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Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa
Thus have I heard: At one time Venerable Ananda went to Bhagavan and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Bhagavan said to him, "Ananda, every precept and practice, every life, every holy life that is followed as of essential worth: is every one of them fruitful?"
"Bhagavan, that is not to be answered with a categorical answer."
"In that case, Ananda, give an analytical answer."
"When by following a life of precept and practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth, one's unskillful mental qualities increase while one's skillful mental qualities decline: that sort of precept & practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitless. But when by following a life of precept and practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth one's unskillful mental qualities decline while one's skillful mental qualities increase: that sort of precept and practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitful."
That is what Venerable Ananda said, and the Teacher approved. Then Venerable Ananda, realizing, "The Teacher approves of me," got up from his seat and, having bowed down to Bhagavan and circled him reverently like one would a temple , left.
Not long after Venerable Ananda had left, Bhagavan said to the bhikkhus (monastics), "Bhikkhus, Ananda is still in training, but it would not be easy to find his equal in discernment."
-Anguttura Nikaya 3.79, my translation (mostly following translation by Phra Chao Khun Thanissaro Bhikkhu).
Thus have I heard: At one time Venerable Ananda went to Bhagavan and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Bhagavan said to him, "Ananda, every precept and practice, every life, every holy life that is followed as of essential worth: is every one of them fruitful?"
"Bhagavan, that is not to be answered with a categorical answer."
"In that case, Ananda, give an analytical answer."
"When by following a life of precept and practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth, one's unskillful mental qualities increase while one's skillful mental qualities decline: that sort of precept & practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitless. But when by following a life of precept and practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth one's unskillful mental qualities decline while one's skillful mental qualities increase: that sort of precept and practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitful."
That is what Venerable Ananda said, and the Teacher approved. Then Venerable Ananda, realizing, "The Teacher approves of me," got up from his seat and, having bowed down to Bhagavan and circled him reverently like one would a temple , left.
Not long after Venerable Ananda had left, Bhagavan said to the bhikkhus (monastics), "Bhikkhus, Ananda is still in training, but it would not be easy to find his equal in discernment."
-Anguttura Nikaya 3.79, my translation (mostly following translation by Phra Chao Khun Thanissaro Bhikkhu).
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