5.17. Welfare (1) (AN5.17)

“Bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, a bhikkhu is practicing for his own welfare but not for the welfare of others. What five? (1) Here, a bhikkhu is himself accomplished in virtuous behavior but does not encourage others to become accomplished in virtuous behavior; (2) he is himself accomplished in concentration but does not encourage others to become accomplished in concentration; (3) he is himself accomplished in wisdom but does not encourage others to become accomplished in wisdom; (4) he is himself accomplished in liberation but does not encourage others to become accomplished in liberation; (5) he is himself accomplished in the knowledge and vision of liberation but does not encourage others to become accomplished in the knowledge and vision of liberation. Possessing these five qualities, a bhikkhu is practicing for his own welfare but not for the welfare of others.”

© 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.

Based on the work The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha at Wisdom Publications.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at Wisdom Publications.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Blake Walsh.