Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Related Discourses

5. Elements

（四五〇） 信 7-18 (450). Belief et al.
如是我聞： 一時，佛住舍衛國、祇樹、給孤獨園。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
爾時，世尊告諸比丘：「眾生常與界俱，與界和合。 不信時與不信界俱。 犯戒時與犯戒界俱。 無慚、無愧時與無慚、無愧界俱。 信心時與信界俱。 持戒時與持戒界俱。 慚、愧心時與慚、愧界俱。 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Sentient beings always associate with their elements, and those with those elements come together. When they [7] don’t believe … [8] aren’t energetic … [9] are forgetful … [10] don’t have meditative attainment … [11] have little learning … [12] are stingy … [13] have poor wisdom … [14] are difficult to nourish … [15] are difficult to fulfill … [16] have many desires … [17] are dissatisfied … [18] aren’t collected, they associate with the element of disbelief and so forth. When they break the precepts, they associate with the element of breaking precepts. When they have no conscience or modesty, they associate with the element of having no conscience or modesty. When they [7] have believing thoughts … [8] are energetic … [9] aren’t forgetful … [10] have meditative attainment … [11] have much learning … [12] are generous … [13] have good wisdom … [14] are easy to nourish … [15] are easy to fulfill … [16] have few desires … [17] are satisfied … [18] are collected, they associate with the element of belief and so on. When they observe the precepts, they associate with the element of observing the precepts. When they have conscientious and modest thoughts, they associate with the element of conscience and modesty.
「是故，諸比丘，當善分別種種諸界。」 3. “Therefore, monks, you should discern the various elements well.”
佛說是經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 4. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.
（如「信、不信」，如是「精進、不精進」，「失念、不失念」，「正受、不正受」，「多聞、少聞」，「慳者、施者」，「惡慧、善慧」，「難養、易養」，「難滿、易滿」，「多欲、少欲」，「知足、不知足」，「攝受、不攝受界俱」。如上經，如是廣說。） Like “believing and not believing,” it’s the same with “energetic and not energetic,” “forgetful and not forgetful,” “having meditative attainment and not having meditative attainment,” “much learning and little learning,” “being stingy and generous,” “poor wisdom and good wisdom,” “difficult to nourish and easy to nourish,” “difficult to fulfill and easy to fulfill,” “many desires and few desires,” “being satisfied and unsatisfied,” “[associate] with the elements of being collected and not collected.” These are recited in full as in the sūtra above.

Notes

  1. This is sūtra no. 450 in the Taisho edition and no. 698 in Yinshun (T99.2.115c15-26, Y30.163a8-15).

    This group of sūtras (SĀ 5.6-18) is generally parallel to SN 14.17-29, but the resemblances are only vague because of a good deal of variation and disorder. If we match the Pali suttas with sūtras found here by only their keywords, then we could say that SĀ 5.6 matches SN 14.25, SĀ 5.7 matches SN 14.18, SĀ 5.8 matches SN 14.22, SĀ 5.10 matches SN 14.23, and SĀ 5.11 matches SN 14.21. The other sūtras in both parallel groups lack a common main topic but the same basic template.

    There is also a pair of Chinese parallels at T101 No. 20 and T111 which include very similar sets of keywords as this set of sūtras. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 1 February 2026

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