Toh 37The Sūtra on the Benefits of the Five Precepts

Summary

In the first of the two parts of The Benefits of the Five
Precepts, a man and woman who have been married since they were very young and
have never been unfaithful to each other ask the Buddha how they can remain together in
future lives. The Buddha replies that this is possible for couples such as them who are
equal in faith, ethical discipline, generosity, and wisdom, and who practice the Dharma
together. In the second, longer part of the sūtra, the Buddha gives a teaching on the five
precepts, by which one renounces the five negative deeds—killing, stealing, sexual
misconduct, speaking falsehoods, and consuming intoxicants. The sufferings in various
hells that are the consequence of those five negative deeds are described, as are the
benefits experienced by those who renounce them.

Acknowledgements

This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha.

The text was translated from Tibetan and Pali (where Pali is available) by Bruno
Galasek-Hul. Professor emeritus Stephen Jenkins served as academic consultant, offering
many valuable suggestions and improvements. George FitzHerbert edited the translation and
the introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the
digital publication process.

Introduction

The Sūtra on the Benefits of the Five Precepts,
or, as it is also called, The Sūtra That Teaches the Benefits of
the Five Disciplines, is
among the few texts in the Tibetan Kangyur that also belong to the Theravāda
tradition. It is the seventh of the so-called “thirteen late-translated sūtras.” These were translated into Tibetan from
Pali in the first decade of the fourteenth century at Tharpaling by Tharpa Lotsawa
Nyima Gyaltsen Palsangpo and the visiting Sinhalese monk Ānandaśrī, at the request of
Drakpa Gyaltsen, the local ruler of Zhalu.

This sūtra is, however, unique within this group of thirteen texts in that
part of its content has no closely matching parallel in the Pali literature.

As observed by Peter Skilling, the first part of the sūtra is almost identical
in content to a short sutta extant in the Pali canon, the Samajīvīsutta, and may be considered a direct translation of it. In this sutta, the
householder Nakulapitā and his wife Nakulamātā,
who have been together since they were very young without even the thought of
infidelity, ask the Buddha how they can ensure that they will remain together in
future lives. The Buddha replies that when both partners share the wish to remain
together, and when both are “equal in faith, ethical discipline, generosity, and wisdom,” their
continuing association can be achieved. This short discourse with the couple then
concludes with three verses in which the Buddha again affirms that when a husband and
wife are loving toward each other, practice the Dharma together, and are equal in
ethical discipline, they will be reborn together in a heavenly realm where they will
enjoy all the sense pleasures.

The Tibetan text of Benefits of the Five Precepts
continues with a further teaching given by the Buddha to some monks on the topic of
the five “precepts” or “trainings” (Tib. bslab
pa, Pali sikkhā, Skt.
śikṣā), also called “ethical
disciplines” (Tib. tshul khrims, Pali
sīla, Skt. śīla). This longer section of the text has
no direct parallel in the Pali canon, nor is it attested in any other Buddhist
canonical language. The subject matter, however, is familiar to all Buddhist
traditions, namely the five precepts, which are resolutions to abandon the five
negative deeds of (1) killing, (2) stealing or taking what has not been given, (3)
adultery or sexual misconduct, (4) lying and slander, and (5) consuming intoxicants.
These are the five basic precepts undertaken by all committed Buddhists, whether lay
or monastic, that are to be cultivated so as to become second nature (the core sense
of the Sanskrit word śīla, meaning
“character,” “nature,” or “habit”).

In this sūtra, the presentation of the five precepts follows a general
pattern: First, the negative karmic results of committing the negative deed are
described—first during rebirth in a particular hell and then as a human—and then,
conversely, the positive karmic results of refraining from the negative deed are
described—first during rebirth as a human and then in a heaven.

Thus, the five negative deeds are each associated here with a particular great
hell. For killing, it is the hell called Reviving; for stealing, the hell called
Wailing; and for sexual misconduct, the hell called Loud Wailing; and, for each of
these three, secondary or neighboring hells are also mentioned. Lying
or slander leads to the hell called Black Thread, and, finally, the misuse of alcohol
leads to the hell called Burning. Fuller
descriptions of each of these hells can be found elsewhere in the Kangyur, in
particular chapter 2 of The Application of Mindfulness of the
Sacred Dharma (Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna).

Whether this second part of the sūtra also formed part of an original Pali
source text translated by Tharpa Lotsawa and Ānandaśrī, or whether it was based on
Ānandaśrī’s oral testimony, remains a matter of conjecture. It can be observed that
the sūtra’s title in Tibetan matches the contents of the second part better than it
does the contents of the first, since the narrative concerning the married couple
mentions only four, rather than five, doctrinal virtues. Accordingly, the
Samajīvīsutta is located within The Book of the
Fours (Catukkanipāta) of the Aṅguttaranikāya in the Pali canon. With regard to the
second part of the Tibetan sūtra, although there are texts in the Pali canon whose
contents match those of our text in general terms—for example, a very short sutta in
The Book of the Fives (Pañcakanipāta) of the Aṅguttaranikāya enumerates the five
negative deeds that lead to rebirth in the hells and the respective renunciations that
lead to rebirth in the heavens—none reflects the Tibetan text precisely. If a
composite text matching the Tibetan did indeed exist in Pali, then, according to the
logic of what Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi has called “composite numerical suttas,” it may have been an example
of those texts now found in The Book of the Nines (Navakanipāta). However, The Book of
the Nines, as presently constituted in the Aṅguttaranikāya, does not contain any sutta
that combines the four qualities and the five precepts in this way.

These considerations suggest two possible conclusions. One is that the
fourteenth-century Tibetan translation of The Benefits of the
Five Precepts is based on a no-longer-extant, or perhaps paracanonical,
Pali original. The other is that the second part of this text, whose first part is a
translation of a canonical version of The Benefits of the Five
Precepts, is an augmented or commentarial section added, perhaps from an
oral tradition, by Ānandaśrī.

It is in this regard that mention should be made of a short passage within the second part that is (as far as we can determine) unique to
this text, and that many readers—even those fortified with a strong dose of historical
and cultural relativism—will find strikingly discordant with present-day values. It is
an extra description, seemingly interposed as a supplement to the section on sexual
misconduct, that places a woman’s lack of subservience and obedience to her husband in
a stark moral light with descriptions of its own specific fruition in the experience
of the hell realms. None of the other descriptions in this text of negative actions
and the violent sufferings experienced by hell beings as their fruition make pleasant
reading; nor indeed do comparable passages in a number of other canonical works and in
the later literature. But this particular passage stands out as an outlier, and it
would seem justifiable that its canonical status might at least be questioned.

To our knowledge, this is the first full English translation of the sūtra to
be published. A full translation into French was published by Léon Henri Feer in 1881,
and partial English translations can be found in Cabezón 2017.

This English translation was prepared from the Tibetan and compared with the
Pali witnesses when they were available. The first part of the sūtra concerning the
married couple was translated in close consultation with the Pali Samajīvīsutta as found in the Pali Text Society’s
edition of the Aṅguttaranikāya and with Bhikkhu Bodhi’s English translation.
Comparison with the Pali was very helpful, since, as observed by Skilling, there are
some difficulties with the Tibetan of the “thirteen late-translated sūtras.” Where the Tibetan translation diverges in any
significant way from the Pali it has been recorded in notes, as have significant
variants in the Pali text across the major lineages of the Pali canon. The second part
of The Benefits of the Five Precepts was translated from
the Tibetan alone, as found in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the variant
readings noted in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur
ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. Variant readings that have been
preferred over the Degé version or that offer plausible alternatives have also been
recorded in notes.

The Translation

The Sūtra on

The Benefits of the Five Precepts

Homage, with
devotion, to the noble Three Jewels.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was staying in the Bhesakalā
grove deer park at
Suṃsumāragiri in the country of the
Bhaggas.
Early one morning, the Bhagavān, having donned his outer robe and taken up his
bowl, went to the dwelling of the householder Nakulapitā and, having
approached, sat down on a prepared seat. Then the householders Nakulapitā and
Nakulamātā approached the Bhagavān, greeted him
reverently, and sat down to one side.

Sitting to one side, the householder Nakulapitā addressed the Bhagavān: “Ever
since, Venerable Bhagavān, the householder
Nakulamātā was brought to me as a young girl when I was still a child, not even the
thought of being unfaithful to Nakulamātā has occurred to me, and there has been no
physical wrongdoing. Bhagavān, this is our mutual experience in this life, and we wish to share this experience
in other lives, too.”

Then the householder Nakulamātā
addressed the Bhagavān: “Ever since, Venerable Bhagavān, I was brought as a girl to
householder Nakulapitā when he was still young, not even the thought of being
unfaithful to Nakulapitā has occurred to me, and there has been no physical
wrongdoing. Bhagavān, this is our mutual experience in this life, and we wish to share this experience in other lives, too.”

Then the Bhagavān said, “When a husband and
wife both have that wish and have had this mutual experience in this life, they will share this experience in
other lives, too. By being equal in faith, equal in ethical discipline, equal in generosity,
and equal in wisdom, both of you have had this mutual experience in this life, and you will share this experience in
other lives, too.”

Then he spoke the following verses:

“A man and woman like this,

Who speak to each other lovingly,

Who are both faithful, generous, and self-controlled,

And who live in accordance with the Dharma,

“Will have abundant wealth

And will be reborn in a good situation.

Their enemies will become unhappy,

And when both are equal in ethical discipline,

“And have practiced the Dharma in this life

With equal virtue and good conduct,

They will next enjoy a deva world

Where they will delight in sensual pleasures.

“Therefore, one should guard the five precepts.

“These are (1) refraining from killing, (2) refraining from taking what has
not been given, (3) refraining from sexual misconduct, (4) refraining from lying, and
(5) refraining from drinking alcohol that leads to intoxication. These are the five
precepts that one should guard.”

The monks then inquired about the benefits of the five disciplines: “How else, Venerable Bhagavān,
should the karmic fruition of refraining from killing be understood? How should the
karmic fruition of refraining from taking what has not been given be understood? How
should the karmic fruition of refraining from sexual misconduct be understood? How
should the karmic fruition of refraining from lying be understood? And how should the
karmic fruition of refraining from drinking alcohol that leads to intoxication be
understood?”

The Bhagavān responded to their questions so as to be well understood: “Monks,
you should regard killing as being like a venomous snake. It is accompanied by many
wrongdoings and leads to rebirth in the realm of ghosts, the animal realm, and the
hell realms. After the destruction of the body, after death, one will be born in the
Reviving Hell. There, the guardians of the Reviving Hell will thoroughly roast one’s body, and
then cut it to pieces with a variety of blades and gouge holes in it. Forced to
undergo the so-called “fivefold ordeal,” the denizens of this hell
repeatedly die and are repeatedly revived and reborn in the Reviving Hell.

“The karmic fruition for those who weightily take life is to be overwhelmed
again and again by all these terrible, harsh, and intense sufferings of the Reviving
Hell.
Even if they are reborn as a human, their lives will be short, their sense faculties
defective. They will be ugly, lacking insight, always fearful, and always angry. They
will be disease ridden, full of sorrow, and devoid of joy. They will have nothing, and
they will have nothing for a very long time.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“Being reborn for five hundred rebirths

As ghosts, fish, snakes, game, owls,

Water buffalos, dogs, and foxes

Is the harm that ensues from having killed.”

This is the karmic fruition of killing.

“Those who refrain from killing

Will obtain the body of a man or woman

And the benefits they reap will be

The full twenty of these qualities:

“Their limbs and minor body parts will be perfect,

Their bodies will be strong,

They will be reborn immediately in a good family,

And their limbs will be beautiful and soft.

“Their lives will be long and happy,

They will be courageous and strong,

Their words will be most eloquent,

And they will experience divine joy.

“They will not be harmed by worldlings

Or criticized by noble ones;

They will not die through black magic,

And they will have an infinite retinue.

“They will have a perfect complexion and form,

They will have few illnesses and afflictions,

They will not have to leave their homes,

And they will not be made unhappy by others.

“A man or a woman,

By refraining from killing,

Will experience these benefits

As a deva or as a human.

“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a happy
rebirth-destiny, in heaven, in a deva world.

“Stealing means robbing another’s possessions, which have not been given, from
their house or room and so on, whether consciously or unconsciously. Those who take
from others by deception in order to make a living likewise eventually take what has
not been given and will, after the destruction of the body, after death, be reborn in
the Wailing hells.

“There are two hells called Wailing: the Wailing Hell of Flames and the
Wailing Hell of Smoke. In the Wailing Hell of Flames, life lasts for one cosmic
age. At intervals, the entire hell is filled with a blazing fire. In the Wailing Hell
of Smoke, fumes billow. In both, the denizens of the Wailing hells are cooked by
flames. Fire comes out of their nine orifices and scorches their bodies. In the
Wailing Hell of Smoke, beings are cooked as denizens of hell. Fumes come billowing
from their nine orifices, and their bodies are cooked like food. The beings in both scream in torment. There they experience terrible, harsh,
and intense sufferings.

“Stealing, monks, should be regarded as being like a venomous snake. It leads
to rebirth in the hells, in the realm of ghosts, and as animals. The karmic fruition
for anyone who steals is very grave. Even if reborn as a human, their resources will
be depleted, and those who have taken what has not been given will be unable to hold
on to even the smallest things. It will be difficult for them to obtain food, drink,
clothing, a mat, and so forth. They will be in constant discomfort and will be hateful
and hostile toward others. Whatever they do manage to obtain they will lose again, and
others will enjoy it instead. What they desire will be difficult to obtain, and things
they already possess will not be productive. They will be devoid of happiness.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“In this life, poverty and destitution,

Ugliness and misery,

And birth in a low social status

Are the harms that ensue from having stolen.”

This is the karmic fruition of stealing.

“Those who refrain from stealing

Will obtain rebirth as a man or a woman

And the benefits they reap will be

The full twenty of these qualities:

“Their grain will always be abundant,

Their resources endless and fulsome.

What was lacking before will be plentiful,

And their desires will be stable.

“All visible forms, sounds, tastes, smells,

And tactile sensations will be pleasant.

Every purpose for which they strive,

And every intention, will be swiftly achieved.

“They will not be robbed,

Neither by kings nor thieves nor enemies.

They will be impervious to harm,

Even by fire and water.

“Their resources will be such

That when it comes to gifts and food

They will never say ‘no’

And will always live in comfort.

“A man or a woman,

By refraining from stealing,

Will experience these benefits

As a deva or as a human.

“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a
happy rebirth-destiny, in heaven, in a deva world.

“Those who are lustful and commit acts of sexual misconduct in this world,
after the destruction of the body, after death, will fall and be reborn in the Loud
Wailing Hell. Outside, on both banks of the unfordable Vaitaraṇī River,
is the Forest of Silk Cotton Trees, equally high, extending upward for eighty yojanas,
with thorns sixteen finger-widths in length and downward-hanging branches. Bodies the
size of twelve earshots, with flames climbing up their bodies, ascend sixty yojanas, and there
they perpetually kill one another with various weapons, which are the leaves of the
Forest of Silk Cotton Trees. For many thousands of years they will climb on the thorns
of those trees. Moreover, they will be struck with weapons by the guardians of this
hell. Crying out, they will fall headlong, and when they land they will be impaled on
sharpened stakes set into a ground of burning iron, so that the stakes emerge from
their anuses, causing
extreme pain. Constantly wailing, they will stay for an eon in an iron pot sixteen
yojanas wide and completely filled with burning coals, which the guardians of
hell shove into their mouths.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“Tall like the summits of the Kālaparvata mountains,

The trees in this forest have thorns.

In a world of sharp iron
thorns,

There is no comfort for a human.

“What is the use of a temporary partner now,

When stuck on the tips of those trees?”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said, “Monks, sexual misconduct toward what
you desire should be regarded as being like a venomous snake. It leads to rebirth in
the hells, in the realm of ghosts, and as animals. The karmic fruition for anyone who
commits sexual misconduct is very grave. Even if reborn as a human, they will
experience great suffering.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“For five hundred lives, they will be reborn as women,

And likewise as paṇḍakas.

Again and again, they will be repugnant lepers.

These are the harms that ensue from from sexual misconduct.

“They will experience misfortune over many lifetimes. They will have many
enemies and will always be among hostile people. Whether sleeping or rising, they will
be uncomfortable. They will be constantly angry. They will be disturbed by people.
Their bodies will always be hunched. From rebirth to rebirth they will be born deaf
and blind and so on. Change for the worse will be certain. They will
always be dissatisfied. They will delight in mutual conflict. They will be bereft of
faith.

“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will fall and be reborn
in the Loud Wailing Hell. There, they will experience terrible, harsh, and intense
suffering.”

This is the karmic fruition of sexual misconduct.

“Those who refrain from sexual misconduct

Will obtain rebirth as a man or a woman

And the benefits they reap will be

The full twenty of these qualities:

“They will have no enemies,

And the whole world will rejoice in them.

They will easily obtain food and drink,

Clothing, a bed, and a dwelling.

“They will sleep well, stay well,

And rise well.

They will be completely free from the fear

Of bad rebirth.

“They will have no sorrow or fear,

Nor any illnesses.

They will not be reborn as a paṇḍaka

Or as a woman.

“Whatever they really want, however small,

Will be obtained.

They will enjoy many mutual friendships,

And no one will bear them ill will.

“They will have unimpaired sense faculties

And will possess the perfect marks of virtue.

They will not be impatient, nor doubtful,

And will be trusted by men and women.

“A man or a woman,

By refraining from sexual misconduct,

Will experience these benefits

As a deva or as a human.

“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a
happy rebirth-destiny, in heaven, in a deva world.

“Any man who is driven by desire,

In rebirth after rebirth,

Should not go after other women

But cleanse his mental stain instead.”

“Any woman who
does not fully serve her parents-in-law and does not fully serve her husband, who does
not care for her husband, who is not respectful toward her husband’s elder brother,
who causes trouble for her husband’s sisters, and who moreover does not put her arms,
legs, and back into her work and does not give them the food and drink they want, is not modest
and humble toward them, and criticizes her husband and recites texts at him will be reborn in hell. There she will sleep on
a floor of burning iron. A flaming iron hook will be inserted into her mouth, as if
hooking a fish, and the tip of her tongue will be drawn forth, tied with a rope, and
pulled out. After it is pulled it out like that, a big worm, born in the lips at the
place where the weapon struck the tip of the tongue, will eat the tongue. Even after
it eats only a little, she will be unable to speak. Similarly, she will be cooked
there for many thousands of years, and after being cooked there she will fall again
into a great hell.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“Any woman who desires a man,

In rebirth after rebirth,

Like a goddess to a god,

Should never abandon her husband.”

“Lying, in turn, leads to rebirth in the Black Thread Hell. There, the
guardians of that hell, shouting and bellowing and bearing a variety of blazing
weapons, drag hell beings one by one onto a floor of burning iron and mark them with
burning black thread. Then, holding blazing weapons, they
thoroughly transform them as if separating grain from chaff with a winnowing basket,
but using hatchets and axes, leaving them screaming and wailing. It is in this Black
Thread Hell, drinking one’s own blood, that one is reborn because of telling
lies. Here, one
will experience terrible, harsh, and intense suffering.

“Monks, you should keep in mind that lying is like a venomous snake. It
produces great suffering and leads to rebirth in the hells, in the realm of ghosts,
and as animals. The karmic fruition for anyone who lies is grave. Even if reborn as a
human, they will be without compassion. They will have a voice like a crow. They will
be poor at speaking. They will have tooth decay, bad breath, and crooked teeth. Their words will be rough and their
voice hoarse. They will have bad lips. They will be jealous and have insatiable
cravings. And after the destruction of their body, after death, they will be reborn in
the Black Thread Hell.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“A putrid stench arises from their mouths,

The bad smell spreading for a yojana.

They will not know the Dharma.

These are the harms that ensue from having lied.”

This is the karmic fruition of lying.

“Those who refrain from lying

Will obtain rebirth as a man or a woman

And the benefits they reap will be

The full thirty-three of these:

“Their eyes, ears, and noses,

Tongues, bodies, and minds, too,

Will be perfect,

Like the anthers of a lotus flower.

“Their eyes and teeth will be symmetrical.

They will be neither too tall nor too short,

Neither too fat nor too thin.

Their speech will be articulate.

“Their breath will always be scented like jasmine,

Or like the blue lotus flower.

Servants will all respect and obey them,

And their utterances will be worthy of veneration.

“They will be adept in all things,

Thoroughly learned in words and their meanings,

And dauntless in the face of doubt.

“A man or woman,

By refraining from lying,

Will experience these benefits

As a deva or as a human.

“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a
happy rebirth-destiny, in a deva world, in heaven.

“That which is called lying is reprehensible. Sons of
good family should refrain from pursuing the objects of their desire. Instead they
should extract the essence of that which is true and good. That which is called
speaking falsehoods serves no purpose. It deceives the world
and leads to rebirth in the Hell of Incessant Torture for many future lives.
Therefore, one should not lie for the sake of one’s livelihood. Even at such times as
when the omniscient one, the Buddha, the Bodhisattva, is concealed, divisive speech,
like the color of turmeric, does not last long; like a dagger planted in a heap of
chaff, it does not last long; and like a round fruit placed on the back of a horse, it does not last long.
So, too, when a word spoken is cut short by a sword, two words will not be
uttered. But, by speaking
the truth over a long period of time, ascetics and brahmins reach liberation after
they die.

“Drinking alcohol leads to falling into and being reborn in the Burning Hell. Beings who have fallen into this hell
will be cooked for many thousands of years. After that, they are discarded on the bank
of Vaitaraṇī River. With no way across, they try again and again to swim, whereupon
the guards of that hell will pull them out with hooks, like fish, and toss them down
on the ground of burning iron and bellow, ‘Oi, what do you want?’ ‘Lord, I am
parched,’ the beings will reply, and the guardians of that hell will rip open their
mouths with red-hot iron hooks and pour molten iron into their gaping mouths. First,
their lips and throats
will be scorched. Next their chests burn, then their bowels, and their hearts will
burn, too, until the molten iron forces its way out through the anus. Such are the
torments they are made to experience, weeping and rolling on the floor in pain. However,
even then they will not die. They will experience these sensations, the karmic
ripening of their actions, for as long as the fruits of their negative actions last.”

For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:

“The caustic and rough river Vaitaraṇī,

Without a ford, is very difficult to cross;

With its petals of iron lotuses

Rocking on sharp
leaves —

How can those who do not follow the Dharma

Ever hope to traverse the bottomless Vaitaraṇī River?

“For someone to drink alcohol is not a small misdeed. Even if they are reborn
as a human, they will always be absent-minded and as dull, stupid, and unaware as a
sheep. Constantly falling asleep, they will be of low intelligence and very ignorant.
They will be scared and fearful, doubtful, divisive, untrustworthy, miserly, envious, and without
renunciation. They will be without shame, with no sense of decency, and will have poor
discernment. They will be unaware of virtuous qualities, and for five hundred lives
they will be reborn as yakṣas, for another five hundred as dogs, and they will forever
thereafter be reborn as lunatics. These are the harms that ensue from having consumed
alcohol.

This is the karmic fruition of drinking alcohol that leads to intoxication.

“Those who refrain from drinking alcohol

Will be reborn as a man or a woman

And the benefits they then will reap

Will be the full thirty-six of these:

“They will quickly become aware

Of the past and the future,

And the fleeting present too,

And they will always remain mindful.

“They will not be insane—

In particular, they will have noble insight.

With minds unclouded and vigilant,

They will express themselves clearly.

“Being modest, their words will be clear.

What they say will not be wrong,

Will be without slander and harsh words,

And will not praise that which is meaningless.

“Day and night alike,

Knowing and noticing what has been done,

They will give without expectation, and they will have moral discipline.

They will not be angry and will speak honestly.

“They will be without fear and learned in details,

With a strong sense of modesty and decency,

Fearless and unhesitant.

Their perceptive minds will retain what they learn,

And they will be considered learned among significant men.

“A man or a woman,

By refraining from consuming alcohol,

Will experience these benefits

As a deva or as a human.

“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in the
happy rebirth-destinies of the higher realms, in a deva world, in heaven.

“These disciplines should be guarded. Any person, whether a man or a woman,
who does not guard and cultivate
these disciplines will, after the destruction of the body, after death, fall and be
reborn in bad or unfortunate rebirth-destinies,
in the lower realms. Those who guard and
cultivate these disciplines will, after the destruction of the body, after death, be
reborn in the happy rebirth-destinies of the higher realms, in a deva world.”

This is what the Bhagavān said, and the monks rejoiced at what the Bhagavān
had taught.

This concludes “The Sūtra That Teaches the
Benefits of the Five Disciplines.”

Colophon

This sūtra was translated, edited, and finalized by the learned translator,
the Śākya monk Nyima Gyaltsen Palsangpo, in the presence of the great scholar
Ānandaśrī at the translation center of the great monastery Pal Tharpaling. May it
become like sun and moon ornaments crowning the earth!

Notes

Kangyurs referenced in the comparative table of variant

readings (bsdur mchan) in the Comparative Edition
of the Kangyur

H
Lhasa (lha sa / zhol) printed Kangyur

U
Urga Kangyur

K
Kangxi printed Kangyur

Kangyur editions used directly for this translation

D
Degé printed Kangyur (par phud facsimile)

Other

BHSD

Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary, Edgerton 1953

DPPN

Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names, Malalasekera 1938

Mvy.

Mahāvyutpatti with sgra sbyor bam po
gñis pa

PE

Purāṇic
Encyclopaedia, Mani 1975

PED

Bibliography

Canonical Sources

Other Sources

training

unfortunate rebirth destinies

bad

secondary hell

refrain from drinking alcohol

sons of good family

Wailing

Loud Wailing

river Vaitaraṇī

Black Thread

Incessant Torture

Burning

Reviving