The blameable

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One was living in the monastery offered by Anatapindika in Jeta's grove in Sāvatthi and the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, there are two blameables such as the blameable here and now and the blameable here after. What is the blameable here and now? Bhikkhus, a certain person sees a robber or an evil doer, caught and brought before the king and the king meting him punishment. He causes to whip him, with the whip, jungle rope or the soiled stick. Causes to cut his major and minor limbs. Causes to put him in the gruel pot, clip his hair, to put him in darkness, to garland him with blazing garlands, to burn his hands with a torch, to punish with the bark dress, to make him like the antelope, to put fish hooks in his body, to pull out pieces of flesh from the body the size of coins, or chase him to alkaline water. Or with a spike driven from one ear to the other he is fixed to the ground to spin. Or to beat him until his body is as soft as straw, or to throw into boiling oil, or to give him to the dogs to be eaten alive, or he is raised on a spike until life lasts or the neck is cut with a sword.

Then it occurs to him, as this robber, this evil doer is punished, so I too will be punished by whipping ... re ... or cutting off the neck with a sword. He frightened of the blameable here and now does no robbery or evil actions.

Bhikkhus, what is blameable here after? A certain one reflects, one misconducting bodily will have evil results here after, one misconducting verbally will have evil results here after and one misconducting mentally will have evil results here after and if I misconduct myself by body, speech and mind, I will indeed be born in loss, in decrease, in hell after death.

He frightened of the blameable here after gives up bodily misconduct, pursues bodily good conduct gives up verbal misconduct, pursues verbal good conduct gives up mental misconduct, pursues mental good conduct Bhikkhus, this is the blameable here after. These two are the blameables and you should train. We should be frightened of the blameable here and now and the blameable here after, we will be free from all blames. This is the first.