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Anguttara Nikaya

# AN 5.79 Tatiya Anāgatabhaya Sutta (On Terrors to Come– Part 3) AN 5.79

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    [page 1]
    Anguttara Nikāya
    The Numerical Discourses

    Pañcakanipāta
    (Book of the Fives)

    AN 5.79

    Tatiya Anāgatabhaya Sutta
    “On Terrors to Come– Part 3”

    Translated by Bhikkhu Candana

    Copyright © Bhikkhu Candana 2021

    “Bhikkhus, these five are future terrors to come that are not yet here, but they will arrive
    in the future. You should be alert to them and make a strong effort to abandon them when they
    do arrive. What are these five?
    1) “Bhikkhus, in the future there will be Bhikkhus who will not be strong enough to persevere
    bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous
    behavior, as well as their mental cultivation. Therefore, they will severely lack in wisdom.
    “And although they will give the Higher Ordination to others, yet they will be unable to
    discipline them in the higher virtues, in the higher mind, and in the higher wisdom. Then, those
    newly ordained Bhikkhus, just like their preceptors, will not be strong enough to persevere
    bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous
    behavior, and thus, they too will be weak in their mental cultivation, and therefore severely lack
    in wisdom.
    “Later, these Bhikkhus in turn will give the Higher Ordination to others but will be unable to
    discipline them in the higher virtues, in the higher mind, and in the higher wisdom. And in turn,
    those Bhikkhus too will be unable to discipline them in the higher virtues, in the higher mind,
    and in the higher wisdom.
    “In this manner, Bhikkhus, by corrupting the Dhamma, the Vinaya Discipline also becomes
    corrupted, and similarly by corrupting the Vinaya, the Dhamma itself becomes corrupted. This,
    Bhikkhus, is the first of the five terrors to come that are not yet here, but they will arrive in the
    future. You should, therefore, be alert to them and make a strong effort to abandon them when
    they do arrive.

    [page 2]
    2) “Bhikkhus, in the future there will be Bhikkhus who will not be strong enough to persevere
    bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous
    behavior, as well as their mental cultivation. Therefore, they will severely lack in wisdom.
    “And although they will provide dependence to others during their primary monastic years, yet
    they will be unable to discipline them in the higher virtues, in the higher mind, and in the higher
    wisdom. Then, similar to their own preceptors, those ordained Bhikkhus too will not be strong
    enough to persevere bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in
    developing virtuous behavior, as well as their mental cultivation. Therefore, they will severely
    lack in wisdom. And these too, in turn, will provide dependence to others during their primary
    monastic years, but will be unable to discipline them in the higher virtues, in the higher mind,
    and in the higher wisdom.
    “In this manner, Bhikkhus, by corrupting the Dhamma, the Vinaya Discipline also will become
    corrupted, and similarly by corrupting the Vinaya, the Dhamma itself becomes corrupted. This,
    Bhikkhus, is the second of the five terrors to come that are not yet here, but they will arrive in the
    future. You should, therefore, be alert to them and make a strong effort to abandon them when
    they do arrive.
    3) “Bhikkhus, in the future there will be Bhikkhus, who will not be strong enough to persevere
    bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous
    behavior, as well as their mental cultivation. Therefore, they will severely lack in wisdom.
    “And, as these Bhikkhus engage in discussions on The Dhamma, due to their lack in practice and
    thus genuine understanding of The Dhamma, they will decline into evil ways by teaching and
    living according to what is adhamma, while even defending their wrong views when being
    questioned or scrutinized.
    “In this manner, Bhikkhus, by corrupting the Dhamma, the Vinaya Discipline will become
    corrupted, and similarly by corrupting the Vinaya, the Dhamma itself becomes corrupted. This,
    Bhikkhus, is the third of the five terrors to come that are not yet here, but they will arrive in the
    future. You should, therefore, be alert to them and make a strong effort to abandon them when
    they do arrive.
    4) “Bhikkhus, in the future there will be Bhikkhus, who will not be strong enough to persevere
    bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous
    behavior, as well as their mental cultivation. Therefore, they will severely lack in wisdom.
    “And when the words of The Blessed One are being spoken and recited, the discourses given by
    The Tathāgata that are deep in meaning, leading one to the supramundane state connected with
    emptiness, they will not want to listen or pay close attention to them, or try to apply their minds
    to them, in an effort to grasp their deep meanings. In fact, these Bhikkhus will discourage and
    minimize the importance of studying and learning The Tathāgata’s words found within the
    Suttas.

    [page 3]
    “However, when The Blessed One’s words have been altered beyond recognition by
    commentators, poets, or disciples of another dispensation and transformed into poetry, using
    flowery and fancy language, and when these are recited, suddenly these Bhikkhus will want to
    listen to them; they will respect and worship these words, memorizing them, claiming them to be
    the words of The Blessed One, as it fits their defiled minds.
    “In this manner, Bhikkhus, by corrupting the Dhamma, the Vinaya Discipline also will become
    corrupted, and similarly by corrupting the Vinaya, the Dhamma itself becomes corrupted. This,
    Bhikkhus, is the fourth of the five terrors to come that are not yet here, but they will arrive in the
    future. You should, therefore, be alert to them and make a strong effort to abandon them when
    they do arrive.
    5) “Bhikkhus, in the future there will be Bhikkhus, who will not be strong enough to persevere
    bodily hardship; similarly, they will not be strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous
    behavior, as well as their mental cultivation. Therefore, they will severely lack in wisdom.
    “At that time, the elder Bhikkhus themselves not being strong enough to persevere bodily
    hardship, and not being strong enough to persevere in developing virtuous behavior, they will
    also be weak in their mental cultivation. Thus, they will be severely lacking in wisdom. As a
    result, they will then indulge in a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle, slacking in their practice
    and development in The Dhamma. In this manner, they will become leaders in backsliding,
    neglecting the work that is to be done in seclusion, and therefore neither being vigilant nor alert,
    nor putting in the effort to strive diligently to attain what is yet to be attained, to experience what
    is yet to be experienced, to realize what is yet to be realized; they will severely lack the resolve
    or desire to do it.

    “Later, those Bhikkhus who are to be their students will also follow the example of their
    preceptors, indulging in a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle, slacking in their practice and
    development in the Dhamma, as they too become leaders in backsliding, neglecting the work to
    be done in seclusion. Thus, they will live without any vigilance nor be alert, nor put in the effort
    to strive diligently to attain what is yet to be attained, to experience what is yet to be
    experienced, to realize what is yet to be realized, as they too will lack the resolve or desire to do
    it.
    “In this manner, Bhikkhus, by corrupting the Dhamma, the Vinaya Discipline also will become
    corrupted, and similarly by corrupting the Vinaya, the Dhamma itself becomes corrupted. This,
    Bhikkhus, is the fifth of the five terrors to come that are not yet here, but they will arrive in the
    future. You should, therefore, be alert to them and make a strong effort to abandon them when
    they do arrive.”

    Sādhu
    Sādhu
    Sādhu

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