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Sutta Nipata I.5

Cunda Sutta

To Cunda

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

[Cunda the smith:]
"I ask the sage of abundant discernment,
awakened, lord of the Dhamma, free
of craving,
            supreme
among two-legged beings,
        best
of charioteers:
    "How many contemplatives
    are there in the world?
        Please tell me."

[The Buddha:]

"Four contemplatives, Cunda. There isn't a fifth.
Being asked face-to-face, I'll explain:
    the Victor of the path,
    the teacher of the path,
    one who lives by the path,
    & one who corrupts the path."

[Cunda:]

"Whom do the Awakened
call the Victor of the path
[&] one who is an unequalled teacher of the path?
Tell me the one who lives by the path,
and explain to me one who corrupts the path."

[The Buddha:]

"He's crossed over perplexity,
his arrow removed,
delighting in Unbinding, free
of greed,
the leader of the world with its devas:
        one like this
        the Awakened
        call the Victor
        of the path.

He here knows the foremost as foremost,
who right here shows & analyzes the Dhamma,
that sage, a cutter-of-doubt unperturbed:
        he's called the second of monks,
        the teacher of the path.

    Mindful, restrained,
he lives by the well-taught     Dhamma-principles,
                path,
associating with principles without blame:
        he's called the third of monks,
        one who lives by the path.

Creating a counterfeit
of those with good practices,
self-asserting, a corrupter of families,[1] intrusive,
deceitful, unrestrained, chaff,
going around in disguise:
        he's one who corrupts the path.

Any householder, having ferreted these out
    -- a discerning disciple of those who are noble --
knowing they aren't all the same,
seeing this, his conviction's not harmed.
For how could the corrupt with the un-
    corrupt,
        the impure with the pure,
            be put on a par?"


Note

1. A corrupter of families is a monk who ingratiates himself into a family's affections by performing services for them that are inappropriate for a monk to do, thus diverting their faith away from those who live by the Dhamma and Vinaya. For more on this term, see The Buddhist Monastic Code, Sanghadisesa 13. [Go back]


Revised: Wednesday 2005.03.23
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/khuddaka/suttanipata/snp1-05.html