Pesala Sutta (SN 8.3) – The Discourse on the Well-Behaved

3. The Discourse on the Well-Behaved

211. More Details On one occasion the venerable Vaṅgīsa was dwelling at Āḷavī in the Aggāḷava shrine together with his preceptor, the venerable Nigrodhakappa. Now at that time the venerable Vaṅgīsa despised other well-behaved monks because of his own poetic inspiration. Then this occurred to the venerable Vaṅgīsa - "It is a loss for me indeed, it is not a gain for me indeed; it is ill-gained for me indeed, it is not well-gained for me indeed; that I despise other well-behaved monks because of my own poetic inspiration." Then the venerable Vaṅgīsa, having himself aroused remorse in himself, at that time spoke these verses -

"Abandon conceit, Gotama, and abandon the path of conceit;

Completely cut off in the path of conceit, one was remorseful for a long time.

"People smeared with contempt, struck down by conceit, fall into hell;

People grieve for a long time, struck down by conceit, reborn in hell.

"Indeed a monk never grieves, a conqueror by the path, one who has rightly practised;

He experiences fame and happiness, they call him resolute, a seer of the Teaching.

"Therefore be without mental rigidity here and strenuous; having abandoned the hindrances, be pure.

And having entirely abandoned conceit, be an end-maker by true knowledge, peaceful."