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← Aṅguttara Nikāya

Broken (2nd)

AN 4.4 · Dutiyakhatasutta

A still Tibetan mountain lake beneath snowy peaks.

“When a foolish, incompetent untrue person acts wrongly toward four people they keep themselves broken and damaged. They deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they brim with much wickedness. What four? Mother … father … a Realized One … and a disciple of a Realized One. When a foolish, incompetent untrue person acts wrongly toward these four people they keep themselves broken and damaged. They deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they brim with much wickedness.

When an astute, competent true person acts rightly toward four individuals they keep themselves intact and unscathed. They don’t deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they brim with much merit. What four? Mother … father … a Realized One … and a disciple of a Realized One. When an astute, competent true person acts rightly toward these four people they keep themselves healthy and whole. They don’t deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they brim with much merit.

A person who does wrong by their mother or father, or a Realized One, a Buddha, or one of their disciples, brims with much wickedness.

Because of their unprincipled conduct toward their parents, they’re criticized in this life by the astute, and they depart to be reborn in a place of loss.

A person who does right by their mother and father, or a Realized One, a Buddha, or one of their disciples, brims with much merit.

Because of their principled conduct toward their parents, they’re praised in this life by the astute, and they depart to rejoice in heaven.”

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.