[4] There the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus:
"Friends, for one who is immoral, whose virtue has failed, non-remorse (avippaṭisāra) has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no non-remorse, for one who has failed in non-remorse, gladness (pāmujja) has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no gladness, for one who has failed in gladness, rapture (pīti) has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no rapture, for one who has failed in rapture, tranquility (passaddhi) has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no tranquility, for one who has failed in tranquility, happiness has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no happiness, for one who has failed in happiness, right concentration (sammāsamādhi) has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no right concentration, for one who has failed in right concentration, knowledge and vision of things as they really are (yathābhūtañāṇadassana) has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no knowledge and vision of things as they really are, for one who has failed in knowledge and vision of things as they really are, disenchantment and dispassion (nibbidā-virāga) have their proximate cause destroyed. When there is no disenchantment and dispassion, for one who has failed in disenchantment and dispassion, knowledge and vision of liberation (vimuttiñāṇadassana) has its proximate cause destroyed.
"Just as, friends, when a tree has failed in branches and foliage, its shoots do not come to fullness, and its bark, its softwood, and its heartwood do not come to fullness—even so, friends, for one who is immoral, whose virtue has failed, non-remorse has its proximate cause destroyed. When there is no non-remorse, for one who has failed in non-remorse, gladness has its proximate cause destroyed … knowledge and vision of liberation.
"Friends, for one who is virtuous, accomplished in virtue, non-remorse is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is non-remorse, for one accomplished in non-remorse, gladness is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is gladness, for one accomplished in gladness, rapture is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is rapture, for one accomplished in rapture, tranquility is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is tranquility, for one accomplished in tranquility, happiness is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is happiness, for one accomplished in happiness, right concentration is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is right concentration, for one accomplished in right concentration, knowledge and vision of things as they really are is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is knowledge and vision of things as they really are, for one accomplished in knowledge and vision of things as they really are, disenchantment and dispassion are accomplished in their proximate cause. When there is disenchantment and dispassion, for one accomplished in disenchantment and dispassion, knowledge and vision of liberation is accomplished in its proximate cause.
"Just as, friends, when a tree is accomplished in branches and foliage, its shoots come to fullness, and its bark, its softwood, and its heartwood come to fullness—even so, friends, for one who is virtuous, accomplished in virtue, non-remorse is accomplished in its proximate cause. When there is non-remorse, for one accomplished in non-remorse, gladness is accomplished in its proximate cause … knowledge and vision of liberation."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.