1(1) "Bhikkhus, isn’t poverty suffering in the world for one who enjoys sensual pleasures?"

"Yes, Bhante."

1"Dāliddiyaṁ, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante". (1)

2(2) "If a poor, destitute, indigent person gets into debt, isn’t his indebtedness, too, suffering in the world for one who enjoys sensual pleasures?"

"Yes, Bhante."

2"Yampi, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko iṇaṁ ādiyati, iṇādānampi, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante". (2)

3(3) "If a poor, destitute, indigent person who has gotten into debt promises to pay interest, isn’t the interest, too, suffering in the world for one who enjoys sensual pleasures?"

3"Yampi, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko iṇaṁ ādiyitvā vaḍḍhiṁ paṭissuṇāti, vaḍḍhipi, bhikkhave, dukkhā lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante". (3)

"Yes, Bhante."

4(4) "If a poor, destitute, indigent person who has promised to pay interest cannot pay it when it falls due, they reprove him. Isn’t being reproved, too, suffering in the world for one who enjoys sensual pleasures?"

4"Yampi, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko vaḍḍhiṁ paṭissuṇitvā kālābhataṁ vaḍḍhiṁ na deti, codentipi naṁ; codanāpi, bhikkhave, dukkhā lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino"ti?

"Yes, Bhante."

"Evaṁ, bhante". (4)

5(5) "If a poor, destitute, indigent person who is reproved does not pay, they prosecute him. Isn’t prosecution, too, suffering in the world for one who enjoys sensual pleasures?"

"Yes, Bhante."

5"Yampi, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko codiyamāno na deti, anucarantipi naṁ; anucariyāpi, bhikkhave, dukkhā lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante". (5)

6(6) "If a poor, destitute, indigent person who is prosecuted does not pay, they imprison him. Isn’t imprisonment, too, suffering in the world for one who enjoys sensual pleasures?"

"Yes, Bhante."

6"Yampi, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko anucariyamāno na deti, bandhantipi naṁ; bandhanampi, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante". (6)

7"So, bhikkhus, for one who enjoys sensual pleasures, poverty is suffering in the world; getting into debt is suffering in the world; having to pay interest is suffering in the world; being reproved is suffering in the world; prosecution is suffering in the world; and imprisonment is suffering in the world.

7"Iti kho, bhikkhave, dāliddiyampi dukkhaṁ lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino, iṇādānampi dukkhaṁ lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino, vaḍḍhipi dukkhā lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino, codanāpi dukkhā lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino, anucariyāpi dukkhā lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino, bandhanampi dukkhaṁ lokasmiṁ kāmabhogino;

(1) "So too, bhikkhus, when one does not have faith in cultivating wholesome qualities, when one does not have a sense of moral shame in cultivating wholesome qualities, when one does not have moral dread in cultivating wholesome qualities, when one does not have energy in cultivating wholesome qualities, when one does not have wisdom in cultivating wholesome qualities, in the Noble One's discipline one is called a poor, destitute, indigent person.

evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yassa kassaci saddhā natthi kusalesu dhammesu, hirī natthi kusalesu dhammesu, ottappaṁ natthi kusalesu dhammesu, vīriyaṁ natthi kusalesu dhammesu, paññā natthi kusalesu dhammesu – ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye daliddo assako anāḷhiko.

8(2) "Having no faith, no sense of moral shame, no moral dread, no energy, no wisdom in cultivating wholesome qualities, that poor, destitute, indigent person engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. This, I say, is his getting into debt.

8Sa kho so, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko saddhāya asati kusalesu dhammesu, hiriyā asati kusalesu dhammesu, ottappe asati kusalesu dhammesu, vīriye asati kusalesu dhammesu, paññāya asati kusalesu dhammesu, kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. Idamassa iṇādānasmiṁ vadāmi.

9(3) "To conceal his bodily misconduct, he nurtures an evil desire. He wishes: ‘Let no one know me’; he intends with the aim: ‘Let no one know me’; he utters statements with the aim: ‘Let no one know me’; he makes bodily endeavors with the aim: ‘Let no one know me.’

"To conceal his verbal misconduct … To conceal his mental misconduct, he nurtures an evil desire. He wishes: ‘Let no one know me’; he intends with the aim: ‘Let no one know me’; he utters statements with the aim: ‘Let no one know me’; he makes bodily endeavors with the aim: ‘Let no one know me.’ This, I say, is the interest he must pay.

9So tassa kāyaduccaritassa paṭicchādanahetu pāpikaṁ icchaṁ paṇidahati. ‘Mā maṁ jaññū’ti icchati, ‘mā maṁ jaññū’ti saṅkappati, ‘mā maṁ jaññū’ti vācaṁ bhāsati, ‘mā maṁ jaññū’ti kāyena parakkamati. So tassa vacīduccaritassa paṭicchādanahetu … pe … so tassa manoduccaritassa paṭicchādanahetu … pe … ‘mā maṁ jaññū’ti kāyena parakkamati. Idamassa vaḍḍhiyā vadāmi.

10(4) "Well-behaved fellow monks speak thus about him: ‘This venerable one acts in such a way, behaves in such a way.’ This, I say, is his being reproved.

10Tamenaṁ pesalā sabrahmacārī evamāhaṁsu:  ‘ayañca so āyasmā evaṅkārī evaṁsamācāro’ti. Idamassa codanāya vadāmi.

11(5) "When he has gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling, bad unwholesome thoughts accompanied by remorse assail him. This, I say, is his prosecution.

11Tamenaṁ araññagataṁ vā rukkhamūlagataṁ vā suññāgāragataṁ vā vippaṭisārasahagatā pāpakā akusalavitakkā samudācaranti. Idamassa anucariyāya vadāmi.

12(6) "Then, with the breakup of the body, after death, that poor, destitute, indigent person who engaged in misconduct by body, speech, and mind is bound in the prison of hell or the prison of the animal realm. I do not see, bhikkhus, any other prison that is as terrible and harsh, and such an obstacle to attaining the unsurpassed security from bondage, as the prison of hell or the prison of the animal realm."

12Sa kho so, bhikkhave, daliddo assako anāḷhiko kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā nirayabandhane vā bajjhati tiracchānayonibandhane vā. Nāhaṁ, bhikkhave, aññaṁ ekabandhanampi samanupassāmi evaṁdāruṇaṁ evaṅkaṭukaṁ evaṁantarāyakaraṁ anuttarassa yogakkhemassa adhigamāya, yathayidaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayabandhanaṁ vā tiracchānayonibandhanaṁ vāti.

13Poverty is called suffering in the world;
so too is getting into debt.
A poor person who becomes indebted
is troubled while enjoying himself.

13Dāliddiyaṁ dukkhaṁ loke,
iṇādānañca vuccati;
Daliddo iṇamādāya,
bhuñjamāno vihaññati.

14Then they prosecute him
and he also incurs imprisonment.
This imprisonment is indeed suffering
for one yearning for gain and sensual pleasures.

14Tato anucaranti naṁ,
bandhanampi nigacchati;
Etañhi bandhanaṁ dukkhaṁ,
kāmalābhābhijappinaṁ.

15Just so in the Noble One's discipline,
one in whom faith is lacking,
who is shameless and brash,
heaps up a mass of evil kamma.

15Tatheva ariyavinaye,
saddhā yassa na vijjati;
Ahirīko anottappī,
pāpakammavinibbayo.

16Having engaged in misconduct
by body, speech, and mind,
he forms the wish:
"May no one find out about me."

16Kāyaduccaritaṁ katvā,
vacīduccaritāni ca;
Manoduccaritaṁ katvā,
‘ mā maṁ jaññū’ti icchati.

17He twists around with his body,
twists around by speech or mind;
he piles up his evil deeds,
in one way or another, repeatedly.

17So saṁsappati kāyena,
vācāya uda cetasā;
Pāpakammaṁ pavaḍḍhento,
tattha tattha punappunaṁ.

18This foolish evildoer, knowing
his own misdeeds, is a poor person
who falls into debt,
troubled while enjoying himself.

18So pāpakammo dummedho,
jānaṁ dukkaṭamattano;
Daliddo iṇamādāya,
bhuñjamāno vihaññati.

19His thoughts then prosecute him;
painful mental states born of remorse
follow him wherever he goes
whether in the village or the forest.

19Tato anucaranti naṁ,
saṅkappā mānasā dukhā;
Gāme vā yadi vāraññe,
yassa vippaṭisārajā.

20This foolish evildoer,
knowing his own misdeeds,
goes to a certain animal realm
or is even bound in hell.

20So pāpakammo dummedho,
jānaṁ dukkaṭamattano;
Yonimaññataraṁ gantvā,
niraye vāpi bajjhati.

21This indeed is the suffering of bondage[n.1341] I have divided the stanzas as is done in Be, which I find more satisfactory than Ce. In Ee the lines of verse are not grouped into separate stanzas.
from which the wise person is freed,
giving gifts with wealth righteously gained,
settling his mind in confidence.

21Etañhi bandhanaṁ dukkhaṁ,
yamhā dhīro pamuccati;
Dhammaladdhehi bhogehi,
dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādayaṁ.

22The householder endowed with faith
has made a lucky throw in both cases:
for his welfare in this present life
and happiness in future lives.
Thus it is that for home-dwellers
this merit increases through generosity.[n.1342] All three editions read evam etaṁ gahaṭṭhānaṁ cāgo puññaṁ pavaḍḍhati. The syntax is not satisfactory yet no variants are noted. Mp attempts to resolve the problem with its gloss, cāgoti saṅkhaṁ gataṁ puññaṁ vaḍḍhati, "merit which is designated ‘generosity’ increases," but this is implausible. Could there have originally been an ablative cāgā here, or an instrumental cāgena (with the verb vaḍḍhati, to support the meter), which was changed to cāgo by error? The Chinese parallel, MĀ 125, lends some support to this hypothesis at T I 614c20: , "because of generosity merit increases."

22Ubhayattha kaṭaggāho,
saddhassa gharamesino;
Diṭṭhadhammahitatthāya,
samparāyasukhāya ca;
Evametaṁ gahaṭṭhānaṁ,
cāgo puññaṁ pavaḍḍhati.

23Just so, in the Noble One's discipline,
one whose faith is firm,
who is endowed with shame, dreading wrong,
wise and restrained by virtuous behavior,

23Tatheva ariyavinaye,
saddhā yassa patiṭṭhitā;
Hirīmano ca ottappī,
paññavā sīlasaṁvuto.

24is said to live happily
in the Noble One's discipline.
Having gained spiritual happiness,
one then resolves on equanimity.

24Eso kho ariyavinaye,
‘ sukhajīvī’ti vuccati;
Nirāmisaṁ sukhaṁ laddhā,
upekkhaṁ adhitiṭṭhati.

25Having abandoned the five hindrances,
always arousing energy,
he enters upon the jhānas,
unified, alert, and mindful.

25Pañca nīvaraṇe hitvā,
niccaṁ āraddhavīriyo;
Jhānāni upasampajja,
ekodi nipako sato.

26Having known things thus as they really are,
through complete non-clinging
the mind is rightly liberated
with the destruction of all fetters.

26Evaṁ ñatvā yathābhūtaṁ,
sabbasaṁyojanakkhaye;
Sabbaso anupādāya,
sammā cittaṁ vimuccati.

27With the destruction of the fetters of existence,
for the stable one, rightly liberated,
the knowledge occurs:
"My liberation is unshakable."

27Tassa sammā vimuttassa,
ñāṇañce hoti tādino;
‘ Akuppā me vimuttī’ti,
bhavasaṁyojanakkhaye.

28This is the supreme knowledge;
this is unsurpassed happiness.
Sorrowless, dust-free, and secure,
this is the highest freedom from debt.

28Etaṁ kho paramaṁ ñāṇaṁ,
etaṁ sukhamanuttaraṁ;
Asokaṁ virajaṁ khemaṁ,
etaṁ ānaṇyamuttaman"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.