• Numbered Discourses 5.154 Aį¹…guttara Nikāya 5.154
  • 16. The True Teaching 16. Saddhammavagga

The Decline of the True Teaching (1st) Paį¹­hamasaddhammasammosasutta

ā€œMendicants, these five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. ā€œPaƱcime, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṁvattanti. What five? Katame paƱca? It’s when mendicants don’t carefully listen to the teachings, memorize them, and remember them. They don’t carefully examine the meaning of teachings that they remember. And they don’t carefully practice in line with the meaning and the teaching they’ve understood. Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhÅ« na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ suṇanti, na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhārenti, na sakkaccaṁ dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhanti, na sakkaccaṁ atthamaƱƱāya dhammamaƱƱāya dhammānudhammaṁ paį¹­ipajjanti. These five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. Ime kho, bhikkhave, paƱca dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṁvattanti.

These five things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching. PaƱcime, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa į¹­hitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṁvattanti. What five? Katame paƱca? It’s when mendicants carefully listen to the teachings, memorize them, and remember them. They carefully examine the meaning of teachings that they remember. And they carefully practice in line with the meaning and the teaching they’ve understood. Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhÅ« sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ suṇanti, sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhārenti, sakkaccaṁ dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhanti, sakkaccaṁ atthamaƱƱāya dhammamaƱƱāya dhammānudhammaṁ paį¹­ipajjanti. These five things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.ā€ Ime kho, bhikkhave, paƱca dhammā saddhammassa į¹­hitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṁvattantÄ«ā€ti.

Catutthaṁ.