1.1PTS 2.22“Ekamidāhaṁ, bhikkhave, samayaṁ uruvelāyaṁ viharāmi najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhe paṭhamābhisambuddho.“Mendicants, this one time, when I was first awakened, I was staying in Uruvelā at the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River.1.2Atha kho, bhikkhave, sambahulā brāhmaṇā jiṇṇā vuddhā mahallakā addhagatā vayoanuppattā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā mayā saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu.Then several old brahmins—elderly and senior, who were advanced in years and had reached the final stage of life—came up to me, and exchanged greetings with me.

1.3Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho, bhikkhave, te brāhmaṇā maṁ etadavocuṁ:When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to me:1.4‘sutaṁ netaṁ, bho gotama:‘Worthy Gotama, we have heard this:

1.5“na samaṇo gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimantetī”ti.“The ascetic Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.”1.6Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, tatheva.And this is indeed the case,1.7Na hi bhavaṁ gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimanteti.for the worthy Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.1.8Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, na sampannamevā’ti.This is not appropriate, worthy Gotama.’

2.1Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:Then it occurred to me,2.2‘nayime āyasmanto jānanti theraṁ vā therakaraṇe vā dhamme’ti.‘These venerables don’t know what a senior is, or what qualities make you a senior.’

2.3Vuddho cepi, bhikkhave, hoti āsītiko vā nāvutiko vā vassasatiko vā jātiyā.Mendicants, suppose you’re eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old.2.4So ca hoti akālavādī abhūtavādī anatthavādī adhammavādī avinayavādī, anidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā akālena anapadesaṁ apariyantavatiṁ anatthasaṁhitaṁ.But your speech is untimely, false, meaningless, and against the teaching or training. You say things at the wrong time which are worthless, unreasonable, rambling, and unbeneficial.2.5Atha kho so ‘bālo thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.Then you’ll be reckoned a ‘childish senior’.

3.1Daharo cepi, bhikkhave, hoti yuvā susukāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā.Now suppose you’re a youth, young, with pristine black hair, blessed with youth, in the prime of life.3.2So ca hoti kālavādī bhūtavādī atthavādī dhammavādī vinayavādī nidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā kālena sāpadesaṁ pariyantavatiṁ atthasaṁhitaṁ.But your speech is timely, true, meaningful, and in line with the teaching and training. You say things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.3.3Atha kho so ‘paṇḍito thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.Then you’ll be reckoned an ‘astute senior’.

4.1PTS 2.23Cattārome, bhikkhave, therakaraṇā dhammā.There are these four qualities that make a senior.4.2Katame cattāro?What four?4.3Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesuA mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.

4.4Bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā.They’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically.

4.5Catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.

4.6Āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.

4.7Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro therakaraṇā dhammāti.These are the four qualities that make a senior.

5.1Yo uddhatena cittena,The creature with a restless mind5.2samphañca bahu bhāsati;speaks a lot of nonsense.5.3Asamāhitasaṅkappo,Their thoughts are unsettled,5.4asaddhammarato mago;and they don’t like the true teaching.5.5Ārā so thāvareyyamhā,They’re far from seniority, with their bad views5.6pāpadiṭṭhi anādaro.and their lack of regard for others.

6.1Yo ca sīlena sampanno,But one accomplished in ethics,6.2sutavā paṭibhānavā;learned and eloquent, that attentive one6.3Saññato dhīro dhammesu,is restrained when experiencing phenomena,6.4paññāyatthaṁ vipassati.discerning the meaning with wisdom.

7.1Pāragū sabbadhammānaṁ,Gone beyond all things,7.2akhilo paṭibhānavā;kind, eloquent,7.3Pahīnajātimaraṇo,they’ve given up birth and death,7.4brahmacariyassa kevalī.and have completed the spiritual journey.

8.1Tamahaṁ vadāmi theroti,That’s who I call a senior,8.2yassa no santi āsavā;who has no defilements.8.3Āsavānaṁ khayā bhikkhu,With the ending of defilements, a mendicant8.4so theroti pavuccatī”ti.is declared a ‘senior’.”

8.5Dutiyaṁ.