Then, when the night had advanced, a certain deity, radiant in appearance and illuminating almost the entire Jeta‘s grove, approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near and paid homage to the Blessed One, she stood to one side. Standing there, the deity said this to the Blessed One:
“Venerable sir, there are these six qualities that ensure the |non-decline::non-regressing [aparihāna]| of a bhikkhu. What six? 1) |Respect::reverence, esteem [gārava]| for the Teacher, 2) respect for the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|, 3) respect for the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns following the Buddha. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teaching [saṅgha]|, 4) respect for the training, 5) respect for |diligence::quality of wishing to do one’s work or duty well, with alertness, carefulness and care [appamāda]|, 6) respect for |courteousness::hospitality, friendly reception [paṭisanthāra]|. These, venerable sir, are the six qualities that lead to the non-decline of a bhikkhu.”
This is what the deity said. The Teacher approved. Then that deity, thinking “The Teacher approves,” paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him, and vanished right there.
Then, when the night had passed, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus, last night, when the night had advanced, a certain deity having a beautiful appearance, illuminating almost the entire Jeta’s grove, approached me. Having drawn near and paid homage to me, she stood to one side. Standing there, that deity said this to me: ‘Venerable sir, there are these six qualities that lead to the non-decline of a bhikkhu. What six? 1) Respect for the |Teacher::The Buddha [satthā]|, 2) respect for the Dhamma, 3) respect for the Saṅgha, 4) respect for the training, 5) respect for diligence, 6) respect for courteousness. These, venerable sir, are the six qualities that lead to the non-decline of a bhikkhu.’
This is what that deity said. Then that deity paid homage to me, circumambulated me, and vanished right there.
Respectful of the teacher, respectful of the Dhamma,
and with keen respect towards the Saṅgha;
A bhikkhu with respect for diligence,
with respect for courteousness;
is incapable of decline,
and truly close to |Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|.”