[768] **One should not train in impudence** — herein, "impudence" (pāgabbhiya): there are three kinds of impudence — bodily impudence, verbal impudence, and mental impudence.
What is bodily impudence? Here someone, gone among the Saṅgha, displays bodily impudence; gone among a group, he displays bodily impudence; in the refectory, he displays bodily impudence; in the bathhouse, he displays bodily impudence; at the bathing-ford, he displays bodily impudence; while entering among the houses of the village, he displays bodily impudence; having entered among the houses of the village, he displays bodily impudence.
How does one gone among the Saṅgha display bodily impudence? Here someone gone among the Saṅgha, acting without deference, stands jostling the elder bhikkhus and sits jostling them; he stands in front of them and sits in front of them; he sits on a high seat; he sits with his head covered; he speaks while standing; he speaks waving his arms. Thus one gone among the Saṅgha displays bodily impudence.
How does one gone among a group display bodily impudence? Here someone gone among a group, acting without deference, walks wearing sandals while the elder bhikkhus walk unsandalled; he walks on a high walking-path while they walk on a low walking-path; he walks on a walking-path while they walk on the bare ground; he stands jostling them and sits jostling them; he stands in front of them and sits in front of them; he sits on a high seat; he sits with his head covered; he speaks while standing; he speaks waving his arms. Thus one gone among a group displays bodily impudence.
How does one display bodily impudence in the refectory? Here someone in the refectory, acting without deference, sits encroaching upon the elder bhikkhus; he keeps the newly ordained bhikkhus from a seat; he stands jostling them and sits jostling them; he stands in front of them and sits in front of them; he sits on a high seat; he sits with his head covered; he speaks while standing; he speaks waving his arms. Thus one displays bodily impudence in the refectory.
How does one display bodily impudence in the bathhouse? Here someone in the bathhouse, acting without deference, stands jostling the elder bhikkhus and sits jostling them; he stands in front of them and sits in front of them; he sits on a high seat; he throws wood on the fire without asking leave; he closes the door without asking leave. Thus one displays bodily impudence in the bathhouse.
How does one display bodily impudence at the bathing-ford? Here someone at the bathing-ford, acting without deference, goes down into the water jostling the elder bhikkhus, and goes down in front of them; he bathes jostling them, bathes in front of them, and bathes upstream of them; he comes out jostling them, comes out in front of them, and comes out upstream of them. Thus one displays bodily impudence at the bathing-ford.
How does one entering among the houses of the village display bodily impudence? Here someone entering among the houses, acting without deference, walks jostling the elder bhikkhus, walks in front of them, and, cutting in, walks ahead of the elder bhikkhus. Thus one entering among the houses of the village displays bodily impudence.
How does one who has entered among the houses of the village display bodily impudence? Here someone who has entered among the houses, though told, "Do not enter, venerable sir," enters; though told, "Do not stand, venerable sir," stands; though told, "Do not sit, venerable sir," sits; he enters where no leave is given, stands where no leave is given, and sits where no leave is given; and into those inner chambers of families, hidden and screened, where the women of the family, the daughters of the family, the daughters-in-law of the family, and the girls of the family sit — even there he bursts in headlong, and he strokes a boy's head. Thus one who has entered among the houses of the village displays bodily impudence. This is bodily impudence.
What is verbal impudence? Here someone, gone among the Saṅgha, displays verbal impudence; gone among a group, he displays verbal impudence; having entered among the houses of the village, he displays verbal impudence.
How does one gone among the Saṅgha display verbal impudence? Here someone gone among the Saṅgha, acting without deference, without asking leave of the elder bhikkhus or being invited by them, speaks Dhamma to the bhikkhus staying in the monastery, answers questions, and recites the Pātimokkha; he speaks while standing; he speaks waving his arms. Thus one gone among the Saṅgha displays verbal impudence.
How does one gone among a group display verbal impudence? Here someone gone among a group, acting without deference, without asking leave of the elder bhikkhus or being invited by them, speaks Dhamma to the bhikkhus staying in the monastery and answers questions; he speaks while standing; he speaks waving his arms; he speaks Dhamma to the bhikkhunīs, to the laymen, and to the laywomen staying in the monastery and answers questions; he speaks while standing; he speaks waving his arms. Thus one gone among a group displays verbal impudence.
How does one who has entered among the houses of the village display verbal impudence? Here someone who has entered among the houses says to a woman or a girl: "You of such-and-such a name, of such-and-such a clan, what is there? Is there gruel? Is there rice? Is there anything to chew? What shall we drink? What shall we eat? What shall we chew? Or what is there? Or what will you give me?" — thus he prattles. Thus one who has entered among the houses of the village displays verbal impudence. This is verbal impudence.
What is mental impudence? Here someone, though not gone forth from a high family, puts himself with his mind (citta) on a par with one gone forth from a high family; though not gone forth from a great family, though not gone forth from a family of great wealth, though not gone forth from a family of lofty wealth, he puts himself with his mind on a par with one gone forth from a family of lofty wealth; though not an expert in the Suttantas, he puts himself with his mind on a par with an expert in the Suttantas; though not an expert in the Vinaya, though not a speaker on the Dhamma, though not a forest-dweller, though not an alms-food-eater, though not a rag-robe-wearer, though not a triple-robe-wearer, though not one who walks on unbroken alms round, though not one who refuses food offered afterwards, though not one who keeps the sitter's practice, though not one who accepts whatever lodging is assigned, he puts himself with his mind on a par with one who accepts whatever lodging is assigned; though not an obtainer of the first jhāna, he puts himself with his mind on a par with an obtainer of the first jhāna; though not an obtainer of the second jhāna, though not an obtainer of the third jhāna, though not an obtainer of the fourth jhāna, though not an obtainer of the attainment of the Sphere of Infinity of Space, though not an obtainer of the attainment of the Sphere of Infinity of Consciousness, though not an obtainer of the attainment of the Sphere of Nothingness, though not an obtainer of the attainment of the Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception, he puts himself with his mind on a par with an obtainer of the attainment of the Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception. This is mental impudence.
**One should not train in impudence**: one should not train in impudence, should not practice it, should not thoroughly practice it, should not undertake it and carry on with it; one should abandon impudence, dispel it, make an end of it, and bring it to non-existence; one should be far removed from impudence, abstinent, thoroughly abstinent from it, gone out from it, released from it, fully freed from it, detached from it; one should dwell with a mind made free of boundaries. Therefore it is said, "one should not train in impudence."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.