{"collection":"Samyutta Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_sn16.7/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_sn16.7","id":"suttacentral_sn16.7","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/sn16.7/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Samyutta Nikaya"],"text":"Near R\u0101jagaha, in the Bamboo Grove. Then Venerable Mah\u0101kassapa went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him, \u201cKassapa, advise the mendicants! Give them a Dhamma talk! Either you or I should advise the mendicants and give them a Dhamma talk.\u201d \u201cSir, the mendicants these days are hard to admonish, having qualities that make them hard to admonish. They\u2019re impatient, and don\u2019t take instruction respectfully. Sir, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It\u2019s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. A faithless individual is in decline. An individual with no conscience is in decline. An imprudent individual is in decline. A lazy individual is in decline. A witless individual is in decline. An irritable individual is in decline. An acrimonious individual is in decline. When there are no mendicant advisers there is decline. Sir, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It\u2019s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. A faithful individual doesn\u2019t decline. An individual with a conscience doesn\u2019t decline. A prudent individual doesn\u2019t decline. An energetic individual doesn\u2019t decline. A wise individual doesn\u2019t decline. A loving individual doesn\u2019t decline. A kind individual doesn\u2019t decline. When there are mendicant advisers there is no decline.\u201d \u201cGood, good, Kassapa! Whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth \u2026 When there are no mendicant advisers there is decline. Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline \u2026 When there are mendicant advisers there is no decline.\u201d","title":"Advice (2nd)","tradition":"Samyutta Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":406}