{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an4.244/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an4.244","id":"suttacentral_an4.244","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an4.244/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"\u201cMendicants, there are these four perils of offenses. What four? Suppose they were to arrest a bandit, a criminal and present him to the king, saying: \u2018Your Majesty, this is a bandit, a criminal. May Your Majesty punish them!\u2019 The king would say: \u2018Go, my men, and tie this man\u2019s arms tightly behind his back with a strong rope. Shave his head and march him from street to street and square to square to the beating of a harsh drum. Then take him out the south gate and there, to the south of the city, chop off his head.\u2019 The king\u2019s men would do as they were told. Then a bystander might think: \u2018This man must have done a truly bad and reprehensible deed, a capital offense. There\u2019s no way I\u2019d ever do such a bad and reprehensible deed, a capital offense.\u2019 In the same way, take any monk or nun who has set up such an acute perception of peril regarding expulsion offenses. It can be expected that if they haven\u2019t committed an expulsion offense they won\u2019t, and if they committed one they will deal with it properly. Suppose a man was to put on a black cloth, mess up his hair, and put a club on his shoulder. Then he approaches a large crowd and says: \u2018Sirs, I\u2019ve done a bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of clubbing. I submit to your pleasure.\u2019 Then a bystander might think: \u2018This man must have done a truly bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of clubbing. \u2026 There\u2019s no way I\u2019d ever do such a bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of clubbing.\u2019 In the same way, take any monk or nun who has set up such an acute perception of peril regarding suspension offenses. It can be expected that if they haven\u2019t committed a suspension offense they won\u2019t, and if they committed one they will deal with it properly. Suppose a man was to put on a black cloth, mess up his hair, and put a sack of ashes on his shoulder. Then he approaches a large crowd and says: \u2018Sirs, I\u2019ve done a bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of a sack of ashes. I submit to your pleasure.\u2019 Then a bystander might think: \u2018This man must have done a truly bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of a sack of ashes. \u2026 There\u2019s no way I\u2019d ever do such a bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of a sack of ashes.\u2019 In the same way, take any monk or nun who has set up such an acute perception of peril regarding confessable offenses. It can be expected that if they haven\u2019t committed a confessable offense they won\u2019t, and if they committed one they will deal with it properly. Suppose a man was to put on a black cloth and mess up his hair. Then he approaches a large crowd and says: \u2018Sirs, I\u2019ve done a bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of criticism. I submit to your pleasure.\u2019 Then a bystander might think: \u2018This man must have done a truly bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of criticism. \u2026 There\u2019s no way I\u2019d ever do such a bad and reprehensible deed, deserving of criticism.\u2019 In the same way, take any monk or nun who has set up such an acute perception of peril regarding confessable offenses. It can be expected that if they haven\u2019t committed a confessable offense they won\u2019t, and if they committed one they will deal with it properly. These are the four perils of offenses.\u201d","title":"Perils of Offenses","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":582}