54(4)Occasions
"Bhikkhus,there are these five unfavorable occasions for striving.
What five?[66]
(1)"Here,a bhikkhu is old,overcome by old age.
This is the first unfavorable occasion for striving.
(2)"Again,a bhikkhu is ill,overcome by illness.
This is the second unfavorable occasion for striving.
(3)"Again,there is a famine,a poor harvest,a time when almsfood is difficult to obtain and it is not easy to subsist by means of gleaning.
Na sukaram unchena paggahena yāpetun.I take unchena paggahena to denote a single act,not two acts.There is no ca or va to suggest that two acts are intended.The gloss in Mp also implies that the expression refers to one act:“It is not possible to take one's bowl and sustain oneself by the practice of gleaning"(na sakkā hoti pattam gahetva whchacariyaya yāpetum).See too the gloss at SpI175,22-23:paggahena yo uncho,tena yāpetum na-sukarā.This is the third unfavorable occasion for striving.
(4)"Again,there is peril,turbulence in the wilderness,and the people of the countryside,mounted on their vehicles,flee on all sides.
This is the fourth unfavorable occasion for striving.
(5)"Again,there is a schism in the Sangha,
and when there is a schism in the Sangha there are mutual insults,mutual reviling,mutual disparagement,and mutual rejection.
Annamannam akkosā ca honti,annamannam paribhasā ca honti, annamannam parikkhepa ca honti,annamannam pariccajā ca honti.A similar passage in It SS18-19,10-11,has annamannam bhandanani ceva honti instead of annamannam akkosāca honti but is otherwise the same.I translate parikkhepa and pariccajana in accordance with It-a I69,25-27,which explains parikkhepā as"disparagement and denigration through the ten bases of insults,attacking all around in terms of birth and so forth”(jāti-adivasena parito khepa, dasahi akkosavatthuhi khumsanavambhana),and pariccajana as“dis- missal by way of disciplinary acts of suspension and so forth” (ukkhepaniyakammakaranadivasena nissarana).Then those without confidence do not gain confidence,while some of those with confidence change their minds.
This is the fifth unfavorable occasion for striving.
"These are the five unfavorable occasions for striving.
"There are,bhikkhus,these five favorable occasions for striving.
What five?
(1)"Here,a bhikkhu is young,a black-haired young man endowed with the blessing of youth,in the prime of life.
This is the first favorable occasion for striving.
(2)"Again,a bhikkhu is seldom ill or afflicted,possessing an even digestion that is neither too cool nor too hot but moderate and suitable for striving.
This is the second favorable occasion for striving.
(3)"Again,food is plentiful;there has been a good harvest[67]and almsfood is abundant,so that one can easily sustain oneself by means of gleaning.
This is the third favorable occasion for striving.
(4)"Again,people are dwelling in concord,harmoniously,without disputes,blending like milk and water,viewing each other with eyes of affection.
This is the fourth favorable occasion for striving.
(5)"Again,the Sangha is dwelling at ease—in concord,harmoniously,without disputes,with a single recitation.
When the Sangha is in concord,there are no mutual insults,no mutual reviling,no mutual disparagement,and no mutual rejection.
Then those without confidence gain confidence and those with confidence increase [in their confidence].
It might be asked whether the expression pasannānanca bhijyobhāvo hoti means that the number of those with confidence increases,or,alternatively,that those with confidence increase in confidence.Sp I225,18-24,supports the latter:“Laypeople who have confidence in the Teaching, seeing the bhikkhus follow- ing the training rules as they have been established,become ever more confident;saying:‘The morks indeed do what is hard to do;for as long as they live they eat once a day,maintain celibacy,and observe the restraint of the Vinaya".(yepí sāsane pasanna kulaputta tepi sikkhapadapannattim natva yathapannattam patipajjamane bhikkhū va disva"aho ayyā dukkarakarino,ye yāvajīvamn ekabhattam brahnacariyam vinayasamvaram anupalenti”ti bhiyyo bhiyyo pasidanti).This is the fifth favorable occasion for striving.
"These are the five favorable occasions for striving."