AN 4 The Book of the Fours – Catukkanipāta > AN 4.121 Guilt

Numbered Discourses 4.121 – Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.121

13. Fears – 13. Bhayavagga

AN 4.121 Guilt – Attānuvādasutta

1.1

“Bhikkhū, there are these four fears.

“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, bhayāni.

1.2

What four?

Katamāni cattāri?

1.3

The fears of guilt, shame, punishment, and going to a bad place.

Attānuvādabhayaṁ, parānuvādabhayaṁ, daṇḍabhayaṁ, duggatibhayaṁ.

2.1

And what, bhikkhū, is the fear of guilt?

Katamañca, bhikkhave, attānuvādabhayaṁ?

2.2

It’s when someone reflects:

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati:

2.3

‘If I were to do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind, wouldn’t I blame myself for my conduct?’

‘ahañceva kho pana kāyena duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, vācāya duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, manasā duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, kiñca taṁ yaṁ maṁ attā sīlato na upavadeyyā’ti.

2.4

Being afraid of guilt, they give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure.

So attānuvādabhayassa bhīto kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāveti, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāveti, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāveti, suddhaṁ attānaṁ pariharati.

2.5

This is called the fear of guilt.

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, attānuvādabhayaṁ.

3.1

And what, bhikkhū, is the fear of shame?

Katamañca, bhikkhave, parānuvādabhayaṁ?

3.2

It’s when someone reflects:

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati:

3.3

‘If I were to do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind, wouldn’t others blame me for my conduct?’

‘ahañceva kho pana kāyena duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, vācāya duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, manasā duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, kiñca taṁ yaṁ maṁ pare sīlato na upavadeyyun’ti.

3.4

Being afraid of shame, they give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure.

So parānuvādabhayassa bhīto kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāveti, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāveti, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāveti, suddhaṁ attānaṁ pariharati.

3.5

This is called the fear of shame.

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, parānuvādabhayaṁ.

4.1

And what, bhikkhū, is the fear of punishment?

Katamañca, bhikkhave, daṇḍabhayaṁ?

4.2

It’s when someone sees that the kings have arrested a bandit, a criminal, and subjected them to various punishments—

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco passati coraṁ āgucāriṁ, rājāno gahetvā vividhā kammakāraṇā kārente,

4.3

whipping, caning, and clubbing; cutting off hands or feet, or both; cutting off ears or nose, or both; the ‘porridge pot’, the ‘shell-shave’, the ‘demon’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘grass blades’, the ‘bark dress’, the ‘antelope’, the ‘meat hook’, the ‘coins’, the ‘caustic pickle’, the ‘twisting bar’, the ‘straw mat’; being splashed with hot oil, being fed to the dogs, being impaled alive, and being beheaded.

kasāhipi tāḷente, vettehipi tāḷente, addhadaṇḍakehipi tāḷente, hatthampi chindante, pādampi chindante, hatthapādampi chindante, kaṇṇampi chindante, nāsampi chindante, kaṇṇanāsampi chindante, bilaṅgathālikampi karonte, saṅkhamuṇḍikampi karonte, rāhumukhampi karonte, jotimālikampi karonte, hatthapajjotikampi karonte, erakavattikampi karonte, cīrakavāsikampi karonte, eṇeyyakampi karonte, balisamaṁsikampi karonte, kahāpaṇakampi karonte, khārāpatacchikampi karonte, palighaparivattikampi karonte, palālapīṭhakampi karonte, tattenapi telena osiñcante, sunakhehipi khādāpente, jīvantampi sūle uttāsente, asināpi sīsaṁ chindante.

5.1

They think:

Tassa evaṁ hoti:

5.2

‘If I were to do the same kind of bad deed, the kings would punish me in the same way.’ …

‘yathārūpānaṁ kho pāpakānaṁ kammānaṁ hetu coraṁ āgucāriṁ rājāno gahetvā vividhā kammakāraṇā kārenti, kasāhipi tāḷenti …pe… asināpi sīsaṁ chindanti, ahañceva kho pana evarūpaṁ pāpakammaṁ kareyyaṁ, mampi rājāno gahetvā evarūpā vividhā kammakāraṇā kāreyyuṁ, kasāhipi tāḷeyyuṁ, vettehipi tāḷeyyuṁ, addhadaṇḍakehipi tāḷeyyuṁ, hatthampi chindeyyuṁ, pādampi chindeyyuṁ, hatthapādampi chindeyyuṁ, kaṇṇampi chindeyyuṁ, nāsampi chindeyyuṁ, kaṇṇanāsampi chindeyyuṁ, bilaṅgathālikampi kareyyuṁ, saṅkhamuṇḍikampi kareyyuṁ;

5.3

rāhumukhampi kareyyuṁ, jotimālikampi kareyyuṁ, hatthapajjotikampi kareyyuṁ, erakavattikampi kareyyuṁ, cīrakavāsikampi kareyyuṁ, eṇeyyakampi kareyyuṁ, balisamaṁsikampi kareyyuṁ, kahāpaṇakampi kareyyuṁ, khārāpatacchikampi kareyyuṁ, palighaparivattikampi kareyyuṁ, palālapīṭhakampi kareyyuṁ, tattenapi telena osiñceyyuṁ, sunakhehipi khādāpeyyuṁ, jīvantampi sūle uttāseyyuṁ, asināpi sīsaṁ chindeyyun’ti.

5.4

Being afraid of punishment, they don’t steal the belongings of others.

So daṇḍabhayassa bhīto na paresaṁ pābhataṁ vilumpanto carati.

5.5

They give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure.

Kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya …pe… suddhaṁ attānaṁ pariharati.

5.6

This is called the fear of punishment.

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, daṇḍabhayaṁ.

6.1

And what, bhikkhū, is the fear of rebirth in a bad place?

Katamañca, bhikkhave, duggatibhayaṁ?

6.2

It’s when someone reflects:

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati:

6.3

‘Bad conduct of body, speech, or mind has a bad result in the next life.

‘kāyaduccaritassa kho pāpako vipāko abhisamparāyaṁ, vacīduccaritassa pāpako vipāko abhisamparāyaṁ, manoduccaritassa pāpako vipāko abhisamparāyaṁ.

6.4

If I were to do such bad things, when my body breaks up, after death, I’d be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.’

Ahañceva kho pana kāyena duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, vācāya duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, manasā duccaritaṁ careyyaṁ, kiñca taṁ yāhaṁ na kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.

6.5

Being afraid of rebirth in a bad place, they give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure.

So duggatibhayassa bhīto kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāveti, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāveti, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāveti, suddhaṁ attānaṁ pariharati.

6.6

This is called the fear of rebirth in a bad place.

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, duggatibhayaṁ.

6.7

These are the four fears.”

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri bhayānī”ti.

6.8

Paṭhamaṁ.