• Numbered Discourses 3.117 Aį¹…guttara Nikāya 3.117
  • 12. Bound for Loss 12. Āpāyikavagga

Failures and Accomplishments Vipattisampadāsutta

ā€œMendicants, there are three failures. ā€œTisso imā, bhikkhave, vipattiyo. What three? Katamā tisso? Failure in ethics, mind, and view. SÄ«lavipatti, cittavipatti, diį¹­į¹­hivipatti. And what is failure in ethics? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sÄ«lavipatti? It’s when someone kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and uses speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātÄ« hoti, adinnādāyÄ« hoti, kāmesumicchācārÄ« hoti, musāvādÄ« hoti, pisuṇavāco hoti, pharusavāco hoti, samphappalāpÄ« hoti. This is called ā€˜failure in ethics’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sÄ«lavipatti.

And what is failure in mind? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, cittavipatti? It’s when someone is covetous and malicious. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco abhijjhālu hoti byāpannacitto. This is called ā€˜failure in mind’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, cittavipatti.

And what is failure in view? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hivipatti? It’s when someone has wrong view, a distorted perspective, such as: Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiį¹­į¹­hiko hoti viparÄ«tadassano: ā€˜There’s no meaning in giving, sacrifice, or offerings. There’s no fruit or result of good and bad deeds. There’s no afterlife. There’s no such thing as mother and father, or beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there’s no ascetic or brahmin who is rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describes the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ ā€˜natthi dinnaṁ, natthi yiį¹­į¹­haṁ, natthi hutaṁ, natthi sukatadukkaṭānaṁ, kammānaṁ phalaṁ vipāko, natthi ayaṁ loko, natthi paro loko, natthi mātā, natthi pitā, natthi sattā opapātikā, natthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā sammaggatā sammāpaį¹­ipannā ye imaƱca lokaṁ paraƱca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiƱƱā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti. This is called ā€˜failure in view’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hivipatti. Some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell because of failure in ethics, SÄ«lavipattihetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti; mind, cittavipattihetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti; or view. diį¹­į¹­hivipattihetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti.

These are the three failures. Imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso vipattiyoti.

There are three accomplishments. Tisso imā, bhikkhave, sampadā. What three? Katamā tisso? Accomplishment in ethics, mind, and view. Sīlasampadā, cittasampadā, diṭṭhisampadā.

And what is accomplishment in ethics? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sÄ«lasampadā? It’s when someone doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, or use speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paį¹­ivirato hoti, adinnādānā paį¹­ivirato hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paį¹­ivirato hoti, musāvādā paį¹­ivirato hoti, pisuṇāya vācāya paį¹­ivirato hoti, pharusāya vācāya paį¹­ivirato hoti, samphappalāpā paį¹­ivirato hoti. This is called accomplishment in ethics. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sÄ«lasampadā.

And what is accomplishment in mind? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, cittasampadā? It’s when someone is content and kind-hearted. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco anabhijjhālu hoti abyāpannacitto. This is called accomplishment in mind. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, cittasampadā.

And what is accomplishment in view? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hisampadā? It’s when someone has right view, an undistorted perspective, such as: Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiį¹­į¹­hiko hoti aviparÄ«tadassano: ā€˜There is meaning in giving, sacrifice, and offerings. There are fruits and results of good and bad deeds. There is an afterlife. There are such things as mother and father, and beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there are ascetics and brahmins who are rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describe the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ ā€˜atthi dinnaṁ, atthi yiį¹­į¹­haṁ, atthi hutaṁ, atthi sukatadukkaṭānaṁ kammānaṁ phalaṁ vipāko, atthi ayaṁ loko, atthi paro loko, atthi mātā, atthi pitā, atthi sattā opapātikā, atthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā sammaggatā sammāpaį¹­ipannā ye imaƱca lokaṁ paraƱca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiƱƱā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti. This is called accomplishment in view. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hisampadā. Some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm because of accomplishment in ethics, SÄ«lasampadāhetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti; mind, cittasampadāhetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti; or view. diį¹­į¹­hisampadāhetu vā, bhikkhave, sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjanti.

These are the three accomplishments.ā€ Imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso sampadÄā€ti.

Pañcamaṁ.