Sattakanipāta 73

Numbered Discourses 7.73

7. The Great Chapter

About Sunetta

1 “Once upon a time, mendicants, there was a teacher named Sunetta. He was a religious founder and was free of desire for sensual pleasures. He had many hundreds of disciples. He taught them a Dhamma for rebirth in the company of Divinity. Those lacking confidence in Sunetta were—when their body broke up, after death—reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. Those full of confidence in Sunetta were—when their body broke up, after death—reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.

2 Once upon a time, there was a teacher named Mūgapakkha … Aranemi … Kuddālaka … Hatthipāla … Jotipāla … Araka. He was a religious founder and was free of desire for sensual pleasures. He had many hundreds of disciples. He taught them a Dhamma for rebirth in the company of Divinity. Those lacking confidence in Araka were—when their body broke up, after death—reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. Those full of confidence in Araka were—when their body broke up, after death—reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.

3 What do you think, mendicants? If someone with malicious intent were to abuse and insult these seven teachers with their hundreds of followers, would they not brim with much wickedness?”

“Yes, sir.”

“They would indeed. But someone who abuses and insults a single individual accomplished in view with malicious intent brims even more with wickedness. Why is that? I say that any injury done by those outside of the Buddhist community does not compare with what is done to one’s own spiritual companions.

4 So you should train like this: ‘We will have no malicious intent for our spiritual companions.’ That’s how you should train.”