The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [172]
4. “What more is to be done? [272] Bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘Our bodily conduct shall be purified, clear and open, flawless and restrained, and we will not laud ourselves and disparage others on account of that purified bodily conduct.’ Now, bhikkhus, you may think thus: ‘We are possessed of shame and fear of wrongdoing and our bodily conduct has been purified. That much is enough, that much has been done, the goal of recluseship has been reached, there is nothing more for us to do’; and you may rest content with that much. Bhikkhus, I inform you, I declare to you: You who seek the recluse’s status, do not fall short of the goal of recluseship while there is more to be done.
5. “What more is to be done? Bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘Our verbal conduct shall be purified, clear and open, flawless and restrained, and we will not laud ourselves and disparage others on account of that purified verbal conduct.’ Now, bhikkhus, you may think thus: ‘We are possessed of shame and fear of wrongdoing, our bodily conduct has been purified, and our verbal conduct has been purified. That much is enough…’; and you may rest content with that much. Bhikkhus, I inform you, I declare to you: You who seek the recluse’s status, do not fall short of the goal of recluseship while there is more to be done.
6. “What more is to be done? Bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘Our mental conduct shall be purified, clear and open, flawless and restrained, and we will not laud ourselves and disparage others on account of that purified mental conduct.’ Now, bhikkhus, you may think thus: ‘We are possessed of shame and fear of wrongdoing, our bodily conduct and verbal conduct have been purified, and our mental conduct has been purified. That much is enough…’; and you may rest content with that much. Bhikkhus, I inform you, I declare to you: You who seek the recluse’s status, do not fall short of the goal of recluseship while there is more to be done.
7. “What more is to be done? Bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘Our livelihood shall be purified, clear and open, flawless and restrained, and we will not laud ourselves and disparage others on account of that purified livelihood.’ Now, bhikkhus, you may think thus: ‘We are possessed of shame and fear of wrongdoing, our bodily conduct, verbal conduct, and mental conduct have been purified, and our livelihood has been purified. [273] That much is enough…’; and you may rest content with that much. Bhikkhus, I inform you, I declare to you: You who seek the recluse’s status, do not fall short of the goal of recluseship while there is more to be done.
(RESTRAINT OF THE SENSES)
8. “What more is to be done? Bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘We will guard the doors of our sense faculties. On seeing a form with the eye, we will not grasp at its signs and features. Since, if we left the eye faculty unguarded, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might invade us, we will practise the way of its restraint, we will guard the eye faculty, we will undertake the restraint of the eye faculty. On hearing a sound with the ear…On smelling an odour with the nose…On tasting a flavour with the tongue…On touching a tangible with the body…On cognizing a mind-object with the mind, we will not grasp at its signs and features. Since, if we left the mind faculty unguarded, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might invade us, we will practise the way of its restraint, we will guard the mind faculty, we will undertake the restraint of the mind faculty.’ Now, bhikkhus, you may think thus: ‘We are possessed of shame and fear of wrongdoing, our bodily conduct,