The Book of Fours

Sutta 160

The Welcome One's System

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
Volume II
The Book of the Fours
After the translation from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward
Published by the Pali Text Society

'Beggars, when a Welcome One
or a Welcome One's System
is found in the world,
that happens for the profit of many,
the happiness of many;
out of compassion for the world,
for the good,
for the profit,
for the happiness of dieties and man.

And of what sort, beggars, is a Welcome One?

Herein, beggars, a Getter of the Getting arises in the world,
an Aristocrat, a Fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and conduct,
a Welcome One, a world-knower,
unsurpassed driver of men to be driven,
Teacher of dieties and mankind,
a Buddha, an Exalted One.
This, beggars, is a Welcome One.

And of what sort, beggars, is a Welcome One's System?

It is a System taught in such a way as to be
helpful in the beginning,
helpful in the middle and
helpful at the end,
making plain the holy life,
entirely complete and purified.
This, beggars, is the System of a Welcome One.

Beggars, when a Welcome One
or a Welcome One's System
is found in the world,
that happens for the profit of many,
the happiness of many;
out of compassion for the world,
for the good,
for the profit,
for the happiness of dieties and man.

§

Beggars, these four things
conduce to the undermining,
confusion, and
vanishing away of the Good Word.
What four?

In the first case, beggars, is the case
where beggars commit to memory a sutta in the wrong way,
with the words and their implications stated incorrectly.
Now beggars, if the words and their implications are stated incorrectly,
the intended meaning will subsequently be understood incorrectly.
This is the first case
which conduces to the undermining,
confusion,
and vanishing away of the Good Word.

Again, beggars,
the beggars become difficult to speak to,
having qualities which make them difficult to speak to;
they are intractable and incapable of being instructed.
This, beggars, is the second case
which conduces to the undermining,
confusion,
and vanishing away of the Good Word.

Again, beggars,
those beggars who are widely read,
who have got the System by heart,
who have got the Discipline by heart,
who know the outlines,
these, not doing their duty,
do not pass along the suttas to others
and when they die the suttas are cut down at the roots
and cannot be propagated.
This, beggars, is the third case
which conduces to the undermining,
confusion,
and vanishing away of the Good Word.

Again, beggars,
the elder beggars live in luxury,
are slackers and backsliders,
they do not carry on the tradition of solitary living
and do not set going effort to reach the goal,
to gain what can be gained,
to know what can be known.
Then the generation that follows takes their example
and lives in luxury,
are slackers and backsliders,
they do not carry on the tradition of solitary living
and do not set going effort to reach the goal,
to gain what can be gained,
to know what can be known.
This, beggars, is the fourth case
which conduces to the undermining,
confusion,
and vanishing away of the Good Word.

But, beggars, these four things
conduce to the maintenance,
clarification,
and propagation of the Good Word.

In the first case, beggars, is the case
where beggars commit to memory a sutta in the correct way,
with the words and their implications stated correctly.
Now beggars, if the words and their implications are stated correctly,
the intended meaning will subsequently be understood correctly.
This is the first case
which conduces to the maintenance,
clarification,
and propagation of the Good Word.

Again, beggars,
the beggars are easy to speak to,
having qualities which make them easy to speak to;
they are tractable and capable of being instructed.
This, beggars, is the second case
which conduces to the maintenance,
clarification,
and propagation of the Good Word.

Again, beggars,
those beggars who are widely read,
who have got the System by heart,
who have got the Discipline by heart,
who know the outlines,
these, doing their duty,
pass along the suttas to others
and when they die the suttas are not cut down at the roots
and can be propagated.
This, beggars, is the third case
which conduces to the maintenance,
clarification,
and propagation of the Good Word.

Again, beggars,
the elder beggars do not live in luxury,
are not slackers and backsliders,
they do carry on the tradition of solitary living
and do set going effort to reach the goal,
to gain what can be gained,
to know what can be known.
Then the generation that follows takes their example
and does not live in luxury,
are not slackers and backsliders,
they do carry on the tradition of solitary living
and do set going effort to reach the goal,
to gain what can be gained,
to know what can be known.
This, beggars, is the fourth case
which conduces to the maintenance,
clarification,
and propagation of the Good Word.

So, beggars,
these are the four things
that conduce to the undermining,
confusion,
and vanishing away of the Good Word,
and these are the four things
that conduce to the maintenance,
clarification,
and propagation of the Good Word.