One should train just in ethical conduct, for in this world, when ethical conduct is cultivated and well-trained, it provides all success.
Wishing for three kinds of happiness—praise, prosperity, and to delight in heaven after passing away—the wise would take care of their ethics.
The well-behaved have many friends, because of their self-restraint. But one lacking ethics, of bad conduct, drives away their friends.
A man whose ethics are bad has ill-repute and infamy. One who is ethical always has a good reputation, fame, and praise.
Ethical conduct is the starting point and foundation; the mother at the head of all good things: that’s why you should purify your ethics.
Ethics provide a boundary and a restraint, an enjoyment for the mind; the ford where all the Buddhas cross over: that’s why you should purify your ethics.
Ethics are the matchless power; ethics are the ultimate weapon; ethics are the best ornament; ethics are a marvelous coat of armor.
Ethics are a mighty bridge; ethics are the unsurpassed scent; ethics are the best perfume, that float from place to place.
Ethics are the best provision; ethics are the unsurpassed supply for a journey; ethics are the best vehicle that take you from place to place.
In this life they’re criticized; after departing they grieve in a lower realm; a fool is unhappy everywhere, because they are unsteady in ethics.
In this life they’re renowned; after departing they’re happy in heaven; the attentive are happy everywhere, because they are steady in ethics.
Ethical conduct is best in this life, but one with wisdom is supreme. Someone with both virtue and wisdom is victorious among men and gods.
Sīlava
Thag 12.1 · Sīlavattheragāthā
Connections
Collection & context
- TheragāthāThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
Books
- Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato and Jessica Walton · 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.