The Chapter on Senior Mendicants
AN 5.81 Desirable Rajanīyasutta
"Mendicants, a senior mendicant with five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired. What five? They desire the desirable, they hate the hateful, they're deluded by the delusory, they're annoyed by the annoying, and they're intoxicated by the intoxicating. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable by their spiritual companions, not respected or admired.
A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They don't desire the desirable, they don't hate the hateful, they're not deluded by the delusory, they're not annoyed by the annoying, and they're not intoxicated by the intoxicating. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.82 Free of Greed Vītarāgasutta
"Mendicants, a senior mendicant with five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired. What five? They're not free of greed, hate, and delusion; they are offensive and contemptuous. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired.
A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They're free of greed, hate, and delusion; they're not offensive and contemptuous. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.83 Deceiver Kuhakasutta
"Mendicants, a senior mendicant with five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired. What five? They use deceit, flattery, hinting, and belittling, and they use material things to chase after other material things. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired.
A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They don't use deceit, flattery, hinting, or belittling, and they don't use material things to chase after other material things. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.84 Faithless Assaddhasutta
"Mendicants, a senior mendicant with five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired. What five? They're faithless, shameless, imprudent, lazy, and witless. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired.
A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They're faithful, conscientious, prudent, energetic, and wise. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.85 Cannot Endure Akkhamasutta
"Mendicants, a senior mendicant with five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired. What five? They can't endure sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is unlikable and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired.
A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They can endure sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.86 Attaining the Methods of Textual Analysis Paṭisambhidāpattasutta
"A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They have attained the textual analysis of meaning, text, terminology, and eloquence. And they are deft and tireless in a diverse spectrum of duties for their spiritual companions, understanding how to go about things in order to complete and organize the work. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.87 Ethical Sīlavantasutta
"A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five?
They're ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they've undertaken.
They're very learned, remembering and keeping what they've learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that's entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and comprehending them theoretically.
They're a good speaker who enunciates well, with a polished, clear, and articulate voice that expresses the meaning.
They get the four absorptions---blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind---when they want, without trouble or difficulty.
They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.
A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired."
AN 5.88 Senior Mendicants Therasutta
"Mendicants, a senior mendicant who has five qualities is acting for the detriment and suffering of the people, against the people, for the harm, detriment, and suffering of of gods and humans.
What five?
They are senior and have long gone forth.
They're well-known, famous, with a large following that includes both laypeople and renunciates.
They receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.
They're very learned, remembering and keeping what they've learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that's entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and comprehending them theoretically.
But they have wrong view and distorted perspective. They draw many people away from the true teaching and establish them in false teachings.
People follow their example, thinking that the senior mendicant is senior and has long gone forth. Or that they're well-known, famous, with a large following that includes both laypeople and renunciates. Or that they receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. Or that they're very learned, remembering and keeping what they've learned. A senior mendicant who has these five qualities is acting for the detriment and suffering of the people, against the people, for the harm, detriment, and suffering of gods and humans.
A senior mendicant who has five qualities is acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans.
What five?
They are senior and have long gone forth.
They're well-known, famous, with a large following, including both laypeople and renunciates.
They receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.
They're very learned, remembering and keeping what they've learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that's entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and comprehending them theoretically.
And they have right view and an undistorted perspective. They draw many people away from false teachings and establish them in the true teaching.
People follow their example, thinking that the senior mendicant is senior and has long gone forth. Or that they're well-known, famous, with a large following that includes both laypeople and renunciates. Or that they receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. Or that they're very learned, remembering and keeping what they've learned. A senior mendicant who has these five qualities is acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans."
AN 5.89 A Trainee (1st) Paṭhamasekhasutta
"These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five? They relish work, talk, sleep, and company. And they don't review the extent of their mind's freedom. These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
These five things don't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five? They don't relish work, talk, sleep, and company. And they review the extent of their mind's freedom. These five things don't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee."
AN 5.90 A Trainee (2nd) Dutiyasekhasutta
"These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five?
Firstly, a mendicant trainee has many duties and responsibilities, and is competent in many tasks. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the first thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee spends too much time doing trivial work. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the second thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee mixes closely with laypeople and renunciates, socializing inappropriately like a layperson. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the third thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee enters the town at the wrong time, and returns too late in the day. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fourth thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn't get to take part in talk about self-effacement that helps open the heart, when they want, without trouble or difficulty. That is, talk about fewness of wishes, contentment, seclusion, aloofness, arousing energy, ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fifth thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
These five things don't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five?
Firstly, a mendicant trainee doesn't have many duties and responsibilities, even though they are competent in many tasks. They don't neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the first thing that doesn't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn't waste their day doing trivial work. They don't neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the second thing that doesn't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn't mix closely with laypeople and renunciates, socializing inappropriately like a layperson. They don't neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the third thing that doesn't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn't enter the village too early or return too late in the day. They don't neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fourth thing that doesn't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Furthermore, a mendicant trainee gets to take part in talk about self-effacement that helps open the heart, when they want, without trouble or difficulty. That is, talk about fewness of wishes, contentment, seclusion, aloofness, arousing energy, ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. They don't neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fifth thing that doesn't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
These five things don't lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee."