After the Pāṭimokkha

Sīluddesa-pāṭha
The Virtue Summary

(Leader) Handa mayaṁ sīluddesa-pāṭhaṁ bhaṇāmase:

[Bhāsitam-idaṁ] tena Bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammā-sambuddhena: “Sampanna-sīlā bhikkhave viharatha sampanna-pāṭimokkhā. Pāṭimokkha-saṁvara-saṁvutā viharatha ācāra-gocara-sampannā. Aṇumattesu vajjesu bhaya-dassāvī samādāya sikkhatha sikkhāpadesūti.”

Tasmā tih’amhehi sikkhitabbaṁ: “Sampanna-sīlā viharissāma sampanna-pāṭimokkhā. Pāṭimokkha-saṁvara-saṁvutā viharissāma ācāra-gocara-sampannā. Aṇumattesu vajjesu bhaya-dassāvī samādāya sikkhissāma sikkhāpadesūti.” Evañ-hi no sikkhitabbaṁ.

This was said by the Blessed One, the One who Knows, the One who Sees, the Worthy One Rightly Self-awakened: “Live consummate in virtue, monks, and consummate in the Patimokkha. Live restrained with the restraint of the Patimokkha, consummate in your behavior & sphere of activity. Train yourselves, having undertaken the training rules, seeing danger in the slightest faults.”

Therefore we should train ourselves: “We will live consummate in virtue, consummate in the Patimokkha. We will live restrained with the restraint of the Patimokkha, consummate in our behavior & sphere of activity. We will train ourselves, having undertaken the training rules, seeing danger in the slightest faults.” That’s how we should train ourselves.

Tāyana-gāthā
The Verse to Tāyana

(Leader) Handa mayaṁ Tāyana-gāthāyo bhaṇāmase:

[Chinda sotaṁ] parakkamma

Kāme panūda brāhmaṇa

Nappahāya muni kāme

N’ekattam-upapajjati.

Having striven, brāhman, cut the stream. Dispel sensual passions.

Without abandoning sensual passions, a sage

encounters no oneness of mind.

Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṁ

Daḷhamenaṁ parakkame

Sithilo hi paribbājo

Bhiyyo ākirate rajaṁ.

Akataṁ dukkaṭaṁ seyyo

Pacchā tappati dukkaṭaṁ.

Katañ-ca sukataṁ seyyo

Yaṁ katvā nānutappati.

If something’s to be done, then work at it firmly,

for a slack going-forth kicks up all the more dust.

It’s better to leave a misdeed undone. A misdeed burns you afterward.

Better that a good deed be done that, when done, you don’t regret.

Kuso yathā duggahito

Hattham’evānukantati

Sāmaññaṁ dupparāmaṭṭhaṁ

Nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.

Yaṅ-kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ

Saṅkiliṭṭhañ-ca yaṁ vataṁ

Saṅkassaraṁ brahma-cariyaṁ

Na taṁ hoti, mahapphalanti.

Just as sharp-bladed grass, if wrongly held,

wounds the very hand that holds it—

the contemplative life, if wrongly grasped, drags you down to hell.

Any slack act, or defiled observance, or fraudulent holy life

bears no great fruit.