7.
The Discourse on Accusation
167.
There the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks:
"Friends, a monk who is an accuser, wishing to accuse another, having established five principles internally, should accuse another.
Which five? 'I will speak at the proper time, not at an improper time; I will speak what is factual, not what is not factual; I will speak smoothly, not harshly; I will speak what is beneficial, not what is unbeneficial; I will speak with a mind of friendliness, not with hate within.' Friends, a monk who is an accuser, wishing to accuse another, having established these five principles internally, should accuse another.
"Here I, friends, see a certain person being accused at an improper time, not at the proper time, angered; being accused with what is not factual, not with what is factual, angered; being accused harshly, not smoothly, angered; being accused with what is unbeneficial, not with what is beneficial, angered; being accused with hate within, not with a mind of friendliness, angered.
"Friends, for a monk accused not according to the Teaching, freedom from remorse should be given in five ways: 'The venerable one was accused at an improper time, not at the proper time; it is fitting for you to have no remorse; the venerable one was accused with what is not factual, not with what is factual; it is fitting for you to have no remorse; the venerable one was accused harshly, not smoothly; it is fitting for you to have no remorse; the venerable one was accused with what is unbeneficial, not with what is beneficial; it is fitting for you to have no remorse; the venerable one was accused with hate within, not with a mind of friendliness; it is fitting for you to have no remorse.' Friends, for a monk accused not according to the Teaching, freedom from remorse should be given in these five ways.
"Friends, for a monk who is an accuser not according to the Teaching, remorse should be given in five ways: 'You, friend, accused at an improper time, not at the proper time; it is fitting for you to have remorse; you, friend, accused with what is not factual, not with what is factual; it is fitting for you to have remorse; you, friend, accused harshly, not smoothly; it is fitting for you to have remorse; you, friend, accused with what is unbeneficial, not with what is beneficial; it is fitting for you to have remorse; you, friend, accused with hate within, not with a mind of friendliness; it is fitting for you to have remorse.' Friends, for a monk who is an accuser not according to the Teaching, remorse should be given in these five ways. What is the reason for this? So that another monk too would not think one should be accused with what is not factual.
"But here I, friends, see a certain person being accused at the proper time, not at an improper time, angered; being accused with what is factual, not with what is not factual, angered; being accused smoothly, not harshly, angered; being accused with what is beneficial, not with what is unbeneficial, angered; being accused with a mind of friendliness, not with hate within, angered.
"Friends, for a monk accused according to the Teaching, remorse should be given in five ways: 'The venerable one was accused at the proper time, not at an improper time; it is fitting for you to have remorse; the venerable one was accused with what is factual, not with what is not factual; it is fitting for you to have remorse; the venerable one was accused smoothly, not harshly; it is fitting for you to have remorse; the venerable one was accused with what is beneficial, not with what is unbeneficial; it is fitting for you to have remorse; the venerable one was accused with a mind of friendliness, not with hate within; it is fitting for you to have remorse.' Friends, for a monk accused according to the Teaching, remorse should be given in these five ways.
"For a monk who accuses in accordance with the Teaching, friend, freedom from remorse should be given in five ways - 'You were accused at the proper time, friend, not at an improper time, this is fitting for your freedom from remorse; you were accused with what is factual, friend, not with what is not factual, this is fitting for your freedom from remorse; you were accused smoothly, friend, not harshly, this is fitting for your freedom from remorse; you were accused with what is beneficial, friend, not with what is unbeneficial, this is fitting for your freedom from remorse; you were accused with a mind of friendliness, friend, not with inner hate, this is fitting for your freedom from remorse.' For a monk who accuses in accordance with the Teaching, friend, freedom from remorse should be given in these five ways. What is the reason for this? So that another monk too might think one should be accused with what is factual.
"By one who has been accused, friend, one should be established in two qualities - in truth and in being unshakable. If others, friend, were to accuse me at the proper time or at an improper time, with what is factual or with what is not factual, smoothly or harshly, with what is beneficial or with what is unbeneficial, with a mind of friendliness or with inner hate, I too would be established in just these two qualities - in truth and in being unshakable. If I should know - 'This quality exists in me,' I would say to him 'It exists' - 'This quality is found in me.' If I should know - 'This quality does not exist in me,' I would say to him 'It does not exist' - 'This quality is not found in me.'
"Even when spoken to thus, Sāriputta, and yet here some foolish men do not accept it favourably."
"Those persons, venerable sir, who are faithless, who have gone forth from home into homelessness for the sake of livelihood, not through faith, who are fraudulent, deceitful, treacherous, agitated, arrogant, fickle, garrulous, of loose speech, with unguarded doors in the faculties, not knowing moderation in food, not devoted to wakefulness, without regard for asceticism, without keen respect for the training, luxurious, lax, forerunners in falling away, having laid down the responsibility for solitude, lazy, lacking in energy, unmindful, not fully aware, unconcentrated, with wandering minds, unwise, idiots - they, when spoken to thus by me, do not accept it favourably.
"But those sons of good family, venerable sir, who have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, who are not fraudulent, not deceitful, not treacherous, not agitated, not arrogant, not fickle, not garrulous, not of loose speech, with guarded doors in the faculties, knowing moderation in food, devoted to wakefulness, with regard for asceticism, with keen respect for the training, not luxurious, not lax, having laid down the responsibility for falling away, forerunners in solitude, putting forth strenuous energy, resolute, mindful, fully aware, concentrated, with unified minds, wise, not idiots - they, when spoken to thus by me, accept it favourably."
"Those persons, Sāriputta, who are faithless, who have gone forth from home into homelessness for the sake of livelihood, not through faith, who are fraudulent, deceitful, treacherous, agitated, arrogant, fickle, garrulous, of loose speech, with unguarded doors in the faculties, not knowing moderation in food, not devoted to wakefulness, without regard for asceticism, without keen respect for the training, luxurious, lax, forerunners in falling away, having laid down the responsibility for solitude, lazy, lacking in energy, unmindful, not fully aware, unconcentrated, with wandering minds, unwise, idiots - let them be.
"But those sons of good family, Sāriputta, who have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, who are not fraudulent, not deceitful, not treacherous, not agitated, not arrogant, not fickle, not garrulous, not of loose speech, with guarded doors in the faculties, knowing moderation in food, devoted to wakefulness, with regard for asceticism, with keen respect for the training, not luxurious, not lax, having laid down the responsibility for falling away, forerunners in solitude, putting forth strenuous energy, resolute, mindful, fully aware, concentrated, with unified minds, wise, not idiots - you, Sāriputta, should speak to them. Exhort, Sāriputta, your fellows in the holy life; instruct, Sāriputta, your fellows in the holy life - 'Having turned them away from what is not the Good Teaching, I will establish my fellows in the holy life in the Good Teaching.' Thus indeed, Sāriputta, should you train." The seventh.