Numbered Discourses 5.3

1. Powers of a Trainee

Suffering

“Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu has five qualities they live unhappily in the present life—with distress, anguish, and fever—and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a bad rebirth. What five? It’s when a bhikkhu is faithless, shameless, imprudent, lazy, and witless. When a bhikkhu has these five qualities they live unhappily in the present life—with distress, anguish, and fever—and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a bad rebirth.

When a bhikkhu has five qualities they live happily in the present life—without distress, anguish, or fever—and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a good rebirth. What five? It’s when a bhikkhu is faithful, conscientious, prudent, energetic, and wise. When a bhikkhu has these five qualities they live happily in the present life—without distress, anguish, or fever—and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a good rebirth.”