1. Bālavagga

Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.1

Numbered Discourses 3.1

1. Bālavagga

1. Fools

Bhayasutta

Perils

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

So I have heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

There the Buddha addressed the mendicants,

“bhikkhavo”ti.

“Mendicants!”

“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.

“Venerable sir,” they replied.

Bhagavā etadavoca:

The Buddha said this:

“Yāni kānici, bhikkhave, bhayāni uppajjanti sabbāni tāni bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato.

“Whatever dangers there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute.

Ye keci upaddavā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato.

Whatever perils there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute.

Ye keci upasaggā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato.

Whatever hazards there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, naḷāgārā vā tiṇāgārā vā aggi mutto kūṭāgārānipi ḍahati ullittāvalittāni nivātāni phusitaggaḷāni pihitavātapānāni;

It’s like a fire that spreads from a hut made of reeds or grass, and burns down even a bungalow, plastered inside and out, draft-free, with doors fastened and windows shuttered.

evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yāni kānici bhayāni uppajjanti sabbāni tāni bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato.

In the same way, whatever dangers there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute.

Ye keci upaddavā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato.

Whatever perils there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute.

Ye keci upasaggā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato.

Whatever hazards there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute.

Iti kho, bhikkhave, sappaṭibhayo bālo, appaṭibhayo paṇḍito.

So, the fool is dangerous, but the astute person is safe.

Saupaddavo bālo, anupaddavo paṇḍito.

The fool is perilous, but the astute person is not.

Saupasaggo bālo, anupasaggo paṇḍito.

The fool is hazardous, but the astute person is not.

Natthi, bhikkhave, paṇḍitato bhayaṁ, natthi paṇḍitato upaddavo, natthi paṇḍitato upasaggo.

There’s no danger, peril, or hazard that comes from the astute.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:

So you should train like this:

‘yehi tīhi dhammehi samannāgato bālo veditabbo te tayo dhamme abhinivajjetvā, yehi tīhi dhammehi samannāgato paṇḍito veditabbo te tayo dhamme samādāya vattissāmā’ti.

‘We will shun the three things by which a fool is known, and we will undertake and follow the three things by which an astute person is known.’

Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

That’s how you should train.”

Paṭhamaṁ.