008/ MN006 Akankhayya
Sutta number six in the Majjhima Nikaya is the Akankhaya, and I can imagine the Buddha giving this talk. One can only try to imagine what may have preceded it.
He talks about the importance of the bhikkhus, the monks in the order he had created, being of good conduct. And basically, he says, there are many reasons, monks, why you might have joined this order, why you might have become a monk. And he lists them and in each case, he says, in order to fulfil this objective, you must be of good conduct.
Perhaps you joined in order to have good relations with your friends and colleagues, respect, to be dear and agreeable to them. It was a good sangha to belong to. If so, be of good conduct.
Perhaps you just came because it provided robes, food, a resting place. Of course, for some people who lived in poverty and so on, this would be a good motive for becoming a monk. If so, be of good conduct.
Perhaps you will say you do it to give merit to those who provide you with robes, food and a resting place. Well, if so, be of good conduct.
Perhaps, even, you do it to bring benefit to those of your relatives who have already passed away, so that wherever they are now, when they think of you, they think of you well. And this brings them benefit. If so, be of good conduct.
Or perhaps you wanted to overcome your discontent, or perhaps to overcome your own fear and dread. Perhaps you wanted to attain proficiency in meditation, to master the four jhanas. If so, any of these three, be of good conduct.
Perhaps you joined because you wanted to transcend the problems of the body. If so, be of good conduct.
Perhaps you want to become a stream enterer, to enter the spiritual path. Perhaps you want to overcome the three poisons. Perhaps you want to go to heaven, and from there go on to nirvana. If so, be of good conduct.
Perhaps you're here to gain supernatural powers, to acquire the divine ear. (You might pause a moment and think, does that mean to become a therapist? Because the next one on his list is to understand the mind.) If you want these things, be of good conduct.
Perhaps you're here to remember your past lives. Perhaps you're here to understand not just your own lives, and sequence of lives, and karma, and so on, but to see how the destiny of everybody is conditioned by their intentional actions, how beings rise and fall according to their deeds. If you want to understand things of this kind, at least begin by being of good conduct.
Perhaps you even, maybe, even, possibly, want to overcome your own failings, become an arahat, become a saint, become somebody who transcends all of the negative behaviours, the harm that we do, the trouble we cause to others. Perhaps you want to bring an end to this. If so, then the place to start, be of good conduct.
Buddha says that he has set out and they have evolved the patimoksha, a set of guidances for monks to live by. Whatever reason you're here, be of good conduct. That's the sutta.
Thank you very much. Namo Amida Bu.
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