1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion a certain bhikkhu was socializing with families excessively. The other bhikkhus told him: "The venerable one should not socialize with families excessively," but though he was admonished by them he did not desist.

Then a number of bhikkhus approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and reported this matter to the Blessed One.

2The Blessed One said: "Bhikkhus, once in the past a cat stood by an alley or a drain or a rubbish bin [n.374] Sandhisamalasaṅkaṭīre. Spk explains sandhi as an alley between two detached houses; samala as a channel for the discharge of waste from a house; and saṅkatira as a rubbish bin; see too Ps III 418,16 (commenting on MN I 334,27). At MLDB p. 433 the compound was translated, "by a door-post or a dust-bin or a drain," but it seems these last two nouns should be inverted. watching for a little mouse, thinking: ‘When this little mouse comes out for food, right there I will grab it and eat it.’ Then that mouse came out for food, and the cat grabbed it and swallowed it hastily, without chewing it. Then that little mouse ate the cat's intestines and mesentery, sn.ii.271 and on that account the cat met with death and deadly suffering.

3"So too, bhikkhus, here some bhikkhu dresses in the morning and, taking bowl and robe, enters a village or town for alms with body, speech, and mind unguarded, without setting up mindfulness, unrestrained in his sense faculties. He sees women there lightly clad or lightly attired and lust invades his mind. With his mind invaded by lust he meets death or deadly suffering. For this, bhikkhus, is death in the Noble One's Discipline: that one gives up the training and returns to the lower life. This is deadly suffering: that one commits a certain defiled offence of a kind that allows for rehabilitation. [n.375] Aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati yathārūpāya āpattiyā vuṭṭhānaṁ paññāyati. An offence motivated by a defilement (in this case lust) but of a kind that can be expiated by undergoing the appropriate penalty (as opposed to an offence of the parajika class, which does not allow for expiation but requires permanent expulsion from the Saṅgha).

"Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will enter a village or town for alms with body, speech, and mind guarded, with mindfulness set up, restrained in our sense faculties. ’ Thus should you train yourselves."

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati. Tena kho pana samayena aññataro bhikkhu ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjati. Tamenaṁ bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu: "māyasmā ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjī"ti. So bhikkhu bhikkhūhi vuccamāno na viramati.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: "idha, bhante, aññataro bhikkhu ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjati. Tamenaṁ bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu: ‘māyasmā ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjī’ti. So bhikkhu bhikkhūhi vuccamāno na viramatī"ti.

2"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, biḷāro sandhisamalasaṅkaṭīre ṭhito ahosi mudumūsiṁ maggayamāno: ‘yadāyaṁ mudumūsi gocarāya pakkamissati, tattheva naṁ gahetvā khādissāmī’ti. Atha kho so, bhikkhave, mudumūsi gocarāya pakkāmi. Tamenaṁ biḷāro gahetvā sahasā saṅkhāditvā ajjhohari. Tassa so mudumūsi antampi khādi, antaguṇampi khādi. So tatonidānaṁ maraṇampi nigacchi maraṇamattampi dukkhaṁ.

3Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati arakkhiteneva kāyena arakkhitāya vācāya arakkhitena cittena, anupaṭṭhitāya satiyā, asaṁvutehi indriyehi. So tattha passati mātugāmaṁ dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā. Tassa mātugāmaṁ disvā dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā rāgo cittaṁ anuddhaṁseti. So rāgānuddhaṁsena cittena maraṇaṁ vā nigacchati maraṇamattaṁ vā dukkhaṁ. Māraṇañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye yo sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Māraṇamattañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ yadidaṁ aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati. Yathārūpāya āpattiyā vuṭṭhānaṁ paññāyati.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘rakkhiteneva kāyena rakkhitāya vācāya rakkhitena cittena, upaṭṭhitāya satiyā, saṁvutehi indriyehi gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisissāmā’ti. Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban"ti.

Dasamaṁ.