1"Bhikkhus, there are these five unfavorable occasions for striving. What five?

---

(1) "Here, a bhikkhu is old, overcome by old age. This is the first unfavorable occasion for striving.

2(2) "Again, a bhikkhu is ill, overcome by illness. This is the second unfavorable occasion for striving.

3(3) "Again, there is a famine, a poor harvest, a time when almsfood is difficult to obtain and it is not easy to subsist by means of gleaning. [n.1046] Na sukaraṁ uñchena paggahena yāpetun. I take uñchena paggahena to denote a single act, not two acts. There is no ca or vā to suggest that two acts are intended. The gloss in Mp also implies that the expression refers to one act: "It is not possible to take one's bowl and sustain oneself by the practice of gleaning" (na sakkā hoti pattaṁ gahetvā uñchācariyāya yāpetuṁ). See too the gloss at Sp I 175,22–23: paggahena yo uñcho, tena yāpetuṁ na sukarā. This is the third unfavorable occasion for striving.

4(4) "Again, there is peril, turbulence in the wilderness, and the people of the countryside, mounted on their vehicles, flee on all sides. This is the fourth unfavorable occasion for striving.

5(5) "Again, there is a schism in the Saṅgha, and when there is a schism in the Saṅgha there are mutual insults, mutual reviling, mutual disparagement, and mutual rejection. [n.1047] Aññamaññaṁ akkosā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ paribhāsā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ parikkhepā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ pariccajā ca honti. A similar passage in It §§18–19, 10–11, has aññamaññaṁ bhaṇḍanāni ceva honti instead of aññamaññaṁ akkosā ca honti but is otherwise the same. I translate parikkhepā and pariccajanā in accordance with It-a I 69,25–27, which explains parikkhepā as "disparagement and denigration through the ten bases of insults, attacking all around in terms of birth and so forth" (jāti-ādivasena parito khepā, dasahi akkosavatthūhi khuṁsanavambhanā), and pariccajanā as "dismissal by way of disciplinary acts of suspension and so forth" (ukkhepaniyakammakaraṇādivasena nissāraṇā). Then those without confidence do not gain confidence, while some of those with confidence change their minds.

This is the fifth unfavorable occasion for striving.

"These are the five unfavorable occasions for striving.

---

6"There are, bhikkhus, these five favorable occasions for striving. What five?

(1) "Here, a bhikkhu is young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessing of youth, in the prime of life. This is the first favorable occasion for striving.

7(2) "Again, a bhikkhu is seldom ill or afflicted, possessing an even digestion that is neither too cool nor too hot but moderate and suitable for striving. This is the second favorable occasion for striving.

8(3) "Again, food is plentiful; there has been a good harvest and almsfood is abundant, so that one can easily sustain oneself by means of gleaning. This is the third favorable occasion for striving.

9(4) "Again, people are dwelling in concord, harmoniously, without disputes, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with eyes of affection. This is the fourth favorable occasion for striving.

10(5) "Again, the Saṅgha is dwelling at ease—in concord, harmoniously, without disputes, with a single recitation. When the Saṅgha is in concord, there are no mutual insults, no mutual reviling, no mutual disparagement, and no mutual rejection. Then those without confidence gain confidence and those with confidence increase in their confidence. [n.1048] It might be asked whether the expression pasannānañca bhiyyobhāvo hoti means that the number of those with confidence increases, or, alternatively, that those with confidence increase in confidence. Sp I 225,18–24, supports the latter: "Laypeople who have confidence in the Teaching, seeing the bhikkhus following the training rules as they have been established, become ever more confident, saying: ‘The monks indeed do what is hard to do; for as long as they live they eat once a day, maintain celibacy, and observe the restraint of the Vinaya’" (yepi sāsane pasannā kulaputtā tepi sikkhāpadapaññattiṁ ñatvā yathāpaññattaṁ paṭipajjamāne bhikkhū vā disvā "aho ayyā dukkarakārino, ye yāvajīvaṁ ekabhattaṁ brahmacariyaṁ vinayasaṁvaraṁ anupālentī" ti bhiyyo bhiyyo pasīdanti). This is the fifth favorable occasion for striving.

---

"These are the five favorable occasions for striving."

1"Pañcime, bhikkhave, asamayā padhānāya. Katame pañca?

---

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu jiṇṇo hoti jarāyābhibhūto. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamo asamayo padhānāya.

2Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu byādhito hoti byādhinābhibhūto. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyo asamayo padhānāya.

3Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, dubbhikkhaṁ hoti dussassaṁ dullabhapiṇḍaṁ, na sukaraṁ uñchena paggahena yāpetuṁ. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, tatiyo asamayo padhānāya.

4Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhayaṁ hoti aṭavisaṅkopo, cakkasamārūḷhā jānapadā pariyāyanti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, catuttho asamayo padhānāya.

5Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, saṅgho bhinno hoti. Saṅghe kho pana, bhikkhave, bhinne aññamaññaṁ akkosā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ paribhāsā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ parikkhepā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ pariccajā ca honti. Tattha appasannā ceva nappasīdanti, pasannānañca ekaccānaṁ aññathattaṁ hoti.

Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, pañcamo asamayo padhānāya.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca asamayā padhānāyāti.

---

6Pañcime, bhikkhave, samayā padhānāya. Katame pañca?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu daharo hoti yuvā susu kāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamo samayo padhānāya.

7Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu appābādho hoti appātaṅko, samavepākiniyā gahaṇiyā samannāgato nātisītāya nāccuṇhāya majjhimāya padhānakkhamāya. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyo samayo padhānāya.

8Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, subhikkhaṁ hoti susassaṁ sulabhapiṇḍaṁ, sukaraṁ uñchena paggahena yāpetuṁ. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, tatiyo samayo padhānāya.

9Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, manussā samaggā sammodamānā avivadamānā khīrodakībhūtā aññamaññaṁ piyacakkhūhi sampassantā viharanti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, catuttho samayo padhānāya.

10Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, saṅgho samaggo sammodamāno avivadamāno ekuddeso phāsu viharati. Saṅghe kho pana, bhikkhave, samagge na ceva aññamaññaṁ akkosā honti, na ca aññamaññaṁ paribhāsā honti, na ca aññamaññaṁ parikkhepā honti, na ca aññamaññaṁ pariccajā honti. Tattha appasannā ceva pasīdanti, pasannānañca bhiyyobhāvo hoti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, pañcamo samayo padhānāya.

---

Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca samayā padhānāyā"ti.

---

Catutthaṁ.