[194] Bhikkhus, I do not declare that there is a wiping out of intentional (sañcetanika) kammas that have been done and accumulated without their having been experienced — and that [experiencing takes place] either in this very life, or in the next rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion. Nor indeed, bhikkhus, do I declare that there is a making an end of suffering (dukkha) with respect to intentional kammas done and accumulated without their having been experienced. Therein, bhikkhus, threefold is the failure and corruption of bodily action, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering; fourfold is the failure and corruption of verbal action, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering; threefold is the failure and corruption of mental action, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering.
And how, bhikkhus, is the failure and corruption of bodily action threefold, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering? Here, bhikkhus, a certain person is a destroyer of living beings: cruel, bloody-handed, given over to killing and beating, merciless toward all living beings. He is a taker of what is not given: whatever wealth and property of another, whether in the village or in the forest, he takes it, not given, by way of theft. He is one who engages in sexual misconduct: with women who are protected by their mother, protected by their father, protected by their brother, protected by their sister, protected by their relatives, protected by the Dhamma, who have a husband, who are protected by law — even, at the least, with one garlanded [in token of betrothal] — with such women he transgresses. It is in this way, bhikkhus, that the failure and corruption of bodily action is threefold, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering.
And how, bhikkhus, is the failure and corruption of verbal action fourfold, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering? Here, bhikkhus, a certain person is a speaker of falsehood: when he has gone to a council, or to an assembly, or into the midst of his relatives, or into the midst of a guild, or into the midst of the royal court, and is led forward and questioned as a witness — "Come, good man, tell what you know" — then, not knowing, he says "I know," or knowing, he says "I do not know"; not seeing, he says "I see," or seeing, he says "I do not see." Thus, for his own sake, or for another's sake, or for the sake of some trifling material gain, he deliberately speaks falsehood. He is a speaker of divisive speech: having heard something here, he repeats it elsewhere in order to divide these people; or having heard something elsewhere, he repeats it to these people in order to divide those. Thus he is a divider of those who are united and an instigator of those already divided; he delights in faction, rejoices in faction, takes pleasure in faction, a speaker of words that create faction. He is a speaker of harsh speech: such speech as is rough, hard, bitter to others, offensive to others, bordering on anger, not conducive to concentration (samādhi) — such speech he utters. He is one who indulges in frivolous talk: he speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not fact, speaks what is unbeneficial, speaks contrary to the Dhamma, speaks contrary to the discipline; at an unseasonable time he utters speech that is not worth treasuring, without reason, without limit, and unconnected with benefit. It is in this way, bhikkhus, that the failure and corruption of verbal action is fourfold, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering.
And how, bhikkhus, is the failure and corruption of mental action threefold, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering? Here, bhikkhus, a certain person is covetous: whatever wealth and property of another, he covets it thus: "Oh, that what belongs to another were mine!" He is of malevolent mind, with corrupt intentions of thought: "May these beings be slain, or slaughtered, or cut off, or destroyed, or may they not exist!" He is of wrong view, of distorted vision: "There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed; there is no fruit or result of kammas well done or ill done; there is no this world, no other world; there is no mother, no father; there are no beings spontaneously reborn (opapātika); there are in the world no ascetics and brahmins of right attainment and right practice who, having realized this world and the other world for themselves by direct knowledge, make them known." It is in this way, bhikkhus, that the failure and corruption of mental action is threefold, having unwholesome volition, yielding suffering, ripening in suffering.
Because of the threefold failure and corruption of bodily action having unwholesome volition, bhikkhus, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell; or because of the fourfold failure and corruption of verbal action having unwholesome volition, bhikkhus, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell; or because of the threefold failure and corruption of mental action having unwholesome volition, bhikkhus, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell. Just as, bhikkhus, a faultless die, when thrown upward, rests firmly wherever it lands — even so, bhikkhus, because of the threefold failure and corruption of bodily action having unwholesome volition, beings are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell; or because of the fourfold failure and corruption of verbal action having unwholesome volition, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell; or because of the threefold failure and corruption of mental action having unwholesome volition, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell.
Bhikkhus, I do not declare that there is a wiping out of intentional kammas that have been done and accumulated without their having been experienced — and that either in this very life, or in the next rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion. Nor indeed, bhikkhus, do I declare that there is a making an end of suffering with respect to intentional kammas done and accumulated without their having been experienced. Therein, bhikkhus, threefold is the success (sampatti) of bodily action, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness; fourfold is the success of verbal action, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness; threefold is the success of mental action, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness.
And how, bhikkhus, is the success of bodily action threefold, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness? Here, bhikkhus, a certain person, abandoning the destruction of life, abstains from the destruction of life: with rod laid down, with weapon laid down, conscientious, merciful, he dwells compassionate for the welfare of all living beings. Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given: whatever wealth and property of another, whether in the village or in the forest, he does not take it, not given, by way of theft. Abandoning sexual misconduct, he abstains from sexual misconduct: with women who are protected by their mother, protected by their father, protected by their brother, protected by their sister, protected by their relatives, protected by the Dhamma, who have a husband, who are protected by law — even, at the least, with one garlanded [in token of betrothal] — with such women he does not transgress. It is in this way, bhikkhus, that the success of bodily action is threefold, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness.
And how, bhikkhus, is the success of verbal action fourfold, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness? Here, bhikkhus, a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech: when he has gone to a council, or to an assembly, or into the midst of his relatives, or into the midst of a guild, or into the midst of the royal court, and is led forward and questioned as a witness — "Come, good man, tell what you know" — then, not knowing, he says "I do not know," or knowing, he says "I know"; not seeing, he says "I do not see," or seeing, he says "I see." Thus he does not deliberately speak falsehood for his own sake, or for another's sake, or for the sake of some trifling material gain. Abandoning divisive speech, he abstains from divisive speech: having heard something here, he does not repeat it elsewhere in order to divide these people; nor, having heard something elsewhere, does he repeat it to these people in order to divide those. Thus he is a reconciler of those who are divided and a promoter of those who are united; he delights in concord, rejoices in concord, takes pleasure in concord, a speaker of words that create concord. Abandoning harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech: such speech as is blameless, pleasing to the ear, lovable, going to the heart, urbane, agreeable to many people, pleasing to many people — such speech he utters. Abandoning frivolous talk, he abstains from frivolous talk: he speaks at the right time, speaks what is fact, speaks what is beneficial, speaks on the Dhamma, speaks on the discipline; at a suitable time he utters speech that is worth treasuring, with reason, measured, and connected with benefit. It is in this way, bhikkhus, that the success of verbal action is fourfold, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness.
And how, bhikkhus, is the success of mental action threefold, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness? Here, bhikkhus, a certain person is not covetous: whatever wealth and property of another, he does not covet it thus: "Oh, that what belongs to another were mine!" He is of benevolent mind, with uncorrupted intentions of thought: "May these beings be free from enmity, free from affliction, untroubled; may they maintain themselves in happiness!" He is of right view, of undistorted vision: "There is what is given, there is what is offered, there is what is sacrificed … who, having realized this world and the other world for themselves by direct knowledge, make them known." It is in this way, bhikkhus, that the success of mental action is threefold, having wholesome volition, yielding happiness, ripening in happiness.
Because of the threefold success of bodily action having wholesome volition, bhikkhus, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world; or because of the fourfold success of verbal action having wholesome volition, bhikkhus, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world; or because of the threefold success of mental action having wholesome volition, bhikkhus, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. Just as, bhikkhus, a faultless die, when thrown upward, rests firmly wherever it lands — even so, bhikkhus, because of the threefold success of bodily action having wholesome volition, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world; or because of the fourfold success of verbal action having wholesome volition, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world; or because of the threefold success of mental action having wholesome volition, beings, with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.