[32] On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Feeding Ground. Then the princess Cundī, surrounded by five hundred chariots and five hundred maidens, approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, she sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the princess Cundī said this to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, our brother, the prince named Cunda, says this: 'Whenever a woman or a man has gone for refuge (saraṇa) to the Buddha, gone for refuge to the Dhamma, gone for refuge to the Saṅgha, and abstains from the destruction of life, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from sexual misconduct, abstains from false speech, abstains from wine, liquor, and intoxicants that are a basis for heedlessness — that person, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn only in a good destination, not in a bad destination.' Venerable sir, I ask the Blessed One: having confidence in what kind of teacher is one, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn only in a good destination, not in a bad destination? Having confidence in what kind of Dhamma is one, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn only in a good destination, not in a bad destination? Having confidence in what kind of Saṅgha is one, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn only in a good destination, not in a bad destination? Fulfilling what kind of virtues (sīla) is one, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn only in a good destination, not in a bad destination?"
"Cundī, as far as there are beings — footless, two-footed, four-footed, or many-footed, with form or formless, percipient, non-percipient, or neither percipient nor non-percipient — the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, is declared the foremost of them. Those, Cundī, who have confidence (pasanna) in the Buddha have confidence in the foremost; and for those who have confidence in the foremost, the result (vipāka) is foremost.
"Cundī, as far as there are dhammas, whether conditioned or unconditioned, dispassion (virāga) is declared the foremost of them — that is, the crushing of intoxication, the removal of thirst, the uprooting of attachment, the cutting off of the round, the destruction of craving (taṇhā), dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna. Those, Cundī, who have confidence in the Dhamma of dispassion have confidence in the foremost; and for those who have confidence in the foremost, the result is foremost.
"Cundī, as far as there are saṅghas or groups, the Saṅgha of the Tathāgata's disciples is declared the foremost of them — that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight individuals; this Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world. Those, Cundī, who have confidence in the Saṅgha have confidence in the foremost; and for those who have confidence in the foremost, the result is foremost.
"Cundī, as far as there are virtues, the virtues dear to the noble ones are declared the foremost of them — that is, unbroken, untorn, unblemished, unmottled, liberating, praised by the wise, ungrasped, conducive to concentration (samādhi). Those, Cundī, who fulfill the virtues dear to the noble ones fulfill the foremost; and for those who fulfill the foremost, the result is foremost."
For those with confidence in the foremost,
knowing the foremost Dhamma —
confident in the Buddha, the foremost,
unsurpassed, worthy of offerings;
confident in the Dhamma, the foremost,
the bliss of dispassion and peace;
confident in the Saṅgha, the foremost,
the unsurpassed field of merit —
for those giving gifts to the foremost,
foremost merit increases:
foremost lifespan and beauty,
fame, reputation, happiness, and strength.
The wise one, a giver to the foremost,
established in the foremost Dhamma,
having become a deva or a human,
rejoices, having attained the foremost.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.