Sāleyyakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 41

The People of Sālā · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Pharusavāco kho pana hoti. Yā sā vācā aṇḍakā kakkasā parakaṭukā parābhisajjanī kodhasāmantā asamādhisaṁvattanikā, tathārūpiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā hoti.
Samphappalāpī kho pana hoti. Akālavādī abhūtavādī anatthavādī adhammavādī avinayavādī. Anidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā hoti akālena anapadesaṁ apariyantavatiṁ anatthasaṁhitaṁ.
Evaṁ kho, gahapatayo, catubbidhaṁ vācāya adhammacariyāvisamacariyā hoti.

They speak harshly. They use the kinds of words that are cruel, nasty, hurtful, offensive, bordering on anger, not leading to immersion. They talk nonsense. Their speech is untimely, and is neither factual nor beneficial. It has nothing to do with the teaching or the training. Their words have no value, and are untimely, unreasonable, rambling, and pointless. This is how unprincipled and immoral conduct is fourfold by way of speech.

Kathañca, gahapatayo, tividhaṁ manasā adhammacariyāvisamacariyā hoti?
Idha, gahapatayo, ekacco abhijjhālu hoti, yaṁ taṁ parassa paravittūpakaraṇaṁ taṁ abhijjhātā hoti: ‘aho vata yaṁ parassa taṁ mamassā’ti.
Byāpannacitto kho pana hoti paduṭṭhamanasaṅkappo: ‘ime sattā haññantu vā vajjhantu vā ucchijjantu vā vinassantu vā mā vā ahesun’ti.
Micchādiṭṭhiko kho pana hoti viparītadassano:
‘natthi dinnaṁ natthi yiṭṭhaṁ natthi hutaṁ, natthi sukatadukkaṭānaṁ kammānaṁ phalaṁ vipāko, natthi ayaṁ loko natthi paro loko, natthi mātā natthi pitā, natthi sattā opapātikā, natthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā sammaggatā sammāpaṭipannā ye imañca lokaṁ parañca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti.
Evaṁ kho, gahapatayo, tividhaṁ manasā adhammacariyāvisamacariyā hoti.

And how is unprincipled and immoral conduct threefold by way of mind? It’s when someone is covetous. They covet the wealth and belongings of others: ‘Oh, if only their belongings were mine!’ They have ill will and malicious intentions: ‘May these sentient beings be killed, slaughtered, slain, destroyed, or annihilated!’ They have wrong view. Their perspective is distorted: ‘There’s no meaning in giving, sacrifice, or offerings. There’s no fruit or result of good and bad deeds. There’s no afterlife. There’s no such thing as mother and father, or beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there’s no ascetic or brahmin who is rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describes the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ This is how unprincipled and immoral conduct is threefold by way of mind.

Evaṁ adhammacariyāvisamacariyāhetu kho, gahapatayo, evam’idhekacce sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti.

That’s how unprincipled and immoral conduct is the reason why some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

Tividhaṁ kho, gahapatayo, kāyena dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti, catubbidhaṁ vācāya dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti, tividhaṁ manasā dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti.

Householders, principled and moral conduct is threefold by way of body, fourfold by way of speech, and threefold by way of mind.

Kathañca, gahapatayo, tividhaṁ kāyena dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti?
Idha, gahapatayo, ekacco pāṇātipātaṁ pahāya pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, nihitadaṇḍo nihitasattho lajjī dayāpanno sabbapāṇabhūtahitānukampī viharati.
Adinnādānaṁ pahāya adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti. Yaṁ taṁ parassa paravittūpakaraṇaṁ, gāmagataṁ vā araññagataṁ vā, taṁ nādinnaṁ theyyasaṅkhātaṁ ādātā hoti.
Kāmesumicchācāraṁ pahāya kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti. Yā tā māturakkhitā piturakkhitā mātāpiturakkhitā bhāturakkhitā bhaginirakkhitā ñātirakkhitā gottarakkhitā dhammarakkhitā sassāmikā saparidaṇḍā antamaso mālāguḷaparikkhittāpi, tathārūpāsu na cārittaṁ āpajjitā hoti.
Evaṁ kho, gahapatayo, tividhaṁ kāyena dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti.

And how is principled and moral conduct threefold by way of body? It’s when someone gives up killing living creatures, renouncing the rod and the sword. They’re scrupulous and kind, living full of sympathy for all living beings. They give up stealing. They don’t, with the intention to commit theft, take the wealth or belongings of others from village or wilderness. They give up sexual misconduct. They don’t have relations with women who have their mother, father, both mother and father, brother, sister, relatives, or clan as guardian. They don’t have relations with a woman who is protected on principle, or who has a husband, or whose violation is punishable by law, or even one who has been garlanded as a token of betrothal. This is how principled and moral conduct is threefold by way of body.

Kathañca, gahapatayo, catubbidhaṁ vācāya dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti?
Idha, gahapatayo, ekacco musāvādaṁ pahāya musāvādā paṭivirato hoti. Sabhāgato vā parisāgato vā, ñātimajjhagato vā pūgamajjhagato vā rājakulamajjhagato vā, abhinīto sakkhipuṭṭho: ‘ehambho purisa, yaṁ jānāsi taṁ vadehī’ti, so ajānaṁ vā āha: ‘na jānāmī’ti, jānaṁ vā āha: ‘jānāmī’ti, apassaṁ vā āha: ‘na passāmī’ti, passaṁ vā āha: ‘passāmī’ti. Iti attahetu vā parahetu vā āmisakiñcikkhahetu vā na sampajānamusā bhāsitā hoti.
Pisuṇaṁ vācaṁ pahāya pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, ito sutvā na amutra akkhātā imesaṁ bhedāya, amutra vā sutvā na imesaṁ akkhātā amūsaṁ bhedāya. Iti bhinnānaṁ vā sandhātā, sahitānaṁ vā anuppadātā, samaggārāmo samaggarato samagganandī samaggakaraṇiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā hoti.

And how is principled and moral conduct fourfold by way of speech? It’s when someone gives up lying. They’re summoned to a council, an assembly, a family meeting, a guild, or to the royal court, and asked to bear witness: ‘Please, my friend, say what you know.’ Not knowing, they say ‘I don’t know.’ Knowing, they say ‘I know.’ Not seeing, they say ‘I don’t see.’ And seeing, they say ‘I see.’ So they don’t deliberately lie for the sake of themselves or another, or for some trivial worldly reason. They give up backbiting. They don’t repeat in one place what they heard in another so as to divide people against each other. Instead, they reconcile those who are divided and support those who are united, delighting in harmony, loving harmony, speaking words that promote harmony.

Pharusaṁ vācaṁ pahāya pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti. Yā sā vācā nelā kaṇṇasukhā pemanīyā hadayaṅgamā porī bahujanakantā bahujanamanāpā—tathārūpiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā hoti.
Samphappalāpaṁ pahāya samphappalāpā paṭivirato hoti. Kālavādī bhūtavādī atthavādī dhammavādī vinayavādī nidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā hoti kālena sāpadesaṁ pariyantavatiṁ atthasaṁhitaṁ.
Evaṁ kho, gahapatayo, catubbidhaṁ vācāya dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti.

They give up harsh speech. They speak in a way that’s mellow, pleasing to the ear, endearing, going to the heart, polite, likable, and agreeable to the people. They give up talking nonsense. Their words are timely, true, and meaningful, in line with the teaching and training. They say things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial. This is how principled and moral conduct is fourfold by way of speech.

Kathañca, gahapatayo, tividhaṁ manasā dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti?
Idha, gahapatayo, ekacco anabhijjhālu hoti, yaṁ taṁ parassa paravittūpakaraṇaṁ taṁ nābhijjhātā hoti: ‘aho vata yaṁ parassa taṁ mamassā’ti.
Abyāpannacitto kho pana hoti appaduṭṭhamanasaṅkappo: ‘ime sattā averā abyābajjhā anīghā sukhī attānaṁ pariharantū’ti.
Sammādiṭṭhiko kho pana hoti aviparītadassano:
‘atthi dinnaṁ atthi yiṭṭhaṁ atthi hutaṁ, atthi sukatadukkaṭānaṁ kammānaṁ phalaṁ vipāko, atthi ayaṁ loko atthi paro loko, atthi mātā atthi pitā, atthi sattā opapātikā, atthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā sammaggatā sammāpaṭipannā ye imañca lokaṁ parañca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti.
Evaṁ kho, gahapatayo, tividhaṁ manasā dhammacariyāsamacariyā hoti.

And how is principled and moral conduct threefold by way of mind? It’s when someone is not covetous. They don’t covet the wealth and belongings of others: ‘Oh, if only their belongings were mine!’ They have a kind heart and loving intentions: ‘May these sentient beings live free of enmity and ill will, untroubled and happy!’ They have right view, an undistorted perspective: ‘There is meaning in giving, sacrifice, and offerings. There are fruits and results of good and bad deeds. There is an afterlife. There are such things as mother and father, and beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there are ascetics and brahmins who are rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describe the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ This is how principled and moral conduct is threefold by way of mind.

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