an.2.48 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)
48
“There are, mendicants, these two assemblies.
What two?
An assembly that values material things, not the true teaching, and an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.
And what is an assembly that values material things, not the true teaching?
It is an assembly where the mendicants praise each other in front of the white-clothed laypeople, saying:
‘The mendicant so-and-so is freed both ways; so-and-so is freed by wisdom; so-and-so is a personal witness; so-and-so is attained to view; so-and-so is freed by faith; so-and-so is a follower of the teachings; so-and-so is a follower by faith; so-and-so is ethical, of good character; so-and-so is unethical, of bad character.’
In this way they get material things.
And when they get these things, they use them tied, infatuated, attached, blind to the drawbacks, and not understanding the escape.
This is called an assembly that values material things, not the true teaching.
And what is an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things?
It is an assembly where the mendicants don’t praise each other in front of the white-clothed laypeople, saying:
‘The mendicant so-and-so is freed both ways; so-and-so is freed by wisdom; so-and-so is a personal witness; so-and-so is attained to view; so-and-so is freed by faith; so-and-so is a follower of the teachings; so-and-so is a follower by faith; so-and-so is ethical, of good character; so-and-so is unethical, of bad character.’
In this way they get material things.
And when they get these things, they use them untied, uninfatuated, unattached, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape.
This is called an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.
These are the two assemblies.
The better of these two assemblies is the assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.”
“There are, mendicants, these two assemblies.
What two?
An assembly that values material things, not the true teaching, and an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.
And what is an assembly that values material things, not the true teaching?
It is an assembly where the mendicants praise each other in front of the white-clothed laypeople, saying:
‘The mendicant so-and-so is freed both ways; so-and-so is freed by wisdom; so-and-so is a personal witness; so-and-so is attained to view; so-and-so is freed by faith; so-and-so is a follower of the teachings; so-and-so is a follower by faith; so-and-so is ethical, of good character; so-and-so is unethical, of bad character.’
In this way they get material things.
And when they get these things, they use them tied, infatuated, attached, blind to the drawbacks, and not understanding the escape.
This is called an assembly that values material things, not the true teaching.
And what is an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things?
It is an assembly where the mendicants don’t praise each other in front of the white-clothed laypeople, saying:
‘The mendicant so-and-so is freed both ways; so-and-so is freed by wisdom; so-and-so is a personal witness; so-and-so is attained to view; so-and-so is freed by faith; so-and-so is a follower of the teachings; so-and-so is a follower by faith; so-and-so is ethical, of good character; so-and-so is unethical, of bad character.’
In this way they get material things.
And when they get these things, they use them untied, uninfatuated, unattached, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape.
This is called an assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.
These are the two assemblies.
The better of these two assemblies is the assembly that values the true teaching, not material things.”