AN 4.121 Guilt

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Mendicants, there are these four fears.

What four?

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

And what, mendicants, is the fear of guilt?

It’s when someone reflects:

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

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.

This is called the fear of guilt.

And what, mendicants, is the fear of shame?

It’s when someone reflects:

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

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.

This is called the fear of shame.

And what, mendicants, is the fear of punishment?

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

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 ‘Rāhu’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘bulrush twist’, 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 hounds, being impaled alive, and being beheaded.

They think:

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

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

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.

This is called the fear of punishment.

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

It’s when someone reflects:

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

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.’

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.

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

These are the four fears.”

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“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, bhayāni.

Katamāni cattāri?

Attānuvādabhayaṁ, parānuvādabhayaṁ, daṇḍabhayaṁ, duggatibhayaṁ.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, attānuvādabhayaṁ?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati:

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

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

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, attānuvādabhayaṁ.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, parānuvādabhayaṁ?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati:

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

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

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, parānuvādabhayaṁ.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, daṇḍabhayaṁ?

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

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.

Tassa evaṁ hoti:

‘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;

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.

So daṇḍabhayassa bhīto na paresaṁ pābhataṁ vilumpanto carati.

Kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya …pe… suddhaṁ attānaṁ pariharati.

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, daṇḍabhayaṁ.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, duggatibhayaṁ?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco iti paṭisañcikkhati:

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

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.

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

Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, duggatibhayaṁ.

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri bhayānī”ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.