This teaching was given by the Buddha to a spontatneous gathering of 1,250 enlightened monks. It is a summary of the rules for the Sangha, composed before the monastic rules for training had been extablished in detail. Two different translations are given.
Patient endurance
is the ultimate asceticism.
Profound liberation,
say the Buddhas,
is the supreme goal.
A renunciate should not
oppress anyone. |
Forbearance is the best austerity,
"Nibbana is supreme", say the Buddhas.
He is not one gone forth who harms another.
He is not a recluse who molests others. |
Cease to do evil,
cultivate that which is good;
purify the heart.
This is the Way
of the Awakened Ones. |
To abstain from all evil,
To cultivate what is wholesome,
To purify one's mind:
This is the Message of the Buddhas. |
Not insulting, not harming,
cultivating restraint
with respect for the training,
modesty in eating and
contentment
with one's dwelling place,
devotion to mindful intent:
this is the teaching of the Buddha. |
To speak no ill, to do no harm,
To keep the rules,
To eat enough but not too much,
To live apart and meditate,
This is the Message of the Buddhas. |
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Page last updated on
November 3, 2007
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