Sutta Nipāta 18

Anthology of Discourses 2.6

A Righteous Life

1 A righteous life, a spiritual life,

they call this the supreme treasure.

But if someone goes forth

from the lay life to homelessness

2 who is of scurrilous character,

a beast and a bully,

their life gets worse,

as poison grows inside them.

3 A mendicant who loves to quarrel,

wrapped in delusion,

doesn’t even know what’s been explained

in the Dhamma taught by the Buddha.

4 Harassing those who are evolved,

governed by ignorance,

they don’t know that corruption

is the path that leads to hell.

5 Entering the underworld,

passing from womb to womb,

from darkness to darkness,

such a mendicant

falls into suffering after death.

6 One such as that is

like a sewer

brimful with years of filth

for it’s hard to clean one full of grime.

7 Mendicants, knowing that someone is like this,

attached to the domestic life,

of corrupt wishes and wicked intent,

of bad behavior and alms-resort,

8 then having gathered in harmony,

you should expel them.

Throw out the trash!

Get rid of the rubbish!

9 And sweep away the scraps—

they’re not ascetics, they just think they are.

When you’ve thrown out those of corrupt wishes,

of bad behavior and alms-resort,

10 dwell in communion, ever mindful,

the pure with the pure.

Then in harmony, alert,

you’ll make an end of suffering.