iti.104 Itivuttaka

Excelling in Virtue

This was said by the Lord…

“Bhikkhus, as to those bhikkhus who excel in virtue, excel in concentration, excel in wisdom, excel in release, excel in the knowledge and vision of release, who are advisors, instructors, and demonstrators, who can exhort, inspire, and encourage, and who are competent teachers of the true Dhamma—seeing those bhikkhus is very helpful, I say; listening to those bhikkhus, approaching them, attending upon them, remembering them, and following their example in going forth into homelessness is very helpful, I say. For what reason?

“By following such bhikkhus, by associating with them and attending upon them, the aggregate of virtue as yet incomplete reaches completion of development, the aggregate of concentration, of wisdom, of release, and of knowledge and vision of release as yet incomplete reaches completion of development. Such bhikkhus as these are called teachers, caravan-leaders, fault-abandoners, dispellers of darkness, light-bringers, makers of radiance, luminaries, torch-bearers, bringers of illumination, noble ones, possessors of vision.”

For those who are knowledgeable
This is a state making for joy—
Living the life of Dhamma
Under the noble ones perfected in mind.

They clarify the true Dhamma,
Shining forth and illuminating it,
Those light-bringers, heroic sages,
Endowed with vision, dispelling faults.

Having heard their teaching,
The wise with perfect understanding
By directly knowing the end of birth
Come no more to renewal of being.

- Translator: John D. Ireland

- Editor: Bhikkhu Sujato

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Accomplished in Ethics

This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.
“Mendicants, take a mendicant who is accomplished in ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. They advise and instruct. They educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire, and can rightly explain the true teaching. Even the sight of those mendicants is very helpful, I say.
Even to hear them,
approach them,
pay homage to them,
recollect them,
or go forth after them is very helpful, I say.
For one who frequents and associates with such mendicants, their incomplete spectrum of ethics is completed. Their incomplete spectrum of immersion … wisdom … freedom … knowledge and vision of freedom is completed.
Such mendicants are called ‘teachers’, ‘leaders of the caravan’, ‘vice-discarders’, ‘dispellers of darkness’, ‘bringers of light’, ‘luminaries’, ‘lamps’, ‘candlebearers’, ‘beacons’, ‘noble ones’, and ‘seers’.
The Buddha spoke this matter.
On this it is said:
“This is a reason for joy
for those who understand:
that is, those who are evolved,
the noble ones living righteously.
They illuminate the true teaching,
beacons beaming light,
the wise ones bringing light,
seers with vices discarded.
Having heard their instruction,
the astute, understanding rightly,
directly know the ending of rebirth,
they come not back to future lives.”
This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.