Nikaya

Where Suffering Subsides

Numbered Discourses 10.82

  1. Senior Mendicants

With Ānanda

Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him:

“Ānanda, it is quite impossible for a faithless mendicant to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

It is quite impossible for a mendicant who is unethical …

unlearned …

hard to admonish …

with bad friends …

lazy …

unmindful …

lacking contentment …

of corrupt wishes …

of wrong view to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

It is quite impossible for a mendicant with these ten qualities to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

It is quite possible for a faithful mendicant to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

It is quite possible for a mendicant who is ethical …

a learned memorizer …

easy to admonish …

with good friends …

energetic …

mindful …

contented …

of few desires …

of right view to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

It is quite possible for a mendicant with these ten qualities to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.”