1. Faults 1. Vajjasutta
So I have heard. Evaṁ me sutaṁ—At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Mendicants!” “bhikkhavo”ti.
“Venerable sir,” they replied. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. The Buddha said this: Bhagavā etadavoca:
“There are, mendicants, these two faults. “Dvemāni, bhikkhave, vajjāni. What two? Katamāni dve? The fault apparent in this life, and the fault to do with lives to come. Diṭṭhadhammikañca vajjaṁ samparāyikañca vajjaṁ.
What is the fault apparent in this life? Katamañca, bhikkhave, diṭṭhadhammikaṁ vajjaṁ? It’s when someone sees that kings have arrested a bandit, a criminal, and subjected them to various punishments—Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco passati coraṁ āgucāriṁ rājāno gahetvā vividhā kammakāraṇā kārente; whipping, caning, and clubbing; cutting off hands or feet, or both; cutting off ears or nose, or both; the ‘porridge pot’, the ‘shell-shave’, the ‘Rāhu’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘bulrush twist’, the ‘bark dress’, the ‘antelope’, the ‘meat hook’, the ‘coins’, the ‘caustic pickle’, the ‘twisting bar’, the ‘straw mat’; being splashed with hot oil, being fed to the hounds, being impaled alive, and being beheaded. kasāhipi tāḷente, vettehipi tāḷente, addhadaṇḍakehipi tāḷente, hatthampi chindante, pādampi chindante, hatthapādampi chindante, kaṇṇampi chindante, nāsampi chindante, kaṇṇanāsampi chindante, bilaṅgathālikampi karonte, saṅkhamuṇḍikampi karonte, rāhumukhampi karonte, jotimālikampi karonte, hatthapajjotikampi karonte, erakavattikampi karonte, cīrakavāsikampi karonte, eṇeyyakampi karonte, baḷisamaṁsikampi karonte, kahāpaṇikampi karonte, khārāpatacchikampi karonte, palighaparivattikampi karonte, palālapīṭhakampi karonte, tattenapi telena osiñcante, sunakhehipi khādāpente, jīvantampi sūle uttāsente, asināpi sīsaṁ chindante.
It occurs to them: Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘If I were to commit the kinds of bad deeds for which the kings arrested that bandit, that criminal, ‘yathārūpānaṁ kho pāpakānaṁ kammānaṁ hetu coraṁ āgucāriṁ rājāno gahetvā vividhā kammakāraṇā kārenti; kasāhipi tāḷenti, vettehipi tāḷenti, addhadaṇḍakehipi tāḷenti, hatthampi chindanti, pādampi chindanti, hatthapādampi chindanti, kaṇṇampi chindanti, nāsampi chindanti, kaṇṇanāsampi chindanti, bilaṅgathālikampi karonti, saṅkhamuṇḍikampi karonti, rāhumukhampi karonti, jotimālikampi karonti, hatthapajjotikampi karonti, erakavattikampi karonti, cīrakavāsikampi karonti, eṇeyyakampi karonti, baḷisamaṁsikampi karonti, kahāpaṇikampi karonti, khārāpatacchikampi karonti, palighaparivattikampi karonti, palālapīṭhakampi karonti, tattenapi telena osiñcanti, sunakhehipi khādāpenti, jīvantampi sūle uttāsenti, asināpi sīsaṁ chindanti. the rulers would arrest me and subject me to the same punishments. Ahañceva kho pana evarūpaṁ pāpakammaṁ kareyyaṁ, mampi rājāno gahetvā evarūpā vividhā kammakāraṇā kāreyyuṁ; kasāhipi tāḷeyyuṁ …pe… asināpi sīsaṁ chindeyyun’ti. Afraid of the fault apparent in this life, they do not steal the belongings of others. So diṭṭhadhammikassa vajjassa bhīto na paresaṁ pābhataṁ vilumpanto carati. This is called the fault apparent in this life. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diṭṭhadhammikaṁ vajjaṁ.
What is the fault to do with lives to come? Katamañca, bhikkhave, samparāyikaṁ vajjaṁ? It’s when someone reflects: Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati: ‘Bad conduct of body, speech, or mind has a bad, painful result in the next life. ‘kāyaduccaritassa kho pana pāpako dukkho vipāko abhisamparāyaṁ, vacīduccaritassa pāpako dukkho vipāko abhisamparāyaṁ, manoduccaritassa pāpako dukkho vipāko abhisamparāyaṁ. If I conduct myself badly, Ahañceva kho pana kāyena duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, vācāya duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, manasā duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ. then, when my body breaks up, after death, won’t I be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell?’ Kiñca taṁ yāhaṁ na kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjeyyan’ti. Afraid of the fault to do with lives to come, they give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure. So samparāyikassa vajjassa bhīto kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāveti, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāveti, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāveti, suddhaṁ attānaṁ pariharati. This is called the fault to do with lives to come. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, samparāyikaṁ vajjaṁ.
These are the two faults. Imāni kho, bhikkhave, dve vajjāni.
So you should train like this: Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘We will fear the fault apparent in this life, and we will fear the fault to do with lives to come. We will fear faults, seeing the danger in faults.’ ‘diṭṭhadhammikassa vajjassa bhāyissāma, samparāyikassa vajjassa bhāyissāma, vajjabhīruno bhavissāma vajjabhayadassāvino’ti. That’s how you should train. Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabbaṁ. If you fear faults, seeing the danger in faults, you can expect to be freed from all faults.” Vajjabhīruno, bhikkhave, vajjabhayadassāvino etaṁ pāṭikaṅkhaṁ yaṁ parimuccissati sabbavajjehī”ti.