9.
The Discourse on Unwholesome Roots
70.
"There are, monks, these three unwholesome roots.
What three?
Greed is an unwholesome root, hate is an unwholesome root, delusion is an unwholesome root.
"Whatever, monks, is greed, that too is an unwholesome root; whatever a greedy one generates by body, speech, and mind, that too is unwholesome; whatever a greedy one, overcome by greed, with mind consumed, produces suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or loss or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power' - that too is unwholesome. Thus for him many evil unwholesome mental states come to be, born of greed, having greed as source, having greed as origin, having greed as condition.
"Whatever, monks, is hate, that too is an unwholesome root; whatever a hateful one generates by body, speech, and mind, that too is unwholesome; whatever a hateful one, overcome by hate, with mind consumed, produces suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or loss or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power' - that too is unwholesome. Thus for him many evil unwholesome mental states come to be, born of hate, having hate as source, having hate as origin, having hate as condition.
"Whatever, monks, is delusion, that too is an unwholesome root; whatever a deluded one generates by body, speech, and mind, that too is unwholesome; whatever a deluded one, overcome by delusion, with mind consumed, produces suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or loss or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power' - that too is unwholesome. Thus for him many evil unwholesome mental states come to be, born of delusion, having delusion as source, having delusion as origin, having delusion as condition. And such a person, monks, is called one who speaks at the wrong time, one who speaks what is untrue, one who speaks what is unbeneficial, one who speaks what is not according to the Teaching, one who speaks what is not monastic discipline.
"And why, monks, is such a person called one who speaks at the wrong time, one who speaks what is untrue, one who speaks what is unbeneficial, one who speaks what is not according to the Teaching, one who speaks what is not monastic discipline? Because indeed, monks, this person produces suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or loss or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power.' But when spoken to with what is factual, he denies it, he does not acknowledge it; when spoken to with what is untrue, he does not make ardour for its disentanglement, thinking 'For this reason this is incorrect, for this reason this is untrue.' Therefore such a person is called one who speaks at the wrong time, one who speaks what is untrue, one who speaks what is unbeneficial, one who speaks what is not according to the Teaching, one who speaks what is not monastic discipline.
"Such a person, monks, overcome by evil unwholesome mental states born of greed, with mind consumed, dwells in suffering in this very life, with vexation, with anguish, with fever. And upon the body's collapse at death, an unfortunate realm is to be expected.
"Born of hate... etc. overcome by evil unwholesome mental states born of delusion, with mind consumed, dwells in suffering in this very life, with vexation, with anguish, with fever. And upon the body's collapse at death, an unfortunate realm is to be expected. Just as, monks, a sal tree or a dhava tree or a trembling tree, overgrown and enveloped by three māluva creepers, comes to calamity, comes to disaster, comes to calamity and disaster; so too, monks, such a person, overcome by evil unwholesome mental states born of greed, with mind consumed, dwells in suffering in this very life, with vexation, with anguish, with fever. And upon the body's collapse at death, an unfortunate realm is to be expected.
"Born of hate... etc. overcome by evil unwholesome mental states born of delusion, with mind consumed, he dwells in suffering in this very life, with vexation, with anguish, with fever. And upon the body's collapse at death, an unfortunate realm is to be expected. These, monks, are the three unwholesome roots.
"There are, monks, these three wholesome roots. What three? Non-greed is a wholesome root, non-hate is a wholesome root, non-delusion is a wholesome root.
"Whatever, monks, is non-greed, that too is a wholesome root; whatever a non-greedy person generates by body, speech and mind, that too is wholesome; whatever a non-greedy person, not overcome by greed, with mind not consumed, does not produce suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or confiscation or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power' - that too is wholesome. Thus these many wholesome mental states come to be, born of non-greed, having non-greed as source, having non-greed as origin, having non-greed as condition.
"Whatever, monks, is non-hate, that too is a wholesome root; whatever a non-hateful person generates by body, speech and mind, that too is wholesome; whatever a non-hateful person, not overcome by hate, with mind not consumed, does not produce suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or confiscation or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power' - that too is wholesome. Thus these many wholesome mental states come to be, born of non-hate, having non-hate as source, having non-hate as origin, having non-hate as condition.
"Whatever, monks, is non-delusion, that too is a wholesome root; whatever an unconfused person generates by body, speech and mind, that too is wholesome; whatever an unconfused person, not overcome by delusion, with mind not consumed, does not produce suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or confiscation or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power' - that too is wholesome. Thus these many wholesome mental states come to be, born of non-delusion, having non-delusion as source, having non-delusion as origin, having non-delusion as condition. Such a person, monks, is called one who speaks at the proper time, one who speaks what is factual, one who speaks what is beneficial, one who speaks what is the Teaching, one who speaks what is the discipline.
"And why, monks, is such a person called one who speaks at the proper time, one who speaks what is factual, one who speaks what is beneficial, one who speaks what is the Teaching, one who speaks what is the discipline? Because indeed this person, monks, does not produce suffering for another through what is non-existent, by murder or imprisonment or confiscation or blame or banishment, thinking 'I am powerful, I have need of power'. When spoken to with what is factual, he acknowledges, he does not deny; when spoken to with what is not factual, he makes ardour for its disentanglement - 'For this reason this is incorrect, for this reason this is not factual.' Therefore such a person is called one who speaks at the proper time, one who speaks what is beneficial, one who speaks what is the Teaching, one who speaks what is the discipline.
"For such a person, monks, evil unwholesome mental states born of greed have been abandoned, their root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to obliteration, subject to non-arising in the future. He dwells happily in this very life, without vexation, without anguish, without fever. He attains final nibbāna in this very life.
"Born of hate... etc. attains final nibbāna. Born of delusion... etc. attains final nibbāna. Just as, monks, a sal tree or a dhava tree or a phandana tree, overgrown and enveloped by three māluvā creepers. Then a man might come along, having taken a spade and basket. He might cut that māluvā creeper at the root, having cut the root he might dig around it, having dug around it he might pull out the roots, even those as small as a usīra grass stalk. He might cut that māluvā creeper into fragments, having cut it into fragments he might split it, having split it he might make it into splinters, having made it into splinters he might dry it in wind and heat, having dried it in wind and heat he might burn it with fire, having burnt it with fire he might make it into ashes, having made it into ashes he might winnow it in a strong wind or let it be carried away by a swift-flowing river. Thus, monks, those māluvā creepers would have their root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to obliteration, subject to non-arising in the future. So too, monks, for such a person, evil unwholesome mental states born of greed have been abandoned, their root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to obliteration, subject to non-arising in the future. He dwells happily in this very life, without vexation, without anguish, without fever. He attains final nibbāna in this very life.
"Born of hate... etc. Evil unwholesome mental states born of delusion have been abandoned, their root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to obliteration, subject to non-arising in the future. He dwells happily in this very life, without vexation, without anguish, without fever. He attains final nibbāna in this very life. These, monks, are the three wholesome roots." The ninth.