisable by the nose should not be cultivated... such odour cognisable by the nose should be cultivated... such flavour cognisable by the tongue should not be cultivated... such flavour cognisable by the tongue should be cultivated... such tangible object cognisable by the body should not be cultivated... such tangible object cognisable by the body should be cultivated.
"Mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, Sāriputta, etc. such mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind should not be cultivated... such mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind should be cultivated. 'Mental phenomenon cognisable by the mind, Sāriputta, is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated' - thus what was said by me, it was said with reference to that. This, Sāriputta, is how the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief should be understood in detail.
121.
"Robes, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say:
to be used and not to be used... etc.
Almsfood, Sāriputta...
Lodgings, Sāriputta...
Villages, Sāriputta...
Towns, Sāriputta...
Cities, Sāriputta...
Countries, Sāriputta...
Persons, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say:
to be associated with and not to be associated with."
When this was said, the venerable Sāriputta said this to the Blessed One: "I, venerable sir, understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus. 'Robes, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say: to be used and not to be used' - thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One. With reference to what was this said? Whatever robe, venerable sir, when using which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such robe should not be used; and whatever robe, venerable sir, when using which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such robe should be used. 'Robes, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say: to be used and not to be used' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that.
"Almsfood, Sāriputta... etc. such almsfood should not be used... such almsfood should be used... Lodgings, Sāriputta... etc. such lodging should not be used... such lodging should be used... Villages, Sāriputta. Etc. such village should not be resorted to... such village should be resorted to... such town should not be resorted to... such town should be resorted to... such city should not be resorted to... such city should be resorted to... such country should not be resorted to... such country should be resorted to.
"'Persons, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say: to be associated with and not to be associated with' - thus indeed this was said by the Blessed One. With reference to what was this said? Whatever person, venerable sir, when associating with whom unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such a person should not be associated with; and whatever person, venerable sir, when associating with whom unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such a person should be associated with. 'Persons, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say: to be associated with and not to be associated with' - thus what was said by the Blessed One, it was said with reference to that. I, venerable sir, understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus."
122.
"Good, good, Sāriputta!
Good indeed, Sāriputta, you understand in detail the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief, the meaning not explained in detail, thus in detail.
'Robes, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say:
to be used and not to be used' -
thus indeed this was said by me.
With reference to what was this said?
Whatever robe, Sāriputta, when using which unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such robe should not be used;
and whatever robe, Sāriputta, when using which unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such robe should be used.
'Robes, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say:
to be used and not to be used' -
thus what was said by me, it was said with reference to that.
such almsfood...
such lodging...
such village...
such town...
such city...
such country...
"'Persons, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say: to be associated with and not to be associated with' - thus indeed this was said by me. With reference to what was this said? Whatever person, Sāriputta, when associating with whom unwholesome mental states increase and wholesome mental states decline, such a person should not be associated with; and whatever person, Sāriputta, when associating with whom unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, such a person should be associated with. 'Persons, Sāriputta, are of two kinds, I say: to be associated with and not to be associated with' - thus what was said by me, it was said with reference to that. This, Sāriputta, is how the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief should be understood in detail.
123.
"If all those of the ruling caste, Sāriputta, were to understand in detail the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief thus, it would be for their welfare and happiness for a long time.
If all the brahmins, Sāriputta... etc.
If all the merchants, Sāriputta...
If all the workers, Sāriputta, were to understand in detail the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief thus, it would be for their welfare and happiness for a long time.
If the world with its gods, Sāriputta, with its Māra and Brahmā, and this human population with its ascetics, brahmins and rulers, were to understand in detail the meaning of what was spoken by me in brief thus, it would be for the welfare and happiness of the world with its gods, Māra and Brahmā, of this human population with its ascetics, brahmins and rulers, for a long time."
This is what the Blessed One said. Pleased, the venerable Sāriputta delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
The Discourse on What Should and Should Not Be Cultivated is concluded as fourth.