What is the fault to do with lives to come? It’s when someone reflects: ‘Bad conduct of body, speech, or mind has a bad, painful result in the next life. If I conduct myself badly, then, when my body breaks up, after death, won’t I be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell?’ Afraid of the fault to do with lives to come, they give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure. This is called the fault to do with lives to come. These are the two faults. So you should train like this: ‘We will fear the fault apparent in this life, and we will fear the fault to do with lives to come. We will fear faults, seeing the danger in faults.’ That’s how you should train. If you fear faults, seeing the danger in faults, you can expect to be freed from all faults.”
2. Endeavor
“These two endeavors are challenging in the world. What two? The endeavor of laypeople staying in a home to provide robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. And the endeavor of those gone forth from the lay life to homelessness to let go of all attachments. These are the two endeavors that are challenging in the world.
The better of these two endeavors is the effort to let go of all attachments. So you should train like this: ‘We shall endeavor to let go of all attachments.’ That’s how you should train.”
3. Mortifying “These two things, mendicants, are mortifying. What two? It’s when someone has done bad things and not done good things, by way of body, speech, and mind. Thinking, ‘I’ve done bad things by way of body, speech, and mind’, they’re mortified. Thinking, ‘I haven’t done good things by way of body, speech, and mind’, they’re mortified. These are the two things that are mortifying.” 4. Not Mortifying