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← Aṅguttara Nikāya

Stains

AN 8.15 · Malasutta

A sheltered meadow beside a quiet mountain tarn.

“Mendicants, there are these eight stains. What eight? Not rehearsing is the stain of hymns. Neglect is the stain of houses. Laziness is the stain of beauty. Negligence is a guard’s stain. Misconduct is a woman’s stain. Stinginess is a giver’s stain. Bad, unskillful qualities are a stain in this world and the next. Worse than any of these is ignorance, the worst stain of all. These are the eight stains.

Not rehearsing is the stain of hymns. The stain of houses is neglect. Laziness is the stain of beauty. A guard’s stain is negligence.

Misconduct is a woman’s stain. A giver’s stain is stinginess. Bad qualities are a stain in this world and the next. But a worse stain than these is ignorance, the worst stain of all.”

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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.