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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Person with Admirable Virtue

A monk who has admirable virtue, admirable qualities, and admirable discernment is called, in this doctrine and discipline, one who is complete, fulfilled, supreme among men.

And how is a monk a person with admirable virtue? There is the case where a monk is virtuous. He dwells restrained in accordance with the Patimokkha, consummate in his behavior and sphere of activity. He trains himself, having undertaken the training rules, seeing danger in the slightest faults. In this way a monk is a person with admirable virtue. Thus he is of admirable virtue.

And how is a monk a person with admirable qualities? There is the case where a monk lives engaged in developing of the seven [sets of] qualities that are wings to awakening. In this way a monk is a person with admirable qualities. Thus he is of admirable virtue and admirable qualities.

And how is a monk a person with admirable discernment? There is the case where a monk, through the ending of effluents dwells in the release of awareness and release of discernment that are free from effluent, having known and made them manifest for himself in the here and now. In this way a monk is a person with admirable discernment. Thus he is of admirable virtue, admirable qualities, admirable discernment. In this doctrine and discipline he is called one who is complete, fulfilled, supreme among men.

One devoid of wrong-doing
in thought, word, or deed,
is called a person of admirable virtue:
the conscientious monk.

One well-developed in the qualities
that go to the attainment of self-awakening,
is called a person of admirable qualities:
the unassuming monk.

One discerning right here for himself
the ending of stress
is called a person of admirable discernment:
the monk without effluent.

One consummate in these things,
untroubled, with doubt cut away,
unattached in all the world,
is called one who has abandoned the All.

ITI.97