Apaṇṇakasutta

Suttapiṭaka · Majjhimanikāya · Vol. 13 · Section 111

[111] Therein, householders, as to those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view as this: "For one who acts or causes others to act, who mutilates or causes others to mutilate, who torments or causes others to torment, who causes sorrow or causes others to inflict sorrow, who oppresses or causes others to oppress, who intimidates or causes others to intimidate, who causes the destruction of life (pāṇa), who takes what is not given, who breaks into houses, who carries off plunder, who commits burglary upon a solitary house, who waits in ambush on the highway, who goes to another's wife, who speaks falsehood — for one acting thus, no evil is done. Even if, with a wheel rimmed like a razor, one were to make the living beings of this earth into one shambles of flesh, one heap of flesh, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil. Even if one were to go along the south bank of the Ganges killing and slaughtering … through giving, through self-taming, through restraint, through speaking truth, there is no merit, no coming of merit" — of them this is to be expected: shunning these three wholesome (kusala) qualities, namely good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, and good mental conduct, they will conduct themselves having undertaken these three unwholesome (akusala) qualities, namely bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Why is that? Because those honorable ascetics and brahmins do not see in unwholesome qualities the danger, the degradation, the defilement, nor in wholesome qualities the benefit of renunciation, the aspect of cleansing (vodānapakkha). Now, since doing (kiriya) really exists, one who holds the view "there is no doing" — that view of his is wrong view (micchādiṭṭhi). Since doing really exists, one who intends "there is no doing" — that intention of his is wrong intention. Since doing really exists, one who utters the speech "there is no doing" — that speech of his is wrong speech. Since doing really exists, one who says "there is no doing" makes himself an opponent of those arahants who hold the doctrine of doing (kiriyavāda). Since doing really exists, one who convinces another "there is no doing" — that convincing of his is a convincing in what is not the true Dhamma (asaddhammasaññatti); and by that convincing in what is not the true Dhamma he exalts himself and disparages others. Thus, indeed, his former good virtue is already abandoned and bad conduct set up; and this wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, opposition to the noble ones, convincing in what is not the true Dhamma, exaltation of self, and disparagement of others — thus these many evil, unwholesome qualities come into being with wrong view as their condition.

English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.