On virtues

Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: Friends, the unvirtuous, with virtues destroyed, destroy the supportive condition for right concentration. When right concentration is not present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of things as they really are, get destroyed When knowledge and vision of things as they really are, is not present, the supportive condition for giving up and disenchantment, gets destroyed. When giving up and dischantment is not present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of release, gets destroyed. Friends it is like a tree devoid of branches and foliage. Its shoots do not grow completely, neither do its bark, sap wood and essence grow completely. Friends, in the same manner the unvirtuous, with virtues destroyed, destroy the supportive condition for right concentration. When right concentration is not present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of things as they really are, get destroyed When knowledge and vision of things as they really are, is not present, the supportive condition for giving up and disenchantment, gets destroyed. When giving up and dischantment is not present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of release, gets destroyed.

Friends, the virtuous one, with his endowment of virtues is supported for right concentration. When right concentration is present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of things as they really are, gets supported. When knowledge and vision of things as they really are, is present, the supportive condition for giving up and disenchantment, gets supported. When giving up and dischantment is present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of release, gets supported. Friends it is like a tree endowed with branches and foliage. Its shoots grow to completion, its bark, sap wood and essence grow to completion. Friends, in the same manner the virtuous one with his endowment of virtues is supported for right concentration. When right concentration is present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of things as they really are, get supported When knowledge and vision of things as they really are, is present, the supportive condition for giving up and disenchantment, gets supported. When giving up and dischantment is present, the supportive condition for knowledge and vision of release, gets supported.