1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Park. Then, on the uposatha day, a number of Sakyan lay followers approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to them:

"Sakyans, do you observe the uposatha complete in eight factors?" [n.2048] The eight factors are the eight uposatha precepts, on which see AN8.41.

"Sometimes we do, Bhante, and sometimes we don’t."

"It is your misfortune and loss, Sakyans! When life is endangered by sorrow and death, you observe the uposatha complete in eight factors only sometimes, and sometimes you don’t.

2What do you think, Sakyans? Suppose there was a man here who, without doing anything unwholesome, would earn half a kahāpaṇa daily for his work. Would that suffice for calling him a clever and enterprising man?"

"Yes, Bhante."

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3"What do you think, Sakyans? Suppose there was a man here who, without doing anything unwholesome, would earn a kahāpaṇa daily for his work. Would that suffice for calling him a clever and enterprising man?"

"Yes, Bhante."

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4"What do you think, Sakyans? Suppose there was a man here who, without doing anything unwholesome, would earn two kahāpaṇas … three … four … five … six … seven … eight … nine … ten … twenty … thirty … forty … fifty kahāpaṇas [n.2049] Ce and Ee stop at fifty kahāpaṇas, but Be adds a hundred kahāpaṇas. The kahāpaṇa was the major currency unit of the time. daily for his work. Would that suffice for calling him a clever and enterprising man?"

"Yes, Bhante."

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5"What do you think, Sakyans? If he earns a hundred or a thousand kahāpaṇas day after day, deposits whatever he gains, and has a life span of a hundred years, living a hundred years, would he acquire a great mass of wealth?"

"Yes, Bhante."

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6"What do you think, Sakyans? On account of his wealth, because of his wealth, by reason of his wealth, could that man experience exclusively happiness for one night or one day, or for half a night or half a day?"

"No, Bhante. Why not? Because sensual pleasures are impermanent, empty, false, and deceptive."

7"However, Sakyans, my disciple who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute for ten years, practicing as I instruct him, might experience exclusively happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, [n.2050] Lit., "a hundred times a hundred years" (satampi vassasatāni). a hundred thousand years, and ten million years. [n.2051] Lit., "a hundred times a hundred thousand years" (satampi vassasatasahassāni). And he might be a once-returner, a non-returner, or surely a stream-enterer.

8"Let alone ten years, Sakyans. My disciple who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute for nine years … eight years … seven years … six years … five years … four years … three years … two years … one year, practicing as I instruct him, might experience exclusively happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, and ten million years. And he might be a once-returner, a non-returner, or surely a stream-enterer.

9"Let alone one year, Sakyans. My disciple who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute for ten months, practicing as I instruct him, might experience exclusively happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, and ten million years. And he might be a once-returner, a non-returner, or surely a stream-enterer.

10"Let alone ten months, Sakyans. My disciple who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute for nine months … eight months … seven months … six months … five months … four months … three months … two months … one month … half a month, practicing as I instruct him, might experience exclusively happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, and ten million years. And he might be a once-returner, a non-returner, or surely a stream-enterer.

11"Let alone half a month, Sakyans. My disciple who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute for ten nights and days, practicing as I instruct him, might experience exclusively happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, and ten million years. And he might be a once-returner, a non-returner, or surely a stream-enterer.

12"Let alone ten nights and days, Sakyans. My disciple who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute for nine nights and days … eight nights and days … seven nights and days … six nights and days … five nights and days … four nights and days … three nights and days … two nights and days … one night and day, practicing as I instruct him, might experience exclusively happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, and ten million years. And he might be a once-returner, a non-returner, or surely a stream-enterer.

"It is your misfortune and loss, Sakyans! When life is endangered by sorrow and death, you observe the uposatha complete in eight factors only sometimes, and sometimes you don’t."

"From today on, Bhante, we will observe the uposatha complete in eight factors."

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Atha kho sambahulā sakkā upāsakā tadahuposathe yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinne kho sakke upāsake bhagavā etadavoca:

"Api nu tumhe, sakkā, aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgataṁ uposathaṁ upavasathā"ti?

"Appekadā mayaṁ, bhante, aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgataṁ uposathaṁ upavasāma, appekadā na upavasāmā"ti.

"Tesaṁ vo, sakkā, alābhā tesaṁ dulladdhaṁ, ye tumhe evaṁ sokasabhaye jīvite maraṇasabhaye jīvite appekadā aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgataṁ uposathaṁ upavasatha, appekadā na upavasatha.

2Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, sakkā, idha puriso yena kenaci kammaṭṭhānena anāpajja akusalaṁ divasaṁ aḍḍhakahāpaṇaṁ nibbiseyya. Dakkho puriso uṭṭhānasampannoti alaṁvacanāyā"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante".

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3"Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, sakkā, idha puriso yena kenaci kammaṭṭhānena anāpajja akusalaṁ divasaṁ kahāpaṇaṁ nibbiseyya. Dakkho puriso uṭṭhānasampannoti alaṁvacanāyā"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante".

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4"Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, sakkā, idha puriso yena kenaci kammaṭṭhānena anāpajja akusalaṁ divasaṁ dve kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … tayo kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … cattāro kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … pañca kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … cha kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … satta kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … aṭṭha kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … nava kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … dasa kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … vīsa kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … tiṁsa kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … cattārīsaṁ kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … paññāsaṁ kahāpaṇe nibbiseyya … kahāpaṇasataṁ nibbiseyya. Dakkho puriso uṭṭhānasampannoti alaṁvacanāyā"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante".

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5"Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, sakkā, api nu so puriso divase divase kahāpaṇasataṁ kahāpaṇasahassaṁ nibbisamāno laddhaṁ laddhaṁ nikkhipanto vassasatāyuko vassasatajīvī mahantaṁ bhogakkhandhaṁ adhigaccheyyā"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante".

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6"Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, sakkā, api nu so puriso bhogahetu bhoganidānaṁ bhogādhikaraṇaṁ ekaṁ vā rattiṁ ekaṁ vā divasaṁ upaḍḍhaṁ vā rattiṁ upaḍḍhaṁ vā divasaṁ ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyyā"ti?

"No hetaṁ, bhante". "Taṁ kissa hetu"? "Kāmā hi, bhante, aniccā tucchā musā mosadhammā"ti.

7"Idha pana vo, sakkā, mama sāvako dasa vassāni appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto yathā mayānusiṭṭhaṁ tathā paṭipajjamāno satampi vassāni satampi vassasatāni satampi vassasahassāni ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyya. So ca khvassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā apaṇṇakaṁ vā sotāpanno. Tiṭṭhantu, sakkā, dasa vassāni.

8Idha mama sāvako nava vassāni … aṭṭha vassāni … satta vassāni … cha vassāni … pañca vassāni … cattāri vassāni … tīṇi vassāni … dve vassāni … ekaṁ vassaṁ appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto yathā mayānusiṭṭhaṁ tathā paṭipajjamāno satampi vassāni satampi vassasatāni satampi vassasahassāni ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyya, so ca khvassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā apaṇṇakaṁ vā sotāpanno. Tiṭṭhatu, sakkā, ekaṁ vassaṁ.

9Idha mama sāvako dasa māse appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto yathā mayānusiṭṭhaṁ tathā paṭipajjamāno satampi vassāni satampi vassasatāni satampi vassasahassāni ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyya, so ca khvassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā apaṇṇakaṁ vā sotāpanno. Tiṭṭhantu, sakkā, dasa māsā.

10Idha mama sāvako nava māse … aṭṭha māse … satta māse … cha māse … pañca māse … cattāro māse … tayo māse … dve māse … ekaṁ māsaṁ … aḍḍhamāsaṁ appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto yathā mayānusiṭṭhaṁ tathā paṭipajjamāno satampi vassāni satampi vassasatāni satampi vassasahassāni ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyya, so ca khvassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā apaṇṇakaṁ vā sotāpanno. Tiṭṭhatu, sakkā, aḍḍhamāso.

11Idha mama sāvako dasa rattindive appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto yathā mayānusiṭṭhaṁ tathā paṭipajjamāno satampi vassāni satampi vassasatāni satampi vassasahassāni ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyya, so ca khvassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā apaṇṇakaṁ vā sotāpanno. Tiṭṭhantu, sakkā, dasa rattindivā.

12Idha mama sāvako nava rattindive … aṭṭha rattindive … satta rattindive … cha rattindive … pañca rattindive … cattāro rattindive … tayo rattindive … dve rattindive … ekaṁ rattindivaṁ appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto yathā mayānusiṭṭhaṁ tathā paṭipajjamāno satampi vassāni satampi vassasatāni satampi vassasahassāni ekantasukhappaṭisaṁvedī vihareyya, so ca khvassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā apaṇṇakaṁ vā sotāpanno.

Tesaṁ vo, sakkā, alābhā tesaṁ dulladdhaṁ, ye tumhe evaṁ sokasabhaye jīvite maraṇasabhaye jīvite appekadā aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgataṁ uposathaṁ upavasatha, appekadā na upavasathā"ti.

"Ete mayaṁ, bhante, ajjatagge aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgataṁ uposathaṁ upavasissāmā"ti.

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Chaṭṭhaṁ.