[533] Then Sakka, lord of the devas, together with five hundred devatās, approached the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna; having approached and paid homage to the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, he stood to one side. As he stood to one side, the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this to Sakka, lord of the devas:
"It is good, lord of the devas, to be possessed of confirmed confidence (aveccappasāda) in the Buddha thus: 'Thus indeed is that Blessed One … teacher of devas and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One.' Because of being possessed of confirmed confidence in the Buddha, lord of the devas, some beings here, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life span … in divine touches.
"It is good, lord of the devas, to be possessed of confirmed confidence in the Dhamma … It is good, lord of the devas, to be possessed of confirmed confidence in the Saṅgha … It is good, lord of the devas, to be possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones — unbroken … conducive to concentration (samādhi). Because of being possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones, lord of the devas, some beings here, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life span … in divine touches."
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of confirmed confidence in the Buddha thus: 'Thus indeed is that Blessed One … teacher of devas and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One.' Because of being possessed of confirmed confidence in the Buddha, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life span … in divine touches.
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of confirmed confidence in the Dhamma thus: 'Well proclaimed by the Blessed One is the Dhamma … to be personally experienced by the wise.' Because of being possessed of confirmed confidence in the Dhamma, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life span … in divine touches.
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of confirmed confidence in the Saṅgha thus: 'Practicing well is the Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples … the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.' Because of being possessed of confirmed confidence in the Saṅgha, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life span … in divine touches.
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones — unbroken … conducive to concentration. Because of being possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life span … in divine touches."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.