7.
The First Discourse on Intentional Action
217.
"I, monks, do not say there is destruction of intentional actions that have been done and accumulated without experiencing their result.
And that indeed in this very life, or upon rebirth, or in some other subsequent existence.
But I do not say, monks, there is making an end of suffering without experiencing the result of intentional actions that have been done and accumulated.
"Therein, monks, the threefold failure of bodily action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, has painful consequences and painful results; the fourfold failure of verbal action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, has painful consequences and painful results; the threefold failure of mental action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, has painful consequences and painful results.
"And how, monks, is the threefold failure of bodily action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, with painful consequences and painful results? Here, monks, a certain one is a killer of living beings, cruel, with bloody hands, devoted to striking and killing, without compassion for all living beings.
"He is one who takes 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.
"He engages in sexual misconduct. Those women who are protected by the mother, etc. even those encircled with a garland of flowers, he commits adultery with such women. Thus, monks, the threefold failure of bodily action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, has painful consequences and painful results.
"And how, monks, is the fourfold failure of verbal action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, with painful consequences and painful results? Here, monks, a certain 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.
"He speaks 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.
"He speaks harsh speech. Whatever speech is rough, harsh, hurtful to others, offensive to others, bordering on wrath, not conducive to concentration, he speaks such speech.
"He engages in idle chatter, 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. Thus, monks, the fourfold failure of verbal action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, has painful consequences and painful results.
"And how, monks, is the threefold failure of mental action through corruption, with unwholesome intention, with painful consequences and painful results? Here, monks, a certain one is covetous. Whatever belongs to another, another's wealth and requisites, he covets - 'Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!'
"He has a mind of ill-will, with corrupt mental intentions - 'May these beings be killed, or bound, or annihilated, or destroyed, or may they not exist!'
He holds wrong view, has perverted vision - 'There is not what is given, etc. who proclaim this world and the other world, having realised them by direct knowledge themselves.' Thus, monks, the threefold failure in mental action through corruption is unwholesome in intention, with painful consequences, with painful results.
"Because of the threefold failure in bodily action through corruption that is unwholesome in intention, monks, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell; because of the fourfold failure in verbal action through corruption that is unwholesome in intention, monks, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell; because of the threefold failure in mental action through corruption that is unwholesome in intention, monks, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell.
"Just as, monks, a flawless gaming die thrown upwards, however it lands, it lands firmly established, so too, monks, because of the threefold failure in bodily action through corruption that is unwholesome in intention, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell; because of the fourfold failure in verbal action through corruption that is unwholesome in intention, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell; because of the threefold failure in mental action through corruption that is unwholesome in intention, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell.
"I do not say, monks, that there is destruction of intentional actions that have been done and accumulated without experiencing them, and that indeed either in this very life, or upon rebirth, or in some other subsequent existence. But I do not say, monks, there is making an end of suffering without experiencing the result of intentional actions that have been done and accumulated.
"Therein, monks, the threefold success in bodily action is wholesome in intention, with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results; the fourfold success in verbal action is wholesome in intention, with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results; the threefold success in mental action is wholesome in intention, with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results.
"And how, monks, is the threefold success in bodily action wholesome in intention, with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results? Here, monks, a certain 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, etc.
"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, etc. even those encircled with a garland of flowers, he does not commit adultery with such women. Thus, monks, the threefold success in bodily action is wholesome in intention, with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results.
"And how, monks, is the fourfold success in verbal action wholesome in intention, with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results? Here, monks, a certain 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 something here, he does not repeat it elsewhere to divide these people, nor having heard something elsewhere does he 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 to many people 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. Thus, monks, the fourfold achievement in verbal action is intentionally wholesome, yielding happiness, resulting in happiness.
"And how, monks, is the threefold achievement in mental action intentionally wholesome, yielding happiness, resulting in happiness? Here, monks, a certain 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!'
"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.'
"He holds right view, with undistorted vision - 'There is what is given, there is what is sacrificed... etc. who proclaim this world and the other world, having realised them by direct knowledge themselves.' Thus, monks, the threefold achievement in mental action is intentionally wholesome, yielding happiness, resulting in happiness.
"Because of the threefold achievement in bodily action that is intentionally wholesome, monks, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world; because of the fourfold achievement in verbal action that is intentionally wholesome, monks, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world; because of the threefold achievement in mental action that is intentionally wholesome, monks, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world.
"Just as, monks, a flawless gaming die thrown upwards, however it lands, it lands firmly established, so too, monks, because of the threefold achievement in bodily action that is intentionally wholesome, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world; because of the fourfold achievement in verbal action that is intentionally wholesome, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world; because of the threefold achievement in mental action that is intentionally wholesome, beings, upon the body's collapse at death, are reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world. I do not say, monks, that there is destruction of intentional actions that have been done and accumulated without experiencing their result. And that indeed in this very life, or upon rebirth, or in some other subsequent existence. But I do not say, monks, that there is making an end of suffering without experiencing the result of intentional actions that have been done and accumulated." The seventh.