1"Bhikkhus, possessing five factors, a master thief breaks into houses, plunders wealth, commits banditry, and ambushes highways. What five? Here, a master thief (1) depends upon the uneven, (2) on thickets, and (3) on powerful people; (4) he offers bribes, and (5) he moves alone.

2(1) "And how does a master thief depend on the uneven? Here, a master thief depends on rivers that are hard to cross and rugged mountains. It is in this way that a master thief depends on the uneven.

3(2) "And how does a master thief depend on thickets? Here, a master thief depends on a thicket of cane, a thicket of trees, a coppice, or a large dense jungle. It is in this way that a master thief depends on thickets.

4(3) "And how does a master thief depend on powerful people? Here, a master thief depends on kings or royal ministers. He thinks: ‘If anyone accuses me of anything, these kings or royal ministers will dismiss the case.’ If anyone accuses him of anything, those kings or royal ministers dismiss the case. It is in this way that a master thief depends on powerful people.

5(4) "And how does a master thief offer bribes? Here, a master thief is rich, with great wealth and property. He thinks: ‘If anyone should accuse me of anything, I’ll placate him with a bribe.’ If anyone accuses him of anything, he placates him with a bribe. It is in this way that a master thief offers bribes.

6(5) "And how does a master thief move alone? Here, a master thief executes his raids [n.1113] Gahaṇāni, lit. "takings." Mp: "The taking of others’ belongings" (parasantakānaṁ bhaṇḍānaṁ gahaṇāni). all alone. For what reason? With the thought: ‘My secret deliberations [n.1114] Guyhamantā. Here mantā must mean "deliberations" or "consultations," not mantras. Mp offers only a verbal gloss, guhitabbamantā. shouldn’t spread to others!’ It is in this way that a master thief moves alone.

7"It is by possessing these five factors that a master thief breaks into houses, plunders wealth, commits banditry, and ambushes highways.

8"So too, bhikkhus, possessing five qualities, an evil bhikkhu maintains himself in a maimed and injured condition, is blameworthy and subject to reproach by the wise, and generates much demerit. What five? Here, an evil bhikkhu (1) depends on the uneven, (2) depends on thickets, and (3) depends on powerful people; (4) he offers bribes and (5) moves alone.

9(1) "And how does an evil bhikkhu depend on the uneven? Here, an evil bhikkhu engages in unrighteous bodily, verbal, and mental action. It is in this way that an evil bhikkhu depends on the uneven.

10(2) "And how does an evil bhikkhu depend on thickets? Here, an evil bhikkhu holds wrong view; he has adopted an extremist view. [n.1115] Antaggāhikāya. Mp: "He grasps hold of eternalism or annihilationism." It is in this way that an evil bhikkhu depends upon thickets.

11(3) "And how does an evil bhikkhu depend on powerful people? Here, an evil bhikkhu depends on kings or royal ministers. He thinks: ‘If anyone should accuse me of anything, these kings or royal ministers will dismiss the case.’ If anyone accuses him of anything, those kings or royal ministers dismiss the case. It is in this way that an evil bhikkhu depends on the powerful people.

12(4) "And how does an evil bhikkhu offer bribes? Here, an evil bhikkhu gains robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and provisions for the sick. He thinks: ‘If anyone should accuse me of anything, I’ll placate him with one of these gains.’ If anyone accuses him of anything, he placates him with one of his gains. It is in this way that an evil bhikkhu offers bribes.

13(5) "And how does an evil bhikkhu move alone? Here, an evil bhikkhu sets up a solitary residence for himself in the borderlands. Approaching families there, he obtains gains. It is in this way that an evil bhikkhu moves alone.

14"It is by possessing these five qualities that an evil bhikkhu maintains himself in a maimed and injured condition, is blameworthy and subject to reproach by the wise, and generates much demerit."

1"Pañcahi, bhikkhave, aṅgehi samannāgato mahācoro sandhimpi chindati, nillopampi harati, ekāgārikampi karoti, paripanthepi tiṭṭhati. Katamehi pañcahi? Idha, bhikkhave, mahācoro visamanissito ca hoti, gahananissito ca, balavanissito ca, bhogacāgī ca, ekacārī ca.

2Kathañca, bhikkhave, mahācoro visamanissito hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, mahācoro nadīviduggaṁ vā nissito hoti pabbatavisamaṁ vā. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, mahācoro visamanissito hoti.

3Kathañca, bhikkhave, mahācoro gahananissito hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, mahācoro tiṇagahanaṁ vā nissito hoti rukkhagahanaṁ vā rodhaṁ vā mahāvanasaṇḍaṁ vā. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, mahācoro gahananissito hoti.

4Kathañca, bhikkhave, mahācoro balavanissito hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, mahācoro rājānaṁ vā rājamahāmattānaṁ vā nissito hoti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘sace maṁ koci kiñci vakkhati, ime me rājāno vā rājamahāmattā vā pariyodhāya atthaṁ bhaṇissantī’ti. Sace naṁ koci kiñci āha, tyassa rājāno vā rājamahāmattā vā pariyodhāya atthaṁ bhaṇanti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, mahācoro balavanissito hoti.

5Kathañca, bhikkhave, mahācoro bhogacāgī hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, mahācoro aḍḍho hoti mahaddhano mahābhogo. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘sace maṁ koci kiñci vakkhati, ito bhogena paṭisantharissāmī’ti. Sace naṁ koci kiñci āha, tato bhogena paṭisantharati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, mahācoro bhogacāgī hoti.

6Kathañca, bhikkhave, mahācoro ekacārī hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, mahācoro ekakova gahaṇāni kattā hoti. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Mā me guyhamantā bahiddhā sambhedaṁ agamaṁsū’ti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, mahācoro ekacārī hoti.

7Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato mahācoro sandhimpi chindati nillopampi harati ekāgārikampi karoti paripanthepi tiṭṭhati.

8Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato pāpabhikkhu khataṁ upahataṁ attānaṁ pariharati, sāvajjo ca hoti sānuvajjo viññūnaṁ, bahuñca apuññaṁ pasavati. Katamehi pañcahi? Idha, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu visamanissito ca hoti, gahananissito ca, balavanissito ca, bhogacāgī ca, ekacārī ca.

9Kathañca, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu visamanissito hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu visamena kāyakammena samannāgato hoti, visamena vacīkammena samannāgato hoti, visamena manokammena samannāgato hoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu visamanissito hoti.

10Kathañca, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu gahananissito hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu micchādiṭṭhiko hoti antaggāhikāya diṭṭhiyā samannāgato. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu gahananissito hoti.

11Kathañca, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu balavanissito hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu rājānaṁ vā rājamahāmattānaṁ vā nissito hoti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘sace maṁ koci kiñci vakkhati, ime me rājāno vā rājamahāmattā vā pariyodhāya atthaṁ bhaṇissantī’ti. Sace naṁ koci kiñci āha, tyassa rājāno vā rājamahāmattā vā pariyodhāya atthaṁ bhaṇanti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu balavanissito hoti.

12Kathañca, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu bhogacāgī hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu lābhī hoti cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘sace maṁ koci kiñci vakkhati, ito lābhena paṭisantharissāmī’ti. Sace naṁ koci kiñci āha, tato lābhena paṭisantharati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu bhogacāgī hoti.

13Kathañca, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu ekacārī hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu ekakova paccantimesu janapadesu nivāsaṁ kappeti. So tattha kulāni upasaṅkamanto lābhaṁ labhati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pāpabhikkhu ekacārī hoti.

14Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato pāpabhikkhu khataṁ upahataṁ attānaṁ pariharati, sāvajjo ca hoti sānuvajjo viññūnaṁ, bahuñca apuññaṁ pasavatī"ti.

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Tatiyaṁ.