1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrel sanctuary. Then the brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him …. Then, sitting to one side, he said to the Blessed One:

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho vassakāro brāhmaṇo magadhamahāmatto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho vassakāro brāhmaṇo magadhamahāmatto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: 

2"Master Gotama, I hold the thesis and view that there is no fault when one speaks about the seen, saying: ‘Such was seen by me’; no fault when one speaks about the heard, saying: ‘Such was heard by me’; no fault when one speaks about the sensed, saying: ‘Such was sensed by me’; no fault when one speaks about the cognized, saying: ‘Such was cognized by me.’"

2"Ahañhi, bho gotama, evaṁvādī evaṁdiṭṭhi:  ‘yo koci diṭṭhaṁ bhāsati – evaṁ me diṭṭhanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci sutaṁ bhāsati – evaṁ me sutanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci mutaṁ bhāsati – evaṁ me mutanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci viññātaṁ bhāsati – evaṁ me viññātanti, natthi tato doso’"ti.

3(1) "I do not say, brahmin, that everything seen should be spoken about, nor do I say that nothing seen should be spoken about. (2) I do not say that everything heard should be spoken about, nor do I say that nothing heard should be spoken about. (3) I do not say that everything sensed should be spoken about, nor do I say that nothing sensed should be spoken about. (4) I do not say that everything cognized should be spoken about, nor do I say that nothing cognized should be spoken about.

3"Nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ diṭṭhaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ diṭṭhaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ sutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ sutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ mutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ mutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ viññātaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ viññātaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi.

4(1) "For, brahmin, if, when one speaks about what one has seen, unwholesome qualities increase and wholesome qualities decline, I say that one should not speak about what one has seen. But if, when one speaks about what one has seen, unwholesome qualities decline and wholesome qualities increase, I say that one should speak about what one has seen.[n.895] I follow Ce and Ee here. Be differs and would be translated: "But if, when one does not speak about what one has seen, wholesome qualities decline and unwholesome qualities increase, I say that one should speak about what one has seen." Each of the following paragraphs varies in the same way.

4Yañhi, brāhmaṇa, diṭṭhaṁ bhāsato akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, evarūpaṁ diṭṭhaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi. Yañca khvassa, brāhmaṇa, diṭṭhaṁ abhāsato kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, evarūpaṁ diṭṭhaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi.

5(2) "If, when one speaks about what one has heard, unwholesome qualities increase and wholesome qualities decline, I say that one should not speak about what one has heard. But if, when one speaks about what one has heard, unwholesome qualities decline and wholesome qualities increase, I say that one should speak about what one has heard.

5Yañhi, brāhmaṇa, sutaṁ bhāsato akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, evarūpaṁ sutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi. Yañca khvassa, brāhmaṇa, sutaṁ abhāsato kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, evarūpaṁ sutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi.

6(3) "If, when one speaks about what one has sensed, unwholesome qualities increase and wholesome qualities decline, I say that one should not speak about what one has sensed. But if, when one speaks about what one has sensed, unwholesome qualities decline and wholesome qualities increase, I say that one should speak about what one has sensed.

6Yañhi, brāhmaṇa, mutaṁ bhāsato akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, evarūpaṁ mutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi. Yañca khvassa, brāhmaṇa, mutaṁ abhāsato kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, evarūpaṁ mutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi.

7(4) "If, when one speaks about what one has cognized, unwholesome qualities increase and wholesome qualities decline, I say that one should not speak about what one has cognized. But if, when one speaks about what one has cognized, unwholesome qualities decline and wholesome qualities increase, I say that one should speak about what one has cognized."

7Yañhi, brāhmaṇa, viññātaṁ bhāsato akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, evarūpaṁ viññātaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi. Yañca khvassa, brāhmaṇa, viññātaṁ abhāsato kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, evarūpaṁ viññātaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmī"ti.

8Then the brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, having delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One's statement, rose from his seat and departed.

8Atha kho vassakāro brāhmaṇo magadhamahāmatto bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmīti.

Tatiyaṁ.