Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ nisīdi. Ekamantaṃ nisinnaṃ kho āyasmantaṃ ānandaṃ bhagavā etadavoca:

Then Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him:

– Sabbaṃ nu kho, ānanda, sīlabbataṃ jīvitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ upaṭṭhānasāraṃ saphala nti?

– Ananda, every precept & practice, every life, every holy life that is followed as of essential worth: is every one of them fruitful?

– Na khvettha, bhante, ekaṃsenā ti.

– Lord, that is not [to be answered] with a categorical answer.

– Tena Ānanda, vibhajassū ti.

– In that case, Ananda, give an analytical answer.

– Yañhissa, bhante, sīlabbataṃ jīvitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ upaṭṭhānasāraṃ sevato akusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti kusalā dhammā parihāyanti, evarūpaṃ sīlabbataṃ jīvitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ upaṭṭhānasāraṃ aphalaṃ. Yañca khvāssa, bhante, sīlabbataṃ jīvitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ upaṭṭhānasāraṃ sevato akusalā dhammā parihāyanti, kusalā dhammā abhivaḍḍhanti, evarūpaṃ sīlabbataṃ jīvitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ upaṭṭhānasāraṃ saphala nti.

– When — by following a life of precept & practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth — one's unskillful mental qualities increase while one's skillful mental qualities decline: that sort of precept & practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitless. But when — by following a life of precept & practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth — one's unskillful mental qualities decline while one's skillful mental qualities increase: that sort of precept & practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitful.

Idamavoca āyasmā ānando; samanuñño satthā ahosi. Atha kho āyasmā ānando 'samanuñño me satthā' ti, uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṃ katvā pakkāmi. Atha kho bhagavā acirapakkante āyasmante ānande bhikkhū āmantesi:

That is what Ven. Ananda said, and the Teacher approved. Then Ven. Ananda, [realizing,] 'The Teacher approves of me', got up from his seat and, having bowed down to the Blessed One and circumambulating him, left. Then not long after Ven. Ananda had left, the Blessed One said to the monks:

Sekho, bhikkhave, ānando; na ca panassa sulabharūpo samasamo paññāyā ti.

Monks, Ananda is still in training, but it would not be easy to find his equal in discernment.{1}