AN 3:1 · Danger (Bhaya Sutta)
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There he addressed the monks: “Monks!”
“Yes, lord,” the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, “Monks, whatever dangers arise all arise from a fool, and not from a wise person. Whatever disasters arise all arise from a fool, and not from a wise person. Whatever troubles arise all arise from a fool, and not from a wise person.
“Just as a fire, released from a house of reeds or a house of grass, burns even gabled houses, plastered inside & out, draft-free, with close-fitting doors & windows shut against the wind; in the same way, whatever dangers arise all arise from a fool, and not from a wise person. Whatever disasters arise all arise from a fool, and not from a wise person. Whatever troubles arise all arise from a fool and not from a wise person.
“Thus, monks, a fool brings danger; a wise person brings no danger. A fool brings disasters; a wise person brings no disasters. A fool brings trouble; a wise person brings no trouble.
“There is no danger from a wise person. There are no disasters from a wise person. There is no trouble from a wise person.
“Thus, monks, you should train yourselves: ‘We will avoid the three things that, endowed with which, one is to be recognized as a fool.1 We will undertake & maintain the three things that, endowed with which, one is to be recognized as a wise person.’ That’s how you should train yourselves.”
Note
1. In other words, we will bring no dangers, disasters, or trouble. For two other lists of a fool’s three characteristics, see AN 3:2 and AN 3:5.
See also: AN 2:21; AN 2:99; AN 2:134; AN 3:2; AN 3:5
Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).
