buddha daily wisdom image

an.10.8 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Faith

(1) “Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu may be endowed with faith but he is not virtuous; thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, thinking: ‘How can I be endowed with faith and also be virtuous?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is also virtuous, then he is complete with respect to that factor.

(2) “A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith and virtuous, but he is not learned … (3) … learned, but not a speaker on the Dhamma … (4) … a speaker on the Dhamma, but not one who frequents assemblies … (5) … one who frequents assemblies, but not one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly … (6) … one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly, but not an expert on the discipline … (7) … an expert on the discipline, but not a forest-dweller who resorts to remote lodgings … (8) … a forest-dweller who resorts to remote lodgings, but not one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life … (9) … one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life, but not one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it.

“Thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, thinking: ‘How can I be endowed with faith … … and also be one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it?’

(10) “But when a bhikkhu is i endowed with faith, ii virtuous, and iii learned; iv a speaker on the Dhamma; v one who frequents assemblies; vi one who confidently teaches the Dhamma to an assembly; vii an expert on the discipline; viii a forest-dweller who resorts to remote lodgings; ix one who gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind and are pleasant dwellings in this very life; and x one who, with the destruction of the taints, has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, dwells in it, then he is complete with respect to that factor.

“A bhikkhu who possesses these ten qualities is one who inspires confidence in all respects and who is complete in all aspects.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh


Inspiring All Around: the Absorptions

“Mendicants, a mendicant is faithful but not ethical.
So they’re incomplete in that respect,
and should fulfill it, thinking:
‘How can I become faithful and ethical?’
When the mendicant is faithful and ethical, they’re complete in that respect.
A mendicant is faithful and ethical, but not learned. …
they’re not a Dhamma speaker …
they don’t frequent assemblies …
they don’t teach Dhamma to the assembly with assurance …
they’re not an expert in the monastic law …
they don’t stay in the wilderness, in remote lodgings …
they don’t get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty …
they don’t realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.
So they’re incomplete in that respect,
and should fulfill it, thinking:
‘How can I become faithful, ethical, and learned, a Dhamma speaker, one who frequents assemblies, one who teaches Dhamma to the assembly with assurance, an expert in the training, one who lives in the wilderness, in remote lodgings, one who gets the four absorptions when they want, and one who lives having realized the ending of defilements?’
When they’re faithful, ethical, and learned, a Dhamma speaker, one who frequents assemblies, one who teaches Dhamma to the assembly with assurance, an expert in the training, one who lives in the wilderness, in remote lodgings, one who gets the four absorptions when they want, and one who lives having realized the ending of defilements,
they’re complete in that respect.
A mendicant who has these ten qualities is inspiring all around, and is complete in every respect.”