1At Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove. Then the Venerable Mahākassapa approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him: "Exhort the bhikkhus, Kassapa, give them a Dhamma talk. Either I should exhort the bhikkhus, Kassapa, or you should. Either I should give them a Dhamma talk or you should."

1Rājagahe kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ bhagavā etadavoca: "ovada, kassapa, bhikkhū; karohi, kassapa, bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiṁ kathaṁ. Ahaṁ vā, kassapa, bhikkhūnaṁ ovadeyyaṁ tvaṁ vā; ahaṁ vā bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiṁ kathaṁ kareyyaṁ tvaṁ vā"ti.

2"Venerable sir, the bhikkhus are difficult to admonish now, and they have qualities which make them difficult to admonish. They are impatient and do not accept instruction respectfully."

2"Dubbacā kho, bhante, etarahi bhikkhū, dovacassakaraṇehi dhammehi samannāgatā, akkhamā, appadakkhiṇaggāhino anusāsanin"ti.

"Just so, Kassapa, in the past the elder bhikkhus were forest dwellers and spoke in praise of forest dwelling; they were almsfood eaters and spoke in praise of eating almsfood; they were rag-robe wearers and spoke in praise of wearing rag-robes; they were triple-robe users and spoke in praise of using the triple robe; they were of few wishes and spoke in praise of fewness of wishes; they were content and spoke in praise of contentment; they were secluded and spoke in praise of solitude; they were aloof from society and spoke in praise of aloofness from society; they were energetic and spoke in praise of arousing energy.

"Tathā hi pana, kassapa, pubbe therā bhikkhū āraññikā ceva ahesuṁ āraññikattassa ca vaṇṇavādino, piṇḍapātikā ceva ahesuṁ piṇḍapātikattassa ca vaṇṇavādino, paṁsukūlikā ceva ahesuṁ paṁsukūlikattassa ca vaṇṇavādino, tecīvarikā ceva ahesuṁ tecīvarikattassa ca vaṇṇavādino, appicchā ceva ahesuṁ appicchatāya ca vaṇṇavādino, santuṭṭhā ceva ahesuṁ santuṭṭhiyā ca vaṇṇavādino, pavivittā ceva ahesuṁ pavivekassa ca vaṇṇavādino, asaṁsaṭṭhā ceva ahesuṁ asaṁsaggassa ca vaṇṇavādino, āraddhavīriyā ceva ahesuṁ vīriyārambhassa ca vaṇṇavādino.

3"Then, when a bhikkhu was a forest dweller and spoke in praise of forest dwelling … sn.ii.209 … when he was energetic and spoke in praise of arousing energy, the elder bhikkhus would invite him to a seat, saying: ‘Come, bhikkhu. What is this bhikkhu's name? This is an excellent bhikkhu. This bhikkhu is keen on training. Come, bhikkhu, here's a seat, sit down.’

3Tatra yo hoti bhikkhu āraññiko ceva āraññikattassa ca vaṇṇavādī, piṇḍapātiko ceva piṇḍapātikattassa ca vaṇṇavādī, paṁsukūliko ceva paṁsukūlikattassa ca vaṇṇavādī, tecīvariko ceva tecīvarikattassa ca vaṇṇavādī, appiccho ceva appicchatāya ca vaṇṇavādī, santuṭṭho ceva santuṭṭhiyā ca vaṇṇavādī, pavivitto ceva pavivekassa ca vaṇṇavādī, asaṁsaṭṭho ceva asaṁsaggassa ca vaṇṇavādī, āraddhavīriyo ceva vīriyārambhassa ca vaṇṇavādī, taṁ therā bhikkhū āsanena nimantenti: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko nāmāyaṁ bhikkhu, bhaddako vatāyaṁ bhikkhu, sikkhākāmo vatāyaṁ bhikkhu; ehi, bhikkhu, idaṁ āsanaṁ nisīdāhī’ti.

4Then it would occur to the newly ordained bhikkhus: ‘It seems that when a bhikkhu is a forest dweller and speaks in praise of forest dwelling … when he is energetic and speaks in praise of arousing energy, the elder bhikkhus invite him to a seat … .’ They would practise accordingly, and that would lead to their welfare and happiness for a long time.

4Tatra, kassapa, navānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ hoti: ‘yo kira so hoti bhikkhu āraññiko ceva āraññikattassa ca vaṇṇavādī, piṇḍapātiko ceva … pe … paṁsukūliko ceva … tecīvariko ceva … appiccho ceva … santuṭṭho ceva … pavivitto ceva … asaṁsaṭṭho ceva … āraddhavīriyo ceva vīriyārambhassa ca vaṇṇavādī, taṁ therā bhikkhū āsanena nimantenti – ehi, bhikkhu, ko nāmāyaṁ bhikkhu, bhaddako vatāyaṁ bhikkhu, sikkhākāmo vatāyaṁ bhikkhu; ehi, bhikkhu, idaṁ āsanaṁ nisīdāhī’ti. Te tathattāya paṭipajjanti; tesaṁ taṁ hoti dīgharattaṁ hitāya sukhāya.

5"But now, Kassapa, the elder bhikkhus are no longer forest dwellers and do not speak in praise of forest dwelling … sn.ii.210 … they are no longer energetic and do not speak in praise of arousing energy.

5Etarahi pana, kassapa, therā bhikkhū na ceva āraññikā na ca āraññikattassa vaṇṇavādino, na ceva piṇḍapātikā na ca piṇḍapātikattassa vaṇṇavādino, na ceva paṁsukūlikā na ca paṁsukūlikattassa vaṇṇavādino, na ceva tecīvarikā na ca tecīvarikattassa vaṇṇavādino, na ceva appicchā na ca appicchatāya vaṇṇavādino, na ceva santuṭṭhā na ca santuṭṭhiyā vaṇṇavādino, na ceva pavivittā na ca pavivekassa vaṇṇavādino, na ceva asaṁsaṭṭhā na ca asaṁsaggassa vaṇṇavādino, na ceva āraddhavīriyā na ca vīriyārambhassa vaṇṇavādino.

6Now it is the bhikkhu who is well known and famous, one who gains robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites, that the elder bhikkhus invite to a seat, saying: ‘Come, bhikkhu. What is this bhikkhu's name? This is an excellent bhikkhu. This bhikkhu is keen on the company of his brothers in the holy life. Come, bhikkhu, here's a seat, sit down.’

6Tatra yo hoti bhikkhu ñāto yasassī lābhī cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ taṁ therā bhikkhū āsanena nimantenti: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko nāmāyaṁ bhikkhu, bhaddako vatāyaṁ bhikkhu, sabrahmacārikāmo vatāyaṁ bhikkhu; ehi, bhikkhu, idaṁ āsanaṁ nisīdāhī’ti.

7Then it occurs to the newly ordained bhikkhus: ‘It seems that when a bhikkhu is well known and famous, one who gains robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites, the elder bhikkhus invite him to a seat … .’ They practise accordingly, and that leads to their harm and suffering for a long time.

7Tatra, kassapa, navānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ hoti: ‘yo kira so hoti bhikkhu ñāto yasassī lābhī cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ taṁ therā bhikkhū āsanena nimantenti – ehi, bhikkhu, ko nāmāyaṁ bhikkhu, bhaddako vatāyaṁ bhikkhu, sabrahmacārikāmo vatāyaṁ bhikkhu; ehi, bhikkhu, idaṁ āsanaṁ nisīdāhī’ti. Te tathattāya paṭipajjanti. Tesaṁ taṁ hoti dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya.

"If, Kassapa, one speaking rightly could say: ‘Those leading the holy life have been ruined by the ruination of those who lead the holy life; those leading the holy life have been vanquished by the vanquishing of those who lead the holy life,’[n.284] I read with Ee: evaṁ hi taṁ Kassapa sammā vadamāno vadeyya upaddutā brahmacārī brahmacārūpaddavena abhibhavanā brahmacārī brahmacārabhibhavanenā ti. Se differs only in reading vadanto for vadamano. Be, however, has etarahi taṁ Kassapa sammā vadamāno vadeyya upaddutā brahmacārī brahmacārūpaddavena abhipatthanā brahmacārī brahmacāri-abhipatthanenā ti. This version, I suspect, arose by substituting the commentarial gloss for the original. It seems that in Se and Ee the sense requires, in place of the first abhibhavanā, the past participle abhibhūtā (or adhibhūta), though no edition available to me has this reading. On how gain and honour ruin those who live the holy life, see MN3.
Spk (Se): They are ruined by the ruination of those who lead the holy life, namely, excessive desire and lust for the four requisites. Vanquishment is excessive longing (abhibhavanā ti adhimattapatthanā). By the vanquishing of those who lead the holy life: by the state of the four requisites that consists in the excessive longing of those who lead the holy life (brahmacārabhibhavanenā ti brahmacārīnaṁ adhimattapatthanāsaṅkhātena catupaccayabhāvena). Se has a note here to the gloss: Evaṁ sabbattha. Catupaccayabhibhavena iti bhavitabbaṁ. it is just thus that one could rightly say this."

Yañhi taṁ, kassapa, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘upaddutā brahmacārī brahmacārūpaddavena abhipatthanā brahmacārī brahmacāriabhipatthanenā’ti, etarahi taṁ, kassapa, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘upaddutā brahmacārī brahmacārūpaddavena abhipatthanā brahmacārī brahmacāriabhipatthanenā’"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.