4.20. An Assigner of Meals (AN4.20)

“Bhikkhus, if an assigner of meals possesses four qualities, he is deposited in hell as if brought there. What four? He takes a wrong course because of desire, because of hatred, because of delusion, or because of fear. If an assigner of meals possesses these four qualities, he is deposited in hell as if brought there.

“Bhikkhus, if an assigner of meals possesses four qualities, he is deposited in heaven as if brought there. What four? He does not take a wrong course because of desire, because of hatred, because of delusion, or because of fear. If an assigner of meals possesses these four qualities, he is deposited in heaven as if brought there.”

Those people uncontrolled in sensual pleasures,
who are unrighteous, not revering the Dhamma,
gone astray through desire, hate, and fear
are called a stained assembly.
Such is said by the Ascetic who knows.

Therefore those good persons who are praiseworthy,
firm in the Dhamma, who do nothing bad,
unswayed by desire, hate, and fear,
are called an elite assembly.
Such is said by the Ascetic who knows.

© Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2012)

This excerpt from The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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