In Judgment
Atthakaraṇa Sutta (SN 3:7)
Near Sāvatthī. As he was sitting to one side, King Pasenadi Kosala said to the Blessed One: “Just now, lord, as I was sitting in judgment, I saw that even affluent nobles, affluent brahmans, & affluent householders—rich, with great wealth & property, with vast amounts of gold & silver, vast amounts of valuables & commodities, vast amounts of wealth & grain—tell deliberate lies with sensuality as the cause, sensuality as the reason, simply for the sake of sensuality. Then, the thought occurred to me: ‘I’ve had enough of this judging! Let some other fine fellow be known for his judgments!’”
“That’s the way it is, great king! That’s the way it is! Even affluent nobles, affluent brahmans, & affluent householders… tell deliberate lies with sensuality as the cause, sensuality as the reason, simply for the sake of sensuality. That will lead to their long-term harm & pain.”
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:
“Impassioned with sensual possessions,
greedy, dazed by sensual pleasures,
they don’t awaken to the fact
that they’ve gone too far—
like fish into a trap set out.
Afterwards it’s bitter for them:
Evil for them
the result.”
