The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [436]
“And what kind of bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone kills living beings; he is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. He takes what is not given; he takes by way of theft the wealth and property of others in the village or in the forest. He misconducts himself in sensual pleasures; he has intercourse with such women as are protected by their mother, father, mother and father, brother, sister, or relatives, who have a husband, who are protected by law, and even with those who are garlanded in token of betrothal. Such bodily conduct [47] causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it.
“And what kind of bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here someone, abandoning the killing of living beings, abstains from killing living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gently and kindly, he abides compassionate to all living beings. Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given; he does not take by way of theft the wealth and property of others in the village or in the forest. Abandoning misconduct in sensual pleasures, he abstains from misconduct in sensual pleasures; he does not have intercourse with such women as are protected by their mother, father, mother and father, brother, sister, or relatives, who have a husband, who are protected by law, or with those who are garlanded in token of betrothal. Such bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it.
“So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One: ‘Bhikkhus, bodily conduct is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And bodily conduct is either the one or the other.’
6. “‘Bhikkhus, verbal conduct is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And verbal conduct is either the one or the other.’ So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said?
“Venerable sir, such verbal conduct as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such verbal conduct as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated.
“And what kind of verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone speaks falsehood; when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, [48] or to his relatives’ presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family’s presence, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know,’ not knowing, he says, ‘I know,’ or knowing, he says, ‘I do not know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I see,’ or seeing, he says, ‘I do not see’; in full awareness he speaks falsehood for his own ends, or for another’s ends, or for some trifling worldly end. He speaks maliciously; he repeats elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide [those people] from these, or he repeats to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide [these people] from those; thus he is one who divides those who are united, a creator of divisions, who enjoys discord, rejoices in discord, delights in discord, a speaker of words that create discord. He speaks harshly; he utters such words as are rough, hard, hurtful to others, offensive to others, bordering on anger, unconducive to concentration. He is a gossip; he speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not fact, speaks what is useless, speaks contrary to the Dhamma and the Discipline; at the wrong time he speaks such words as are worthless, unreasonable, immoderate, and unbeneficial. Such verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to increase