2. The Eight Persons Who Destroy Counsel (MIL4.2)

Milinda’s Questions

Initial Discussion on Solving of Dilemmas

Qualities of a Lay Follower Chapter

2. The Eight Persons Who Destroy Counsel

“Venerable Nāgasena, these eight persons, when taking counsel, ruin the matter discussed.

What are the eight?

One who behaves with lust, one who behaves with anger, one who behaves with delusion, one who behaves with conceit, a greedy person, a lazy person, a single-minded person, and a fool.

These eight persons ruin the matter discussed.”

The elder said,

“What is the fault with these?”

“One behaving with lust, Venerable Nāgasena, ruins the matter discussed through the power of lust; one behaving with anger ruins the matter discussed through the power of anger; one behaving with delusion ruins the matter discussed through the power of delusion; one behaving with conceit ruins the matter discussed through the power of conceit; a greedy person ruins the matter discussed through the power of greed; a lazy person ruins the matter discussed through laziness; a single-minded person ruins the matter discussed through single-mindedness; a fool ruins the matter discussed through foolishness.

It is said here:

‘One full of lust, one angry, and one deluded,

One conceited, greedy, and likewise lazy;

One single-minded and a fool,

These are destroyers of the matter.’”

The Eight Persons Who Destroy Counsel