“Mendicants, these four corruptions obscure the sun and moon, so they don’t shine and glow and radiate. What four? Clouds … Fog … Smoke … An eclipse of Rāhu, lord of titans … These are four corruptions that obscure the sun and moon, so they don’t shine and glow and radiate.
In the same way, these four things corrupt ascetics and brahmins, so they don’t shine and glow and radiate. What four?
There are some ascetics and brahmins who drink beer and wine, not refraining from drinking beer and wine. This is the first thing that corrupts ascetics and brahmins …
There are some ascetics and brahmins who have sex, not refraining from sex. This is the second thing that corrupts ascetics and brahmins …
There are some ascetics and brahmins who accept gold and currency, not refraining from receiving gold and currency. This is the third thing that corrupts ascetics and brahmins …
There are some ascetics and brahmins who make a living the wrong way, not refraining from wrong livelihood. This is the fourth thing that corrupts ascetics and brahmins …
These are four things that corrupt ascetics and brahmins, so they don’t shine and glow and radiate.
Some ascetics and brahmins
are plagued by greed and hate;
men shrouded by ignorance,
enjoying things that seem pleasant.Drinking beer and wine,
having sex,
accepting currency and gold:
they’re ignorant.
Some ascetics and brahmins
make a living the wrong way.These corruptions were spoken of
by the Buddha, kinsman of the Sun.
When corrupted by these,
some ascetics and brahmins
don’t shine or glow.
Impure, dirty creatures,
shrouded in darkness,
bondservants of craving, full of attachments,
swell the horrors of the charnel ground,
taking up future lives.”
Read this translation of Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.50 Upakkilesasutta: Corruptions by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on PaliAudio.com or SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.
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