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Below are suttas that have been sent in the past, starting with the most recent. To see the suttas published in a specific month, try using the Archive page.

AN 3.99 Potthakasutta: Jute

“Jute canvas is ugly, unpleasant to touch, and worthless whether it’s new, worn in, or worn out. They use worn out jute canvas for scrubbing pots, or else they just throw it away on the rubbish heap.

In the same way, if a junior mendicant is unethical, of bad character, this is how they’re ugly, I say. That person is just as ugly as jute canvas. If you associate with, accompany, and attend to that person, following their example, it’ll be for your lasting harm and suffering. This is how they’re unpleasant to touch, I say. That person is just as unpleasant to touch as jute canvas. Any robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick that they receive are not very fruitful or beneficial for the donor. This is how they’re worthless, I say. That person is just as worthless as jute canvas.

If a middle mendicant is unethical, of bad character, this is how they’re ugly, I say. …

If a senior mendicant is unethical, of bad character, this is how they’re ugly, I say. … If you associate with, accompany, and attend to that person, following their example, it’ll be for your lasting harm and suffering. …

If such a senior mendicant speaks among the Saṅgha, the mendicants say: ‘What’s an incompetent fool like you got to say? How on earth could you imagine you’ve got something worth saying!’ That person becomes angry and upset, and blurts out things that make the Saṅgha throw them out, as if they were throwing jute canvas away on the rubbish heap.

Cloth from Kāsi is beautiful, pleasant to touch, and valuable whether it’s new, worn in, or worn out. They use worn out cloth from Kāsi for wrapping, or else they place it in a fragrant casket.

In the same way, if a junior mendicant is ethical, of good character, this is how they’re beautiful, I say. That person is just as beautiful as cloth from Kāsi. If you associate with, accompany, and attend to such a person, following their example, it will be for your lasting welfare and happiness. This is how they’re pleasant to touch, I say. That person is just as pleasant to touch as cloth from Kāsi. Any robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick that they receive are very fruitful and beneficial for the donor. This is how they’re valuable, I say. That person is just as valuable as cloth from Kāsi.

If a middle mendicant is ethical, of good character, this is how they’re beautiful, I say. …

If a senior mendicant is ethical, of good character, this is how they’re beautiful, I say. …

If such a senior mendicant speaks in the midst of the Saṅgha, the mendicants say: ‘Venerables, be quiet! The senior mendicant is speaking on the teaching and training.’

So you should train like this: ‘We will be like cloth from Kāsi, not like jute canvas.’ That’s how you should train.”


Read this translation of Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.99 Potthakasutta: Jute by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or listen on PaliAudio.com or Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Bengali, Indonesian, Italiano, မြန်မာဘာသာ, Português, ру́сский язы́к, සිංහල, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, or 汉语. Learn how to find your language.

Snp 4.7 Tissametteyyasutta: With Tissametteyya

“When someone indulges in sex,”
said Venerable Tissametteyya,
“tell us, sir: what trouble befalls them?
After hearing your instruction,
we shall train in seclusion.”

“When someone indulges in sex,”
replied the Buddha,
“they forget their instructions
and go the wrong way—
that is something ignoble in them.

Someone who formerly lived alone
and then resorts to sex
is like a chariot careening off-track;
in the world they call them a low, ordinary person.

Their former fame and reputation
also fall away.
Seeing this, they’d train
to give up sex.

Oppressed by thoughts,
they brood like a wretch.
When they hear what others are saying,
such a person is embarrassed.

Then they lash out with verbal daggers
when reproached by others.
This is their great blind spot;
they sink to lies.

They once were considered astute,
committed to the solitary life.
But then they indulged in sex,
dragged along by desire like an idiot.

Knowing this danger
in falling from a former state here,
a sage would firmly resolve to wander alone,
and would not resort to sex.

They’d train themselves only in seclusion;
this, for the noble ones, is highest.
One who’d not think themselves “best” due to that
has truly drawn near to extinguishment.

People tied to sensual pleasures envy them:
the isolated, wandering sage
who has crossed the flood,
unconcerned for sensual pleasures.


Read this translation of Snp 4.7 Tissametteyyasutta: With Tissametteyya by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net.

Dhp 311–314 from Niriya Vagga: Hell

Just as sharp-bladed grass,
if wrongly held,
wounds the very hand that holds it–
the contemplative life, if wrongly grasped,
drags you down to hell.

Any slack act,
or defiled observance,
or fraudulent life of chastity
bears no great fruit.

If something’s to be done,
then work at it firmly,
for a slack going-forth
kicks up all the more dust.

It’s better to leave a misdeed
undone.
A misdeed burns you afterward.
Better that a good deed be done
that, after you’ve done it,
won’t make you burn.


Read the entire translation of Dhammapada XXII . Hell by Bhikkhu Ṭhanissaro on DhammaTalks.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, SuttaFriends.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in one of 24 other modern languages.

Thag 10.6 Vaṅgantaputtaupasenattheragāthā: Upasena son of Vaṅgantā

In order to go on retreat,
a monk should stay in lodgings
that are secluded and quiet,
frequented by beasts of prey.

Having gathered scraps from rubbish heaps,
cemeteries and streets,
and making an outer robe from them,
one should wear that coarse robe.

Humbling their heart,
a mendicant should walk for alms
from family to family indiscriminately,
with sense doors guarded, well-restrained.

They should be content even with coarse food,
not hoping for lots of flavors.
The mind that’s greedy for flavors
doesn’t enjoy absorption.

With few wishes, content,
a sage should live secluded,
mixing with neither
householders nor the homeless.

They should present themselves
as if stupid or dumb;
an astute person would not speak overly long
in the midst of the Saṅgha.

They would not insult anyone,
and would avoid causing damage.
Restrained in the monastic code,
they would eat in moderation.

Expert in the arising of thought,
they would grasp well the pattern of the mind.
They would be devoted to practicing
serenity and discernment at the right time.

Though endowed with energy and perseverance,
and always devoted to meditation,
a wise person would not be too sure of themselves,
until they have attained the end of suffering.

For a mendicant who meditates in this way,
longing for purification,
all their defilements wither away,
and they realize quenching.


Read this translation of Theragāthā 10.6 Vaṅgantaputtaupasenattheragāthā: Upasena son of Vaṅgantā by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaFriends.org. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Indonesian, 日本語, Norsk, සිංහල, or Tiếng Việt. Learn how to find your language.

Thag 1.36 Kumāputtattheragāthā: Kumāputta

Learning is good, living well is good,
the homeless life is always good.
Questions on the meaning, actions that are skillful:
this is the ascetic life for one who has nothing.


Read this translation of Theragāthā 1.36 Kumāputtattheragāthā: Kumāputta by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on SuttaFriends.org. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Indonesian, 日本語, Norsk, සිංහල, or Tiếng Việt. Learn how to find your language.

AN 5.111 Kulūpakasutta: Visiting Families

“Mendicants, a mendicant with five qualities who visits families is unlikable and unlovable, not respected or admired. What five?

  1. They act as though they’re close to people they hardly know.
  2. They give away things they don’t own.
  3. They over-associate with close friends.
  4. They whisper in the ear.
  5. And they ask for too much.

A mendicant with these five qualities who visits families is unlikable and unlovable, not respected or admired.

A mendicant with five qualities who visits families is dear and beloved, respected and admired. What five? They don’t act as though they’re close to people they hardly know. They don’t give away things they don’t own. They don’t over-associate with close friends. They don’t whisper in the ear. And they don’t ask for too much. A mendicant with these five qualities who visits families is dear and beloved, respected and admired.”


Read this translation of Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.111 Kulūpakasutta: Visiting Families by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Bengali, Indonesian, မြန်မာဘာသာ, ру́сский язы́к, සිංහල, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, or 汉语. Learn how to find your language.

Dhp 375 From… Bhikkhuvagga: Mendicants

This is the very start of the path
for a wise mendicant:
guarding the senses, contentment,
and restraint in the monastic code.


Read the entire translation of Dhammapada 360–382 Bhikkhuvagga: by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net.

Or read a different translation on SuttaFriends.org, DhammaTalks.org, Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read in one of 24 other modern languages.

Snp 2.6 Kapilasutta: A Righteous Life

A righteous life, a spiritual life,
they call this the supreme treasure.
But if someone goes forth
from the lay life to homelessness

who is of scurrilous character,
a beast and a bully,
their life gets worse,
as poison grows inside them.

A mendicant who loves to argue,
wrapped in delusion,
doesn’t even know what’s been explained
in the Dhamma taught by the Buddha.

Harassing those who are evolved,
governed by ignorance,
they don’t know that corruption
is the path that leads to hell.

Entering the underworld,
passing from womb to womb, from darkness to darkness,
such a mendicant
falls into suffering after death.

One such as that is
like a sewer
brimful with years of filth
for it’s hard to clean one full of grime.

Mendicants, knowing that someone is like this,
attached to the lay life,
of corrupt wishes and wicked intent,
of bad behavior and alms-resort,

then having gathered in harmony,
you should expel them.
Throw out the trash!
Get rid of the rubbish!

And sweep away the scraps—
they’re not ascetics, they just think they are.
When you’ve thrown out those of corrupt wishes,
of bad behavior and alms-resort,

dwell in communion, ever mindful,
the pure with the pure.
Then in harmony, alert,
you’ll make an end of suffering.


Read this translation of Snp 2.6 Kapilasutta (dhammacariyasutta): A Righteous Life by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on DhammaTalks.org or AccessToInsight.org. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Afrikaans, Deutsch, Français, Indonesian, Italiano, မြန်မာဘာသာ, Nederlands, Norsk, ру́сский язы́к, සිංහල, or தமிழ். Learn how to find your language.

AN 10.71 Ākaṅkhasutta: One Might Wish

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Mendicants, live by the ethical precepts and the monastic code. Live restrained in the monastic code, conducting yourselves well and seeking alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, keep the rules you’ve undertaken.

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I be liked and approved by my spiritual companions, respected and admired.’ So let them fulfill their precepts, be committed to inner serenity of the heart, not neglect absorption, be endowed with discernment, and frequent empty huts.

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.’ So let them fulfill their precepts, be committed to inner serenity of the heart, not neglect absorption, be endowed with discernment, and frequent empty huts.

A mendicant might wish: ‘May the services of those whose robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick I enjoy be very fruitful and beneficial for them.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘When deceased family and relatives who have passed away recollect me with a confident mind, may this be very fruitful and beneficial for them.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I be content with any kind of robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I endure cold, heat, hunger, and thirst. May I endure the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles. May I endure rude and unwelcome criticism. And may I put up with physical pain—sharp, severe, acute, unpleasant, disagreeable, and life-threatening.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I prevail over desire and discontent, and may desire and discontent not prevail over me. May I live having mastered desire and discontent whenever they have arisen.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I prevail over fear and dread, and may fear and dread not prevail over me. May I live having mastered fear and dread whenever they arise.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind—when I want, without trouble or difficulty.’ So let them fulfill their precepts …

A mendicant might wish: ‘May I realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with my own insight due to the ending of defilements.’ So let them fulfill their precepts, be committed to inner serenity of the heart, not neglect absorption, be endowed with discernment, and frequent empty huts.

‘Live by the ethical precepts and the monastic code. Live restrained in the monastic code, conducting yourselves well and seeking alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, keep the rules you’ve undertaken.’ That’s what I said, and this is why I said it.”


Read this translation of Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.71 Ākaṅkhasutta: One Might Wish by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or read a different translation on DhammaTalks.org. Or listen on Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Bengali, Français, Indonesian, Italiano, မြန်မာဘာသာ, Português, ру́сский язы́к, සිංහල, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, or 汉语. Learn how to find your language.

AN 3.133 Yodhājīvasutta: A Warrior

“Mendicants, a warrior with three factors is worthy of a king, fit to serve a king, and is reckoned as a factor of kingship. What three? He’s a long-distance shooter, a marksman, one who shatters large objects. A warrior with these three factors is worthy of a king, fit to serve a king, and is reckoned as a factor of kingship.

In the same way, a mendicant with three factors is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world. What three? They’re a long-distance shooter, a marksman, and one who shatters large objects.

And how is a mendicant a long-distance shooter? It’s when a mendicant truly sees any kind of form at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; coarse or fine; inferior or superior; far or near: all form—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ They truly see any kind of feeling at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; coarse or fine; inferior or superior; far or near: all feeling—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ They truly see any kind of perception at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; coarse or fine; inferior or superior; far or near: all perception—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ They truly see any kind of choices at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; coarse or fine; inferior or superior; far or near: all choices—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ They truly see any kind of consciousness at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; coarse or fine; inferior or superior; far or near, all consciousness—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ That’s how a mendicant is a long-distance shooter.

And how is a mendicant a marksman? It’s when a mendicant truly understands: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. That’s how a mendicant is a marksman.

And how does a mendicant shatter large objects? It’s when a mendicant shatters the great mass of ignorance. That’s how a mendicant shatters large objects.

A mendicant with these three qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.”


Read this translation of Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.133 Yodhājīvasutta: A Warrior by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or listen on PaliAudio.com or Voice.SuttaCentral.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.

Or read a translation in Deutsch, Bengali, Indonesian, မြန်မာဘာသာ, Português, ру́сский язы́к, සිංහල, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, or 汉语. Learn how to find your language.