an.7.31 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Downfalls for a Lay Follower

“Mendicants, there are these seven downfalls for a lay follower …
There are these seven successes for a lay follower.
What seven?
They don’t miss out on seeing the mendicants.
They don’t neglect listening to the true teaching.
They train in higher ethical conduct.
They’re very confident about mendicants, whether senior, junior, or middle.
They don’t listen to the teaching with a hostile, fault-finding mind.
They don’t seek outside of the Buddhist community for those worthy of religious donations.
And they serve the Buddhist community first.
These are the seven successes for a lay follower.
A lay follower misses out on seeing
those who are evolved …












A lay follower who practices these
falls away from the true teaching.
A lay follower doesn’t miss out on seeing
those who are evolved …












A lay follower who practices these
doesn’t fall away from the true teaching.”