88(8)An Elder
"Bhikkhus,possessing five qualities,an elder bhikkhu is acting for the harm of many people,for the unhappiness of many people,for the ruin,harm,and suffering of many people,of devas and humans.
What five?
"(1)An elder is of long standing and has long gone forth.
(2)He is well known and famous and has a retinue of many people,including householders and monastics.
(3)He gains robes,almsfood,lodgings,and medicines and provisions for the sick.
(4)He has learned much,remembers what he has learned,and accumulates what he has learned.Those teachings that are good in the beginning,good in the middle,and good inthe end,with the right meaning and phrasing,which proclaimthe perfectly complete and pure spiritual life such teachings as these he has learned much of,retained in mind,recited verbally,mentally investigated,and penetrated well by view.
Be reads here ditthiya appatividdha,"not penetrated by view," which seems a learned "correction"to a stock formula:Otherwise we would have expected an adversative conjunction,such as ca or ca pana,to prepare us for the variation on the usual reading.Ce and Ee have the familiar ditthiyā suppatividdha,which I follow.(5)He holds wrong view and has a distorted perspective."He draws many people away from the good Dhamma and establishes them in a bad Dhamma.
Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu is of long standing and has long gone forth,'[115]they follow his example.Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu is well knownand famous and has a retinue of many people,including householders and monastics,'they follow his example.Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu gains robes,almsfood,lodgings,and medicines and provisions for the sick,'they follow his example.Thinking,‘The elder bhikkhu has learned much,remembers what he haslearned,and accumulates what he has learned,'they follow his example.
"Possessing these five qualities,an elder bhikkhu is acting for the harm of many people,for the unhappiness of many people,for the ruin,harm,and suffering of many people,of devas and humans.
"Bhikkhus,possessing five [otherl qualities,an elder bhikkhu is acting for the welfare of many people,for the happiness of many people,for the good,welfare,and happiness of many people,of devas and human beings.
What five?
"(1)An elder is of long standing and has long gone forth.
(2)He is well known and famous and has a retinue of many people,including householders and monastics.
(3)He gains robes,almsfood,lodgings,and medicines and provisions for the sick.
(4)He has learned much,remembers what he has learned,andaccumulates what he has learned.Those teachings that aregoodin the beginning...he has penetrated well by view.
(5)He holds right view and has a correct perspective.
"He draws many people away from a bad Dhamma and establishes them in the good Dhamma.
Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu is of long standing and has long gone forth,'they follow his example.Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu is well known and famous and has a retinue of many people,including householders and monastics,'they follow his example.Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu gains robes,almsfood,lodgings,and medicines and provisions for the sick,'they follow his example.Thinking,'The elder bhikkhu has learned much,remembers what he has learned,and accumulates what he has learned,'they follow his example.
"Possessing these five qualities,an elder bhikkhu is acting for the welfare of many people,for the happiness of many people,[116]for the good,welfare,and happiness of many people,of devas and humans."