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Snp 2.6PTS Snp 491 min read

A Righteous Life

Kapilasutta (dhammacariyasutta)

The Buddha encourages the monks to avoid monks who are evil in their desires.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Sutta Nipāta 2.6Anthology of Discourses 2.6

0.2Kapilasutta (dhammacariyasutta)A Righteous Life

1.1Dhammacariyaṁ brahmacariyaṁ,A righteous life, a spiritual life,11.2Etadāhu vasuttamaṁ;they call this the supreme treasure.1.3Pabbajitopi ce hoti,But if someone goes forth1.4Agārā anagāriyaṁ.from the lay life to homelessness

2.1So ce mukharajātiko,who is of scurrilous character,2.2vihesābhirato mago;a beast and a bully,2.3Jīvitaṁ tassa pāpiyo,their life gets worse,2.4rajaṁ vaḍḍheti attano.as poison grows inside them.

3.1Kalahābhirato bhikkhu,A mendicant who loves to quarrel,3.2Mohadhammena āvuto;wrapped in delusion,3.3Akkhātampi na jānāti,doesn’t even know what’s been explained3.4Dhammaṁ buddhena desitaṁ.in the Dhamma taught by the Buddha.

4.1Vihesaṁ bhāvitattānaṁ,Harassing those who are evolved,4.2avijjāya purakkhato;governed by ignorance,4.3Saṅkilesaṁ na jānāti,they don’t know that corruption4.4maggaṁ nirayagāminaṁ.is the path that leads to hell.

5.1Vinipātaṁ samāpanno,Entering the underworld,5.2gabbhā gabbhaṁ tamā tamaṁ;passing from womb to womb, <j>from darkness to darkness,5.3Sa ve tādisako bhikkhu,such a mendicant5.4pecca dukkhaṁ nigacchati.falls into suffering after death.

6.1Gūthakūpo yathā assa,One such as that is6.2sampuṇṇo gaṇavassiko;like a sewer6.3Yo ca evarūpo assa,brimful with years of filth6.4dubbisodho hi sāṅgaṇo.for it’s hard to clean one full of grime.

7.1Yaṁ evarūpaṁ jānātha,Mendicants, knowing that someone is like this,7.2bhikkhavo gehanissitaṁ;attached to the domestic life,7.3Pāpicchaṁ pāpasaṅkappaṁ,of corrupt wishes and wicked intent,7.4pāpaācāragocaraṁ.of bad behavior and alms-resort,

8.1Sabbe samaggā hutvāna,then having gathered in harmony,8.2abhinibbajjiyātha naṁ;you should expel them.8.3Kāraṇḍavaṁ niddhamatha,Throw out the trash!8.4kasambuṁ apakassatha.Get rid of the rubbish!

9.1Tato palāpe vāhetha,And sweep away the scraps—9.2Assamaṇe samaṇamānine;they’re not ascetics, they just think they are.9.3Niddhamitvāna pāpicche,When you’ve thrown out those of corrupt wishes,9.4Pāpaācāragocare.of bad behavior and alms-resort,

10.1Suddhā suddhehi saṁvāsaṁ,dwell in communion, ever mindful,10.2Kappayavho patissatā;the pure with the pure.10.3Tato samaggā nipakā,Then in harmony, alert,10.4Dukkhassantaṁ karissathāti.you’ll make an end of suffering.

10.5Dhammacariyasuttaṁ chaṭṭhaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. The titles Dhammacariyasutta and Kapilasutta are both found in manuscripts and commentary. In the Mahāsaṅgīti edition, Dhammacariyasutta is attested both in the concluding title for the sutta and in the summary verse for this chapter (Snp 2.14:31.3), while Kapilasutta is attested in the summary verse of the sutta Nipāta as a whole (Snp 5.19:22.2; neither BJT nor PTS has any equivalent for this section so it is probably a late Burmese addition). The BJT has Kapilasutta throughout, while PTS has Dhammacariyasutta throughout, acknowledging Kapilasutta only for the commentary. Given that kapila does not occur in the sutta itself, while dhammacariya occurs in the first line, most likely kapila made its way into the title by contamination from the commentary, which tells an extensive story of a bad monk named Kapila, who the Buddha interrogates after he is reborn as a fish. The Vinaya also knows a monk of dubious morals named Kapila Bu Pc 2:7.48.1.

    ↩ snp2.6:1.1