Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A person lacking faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom can expect only decline in skillful qualities, like the moon in its waning fortnight; a person with those five qualities can expect only growth, like the moon waxing — illustrated further by two ten-item lists naming the individual in decline and the individual who does not decline.
A rare, physically human moment
The Buddha's back is sore; he explicitly asks Sāriputta to continue the teaching so he can rest, then lies down in the traditional lion's posture, mindful even in repose — one of the more vivid glimpses in this project of the Buddha's own physical humanity within an otherwise formal teaching setting.
An asymmetric pair of ten-item lists
The list of ten individual types “in decline” (faithless, no conscience, imprudent, lazy, witless, irritable, acrimonious, corrupt-wishes, bad-friends, wrong-view) does not simply mirror its counterpart of ten who “don't decline” (faithful, conscientious, prudent, energetic, wise, loving, kind, few-desires, good-friends, right-view): the first five items pair as exact opposites, but items six through ten shift register — the cure for irritability is not named as its literal opposite but as active loving-kindness.
Delegated, then personally ratified
The Buddha does not merely permit Sāriputta's teaching in advance; he rises afterward and repeats large portions of it himself, word for word, publicly endorsing what his disciple taught in his absence with an explicit “Good, good, Sāriputta!”
Key terms
The text
The Buddha, tired, hands over to Sāriputta
§1At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a large Saṅgha of mendicants when he arrived at a town of the Kosalans named Naḷakapāna. There the Buddha stayed near Naḷakapāna in the grove of flame-of-the-forest trees. Now, at that time it was the sabbath, and the Buddha was sitting surrounded by a Saṅgha of monks. The Buddha spent much of the night educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk. Then he looked around the Saṅgha of mendicants, who were so very silent. He addressed Venerable Sāriputta: “Sāriputta, the Saṅgha of mendicants is rid of dullness and drowsiness. Give them some Dhamma talk as you feel inspired. My back is sore, I’ll stretch it.” “Yes, sir,” Sāriputta replied. And then the Buddha spread out his outer robe folded in four and laid down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up. There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!” “Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:
The waning moon: decline
§2“Reverends, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. A faithless individual is in decline. An individual with no conscience is in decline. An imprudent individual is in decline. A lazy individual is in decline. A witless individual is in decline. An irritable individual is in decline. An acrimonious individual is in decline. An individual with corrupt wishes is in decline. An individual with bad friends is in decline. An individual with wrong view is in decline.
The waxing moon: growth
§3Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. A faithful individual doesn’t decline. An individual with a conscience doesn’t decline. A prudent individual doesn’t decline. An energetic individual doesn’t decline. A wise individual doesn’t decline. A loving individual doesn’t decline. A kind individual doesn’t decline. An individual with few desires doesn’t decline. An individual with good friends doesn’t decline. An individual with right view doesn’t decline.”
The Buddha rises and confirms it
§4Then the Buddha got up and said to Venerable Sāriputta: “Good, good, Sāriputta! Whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. A faithless individual is in decline. An individual with no conscience … imprudent … lazy … witless … irritable … acrimonious … with corrupt wishes … bad friends … An individual with wrong view is in decline. Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. A faithful individual doesn’t decline. A conscientious individual … prudent … energetic … wise … loving … kind … with few desires … good friends … An individual with right view doesn’t decline.”
Self-check quiz
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