1.
The Chapter on the Good Person
1.
The Discourse on the Training Rule
201. "I will teach you, monks, the bad person and one worse than a bad person; the good person and one better than a good person. Listen to that, pay close attention; I will speak." "Yes, venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this -
"And what, monks, is a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one is one who kills living beings, takes what is not given, engages in sexual misconduct, is a liar, indulges in spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence. This is called, monks, a bad person.
"And what, monks, is one worse than a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one himself is one who kills living beings, and instigates others in killing living beings; he himself takes what is not given, and instigates others in taking what is not given; he himself engages in sexual misconduct, and instigates others in sexual misconduct; he himself is a liar, and instigates others in lying; he himself indulges in spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence, and instigates others in indulging in spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence. This is called, monks, one worse than a bad person.
"And what, monks, is a good person? Here, monks, a certain one abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from sexual misconduct, abstains from lying, abstains from spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence. This is called, monks, a good person.
"And what, monks, is one better than a good person? Here, monks, a certain one himself abstains from killing living beings, and encourages others to abstain from killing living beings; he himself abstains from taking what is not given, and encourages others to abstain from taking what is not given; he himself abstains from sexual misconduct, and encourages others to abstain from sexual misconduct; he himself abstains from lying, and encourages others to abstain from lying; he himself abstains from spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence, and also encourages others to abstain from spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence. This is called, monks, one better than a good person." The first.
2.
The Discourse on the Faithless
202. "I will teach you, monks, the bad person and one worse than a bad person; the good person and one better than a good person. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one is faithless, is shameless, has no moral fear, is of little learning, is lazy, is unmindful, is unwise. This is called, monks, a bad person.
"And what, monks, is one worse than a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one is himself faithless, and encourages others to faithlessness; he is himself shameless, and encourages others to shamelessness; he himself has no moral fear, and encourages others to moral fearlessness; he is himself of little learning, and encourages others to little learning; he is himself lazy, and encourages others to idleness; he is himself unmindful, and encourages others to unmindfulness; he is himself unwise, and encourages others to lack of wisdom. This is called, monks, one worse than a bad person.
"And what, monks, is a good person? Here, monks, a certain one has faith, has shame, has moral fear, is very learned, is putting forth strenuous energy, is mindful, is wise. This is called, monks, a good person.
"And what, monks, is one better than a good person? Here, monks, a certain one is himself accomplished in faith, and encourages others to accomplishment in faith; he is himself possessed of shame, and encourages others to possession of shame; he himself has moral fear, and encourages others to moral fear; he is himself very learned, and encourages others to great learning; he is himself putting forth strenuous energy, and encourages others to arousal of energy; he himself is mindful, and encourages others to establishing of mindfulness; he is himself accomplished in wisdom, and encourages others to accomplishment in wisdom. This is called, monks, one better than a good person." The second.
3.
The Discourse on the Seven Actions
203. "I will teach you, monks, the bad person and one worse than a bad person; the good person and one better than a good person. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one is one who kills living beings, takes what is not given, engages in sexual misconduct, is a liar, speaks divisive speech, speaks harsh speech, engages in idle chatter. This is called, monks, a bad person.
"And what, monks, is one worse than a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one himself is one who kills living beings, and instigates others in killing living beings; he himself takes what is not given, and instigates others in taking what is not given; he himself engages in sexual misconduct, and instigates others in sexual misconduct; he himself is a liar, and instigates others in lying; he himself speaks divisive speech, and instigates others in divisive speech; he himself speaks harsh speech, and instigates others in harsh speech; he himself engages in idle chatter, and instigates others in idle chatter. This is called, monks, one worse than a bad person.
"And what, monks, is a good person? Here, monks, a certain one abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from sexual misconduct, abstains from lying, abstains from divisive speech, abstains from harsh speech, abstains from idle chatter. This is called, monks, a good person.
"And what, monks, is one better than a good person? Here, monks, a certain one himself abstains from killing living beings, and encourages others to abstain from killing living beings; he himself abstains from taking what is not given, and encourages others to abstain from taking what is not given; he himself abstains from sexual misconduct, and encourages others to abstain from sexual misconduct; he himself abstains from lying, and encourages others to abstain from lying; he himself abstains from divisive speech, and encourages others to abstain from divisive speech; he himself abstains from harsh speech, and encourages others to abstain from harsh speech; he himself abstains from idle chatter, and encourages others to abstain from idle chatter. This is called, monks, one better than a good person." The third.
4.
The Discourse on the Ten Actions
204. "I will teach you, monks, the bad person and one worse than a bad person; the good person and one better than a good person. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one is one who kills living beings, takes what is not given, engages in sexual misconduct, is a liar, speaks divisive speech, speaks harsh speech, engages in idle chatter, is covetous, has a mind of ill-will, holds wrong view. This is called, monks, a bad person.
"And what, monks, is one worse than a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one himself is one who kills living beings, and instigates others in killing living beings, etc. he himself is covetous, and instigates others in covetousness; he himself has a mind of ill-will, and instigates others in anger; he himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view. This is called, monks, one worse than a bad person.
"And what, monks, is a good person? Here, monks, a certain one abstains from killing living beings, etc. is non-covetous, has a mind without ill-will, holds right view. This is called, monks, a good person.
"And what, monks, is one better than a good person? Here, monks, a certain one himself abstains from killing living beings, and encourages others to abstain from killing living beings, etc. he himself is non-covetous, and encourages others in non-covetousness; he himself has a mind without ill-will, and encourages others in non-anger; he himself holds right view, and encourages others in right view. This is called, monks, one better than a good person." The fourth.
5.
The Discourse on the Eightfold
205. "I will teach you, monks, the bad person and one worse than a bad person; the good person and one better than a good person. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one holds wrong view, holds wrong thought, holds wrong speech, holds wrong action, holds wrong livelihood, holds wrong effort, holds wrong mindfulness, holds wrong concentration. This is called, monks, a bad person.
"And what, monks, is one worse than a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view; he himself holds wrong thought, and instigates others in wrong thought; he himself holds wrong speech, and instigates others in wrong speech; he himself holds wrong action, and instigates others in wrong action; he himself holds wrong livelihood, and instigates others in wrong livelihood; he himself holds wrong effort, and instigates others in wrong effort; he himself holds wrong mindfulness, and instigates others in wrong mindfulness; he himself holds wrong concentration, and instigates others in wrong concentration. This is called, monks, one worse than a bad person.
"And what, monks, is a good person? Here, monks, a certain one holds right view, holds right thought, holds right speech, holds right action, holds right livelihood, holds right effort, holds right mindfulness, holds right concentration. This is called, monks, a good person.
"And what, monks, is one better than a good person? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds right view, and instigates others in right view; he himself holds right thought, and instigates others in right thought; he himself holds right speech, and instigates others in right speech; he himself holds right action, and instigates others in right action; he himself holds right livelihood, and instigates others in right livelihood; he himself holds right effort, and instigates others in right effort; he himself holds right mindfulness, and instigates others in right mindfulness; he himself holds right concentration, and instigates others in right concentration. This is called, monks, one better than a good person." The fifth.
6.
The Discourse on the Tenfold Path
206. "I will teach you, monks, the bad person and one worse than a bad person; the good person and one better than a good person. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one holds wrong view, etc. holds wrong knowledge, holds wrong liberation. This is called, monks, a bad person.
"And what, monks, is one worse than a bad person? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view, etc. he himself holds wrong knowledge, and instigates others in wrong knowledge; he himself holds wrong liberation, and instigates others in wrong liberation. This is called, monks, one worse than a bad person.
"And what, monks, is a good person? Here, monks, a certain one holds right view, etc. holds right knowledge, holds right liberation. This is called, monks, a good person.
"And what, monks, is one better than a good person? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds right view, and instigates others in right view, etc. he himself holds right knowledge, and instigates others in right knowledge; he himself holds right liberation, and instigates others in right liberation. This is called, monks, one better than a good person." The sixth.
7.
The First Discourse on Bad Character
207. "I will teach you, monks, about the evil one and one more evil than the evil one; and about the good one and one more good than the good one. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is the evil one? Here, monks, a certain one is one who kills living beings, etc. he holds wrong view. This is called, monks, the evil one.
"And what, monks, is one more evil than the evil one? Here, monks, a certain one himself is one who kills living beings, and instigates others in killing living beings, etc. he himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view. This is called, monks, one more evil than the evil one.
"And what, monks, is the good one? Here, monks, a certain one abstains from killing living beings, etc. he holds right view. This is called, monks, the good one.
"And what, monks, is one more good than the good one? Here, monks, a certain one himself abstains from killing living beings, and encourages others to abstain from killing living beings, etc. he himself holds right view, and encourages others in right view. This is called, monks, one more good than the good one." The seventh.
8.
The Second Discourse on Bad Character
208. "I will teach you, monks, about the evil one and one more evil than the evil one; and about the good one and one more good than the good one. Listen to that, pay close attention; I will speak." Thus, etc. said this -
"And what, monks, is the evil one? Here, monks, a certain one holds wrong view, etc. holds wrong knowledge, holds wrong liberation. This is called, monks, the evil one.
"And what, monks, is one more evil than the evil one? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view, etc. he himself holds wrong knowledge, and instigates others in wrong knowledge; he himself holds wrong liberation, and instigates others in wrong liberation. This is called, monks, one more evil than the evil one.
"And what, monks, is the good one? Here, monks, a certain one holds right view, etc. holds right knowledge, holds right liberation. This is called, monks, the good one.
"And what, monks, is one more good than the good one? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds right view, and instigates others in right view, etc. he himself holds right knowledge, and instigates others in right knowledge; he himself holds right liberation, and instigates others in right liberation. This is called, monks, one more good than the good one." The eighth.
9.
The Third Discourse on Bad Character
209. "I will teach you, monks, one of bad character, and one of worse character than one of bad character; and one of good character, and one of better character than one of good character. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is one of bad character? Here, monks, a certain one is one who kills living beings, etc. he holds wrong view. This is called, monks, one of bad character.
"And what, monks, is one of worse character than one of bad character? Here, monks, a certain one himself is one who kills living beings, and instigates others in killing living beings, etc. he himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view. This is called, monks, one of worse character than one of bad character.
"And what, monks, is one of good character? Here, monks, a certain one abstains from killing living beings, etc. he holds right view. This is called, monks, one of good character.
"And what, monks, is one of better character than one of good character? Here, monks, a certain one himself abstains from killing living beings, and encourages others to abstain from killing living beings, etc. he himself holds right view, and encourages others in right view. This is called, monks, one of better character than one of good character." The ninth.
10.
The Fourth Discourse on Bad Character
210. "I will teach you, monks, one of bad character, and one of worse character than one of bad character; and one of good character, and one of better character than one of good character. Listen to that, etc.
"And what, monks, is one of bad character? Here, monks, a certain one holds wrong view, etc. holds wrong knowledge, holds wrong liberation. This is called, monks, one of bad character.
"And what, monks, is one of worse character than one of bad character? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds wrong view, and instigates others in wrong view, etc. he himself holds wrong knowledge, and instigates others in wrong knowledge; he himself holds wrong liberation, and instigates others in wrong liberation. This is called, monks, one of worse character than one of bad character.
"And what, monks, is one of good character? Here, monks, a certain one holds right view, etc. holds right knowledge, holds right liberation. This is called, monks, one of good character.
"And what, monks, is one of better character than one of good character? Here, monks, a certain one himself holds right view, and instigates others in right view, etc. he himself holds right knowledge, and instigates others in right knowledge; he himself holds right liberation, and instigates others in right liberation. This is called, monks, one of better character than one of good character." The tenth.
The Good Person Chapter is the first.
Its summary:
Eightfold and tenfold path, two of bad character, the other two.