Brahmajāla Sutta

The Long Section on Conduct

"Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn their living by improper means such as:

• Foretelling long life and prosperity, or short life and loss of wealth, from the marks on limbs, hands, and feet
• Divining with omens and signs
• Omens drawn from thunderbolts and other celestial portents
• Interpreting dreams
• Fortune-telling from marks on the body
• Omens from the marks on cloth gnawed by mice
• Making fire offerings to the gods
• Making offerings from a spoon to the gods
• Making offerings of husks to the gods
• Making offerings of the red powder between the grain and the husk to the gods
• Making offerings of husked grain to the gods
• Making offerings of ghee to the gods
• Making offerings of oil to the gods
• Making offerings by spitting mustard seeds into a fire for the gods
• Using their own blood as sacrifice to the gods
• Foretelling fortuitous birth by examining knuckles
• Determining whether the site for a proposed house or rest area is lucky or not
• Foretelling to ministers of state
• Knowledge of laying demons in a cemetery
• Knowledge of laying ghosts to cure possession
• Knowledge of charms for use while resting at an earth house
• The snake craft
• The poison craft
• The scorpion craft
• The mouse craft
• The bird craft
• The crow craft
• Foretelling when a person will die
• Giving charms that offer protection from arrows
• Giving charms that grant understanding of animal languages

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn an improper living by fortune-telling through:

• Gems
• Staves
• Garments
• Swords
• Arrows
• Bows
• Other weapons
• Women
• Men
• Boys
• Girls
• Slaves
• Slave-girls
• Elephants
• Horses
• Buffaloes
• Balls
• Oxen
• Goats
• Sheep
• Fowls
• Quails
• Iguanas
• Earrings
• Tortoises
• Other animals

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn an improper living by making predictions such as:

• The king will march forward
• The king will march back
• Our king will press forward while the rival king will retreat
• The rival king will press forward while our king will retreat
• Our king will defeat his rivals
• The rival king will defeat our king
• In such a way will there be victory on this side and defeat for the other

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn an improper living by making predictions such as:

• There will be an eclipse of the moon
• There will be an eclipse of the sun
• There will be an eclipse of a star
• There will be aberration of the sun or the moon
• The sun or the moon will return to its usual path
• There will be aberrations of the stars
• The stars will return to their usual course
• There will be a fall of meteors
• There will be a jungle fire
• There will be an earthquake
• The god will thunder
• The sun will rise and set, will be clear or dim
• The moon will rise and set, will be clear or dim
• The stars will rise and set, will be clear or dim
• The aforementioned phenomena will bring about such and such results

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn their living by improper means such as:

• Predicting abundant rain
• Predicting drought
• Predicting a good harvest
• Predicting hunger
• Predicting peace
• Predicting danger
• Predicting an epidemic
• Predicting good health
• Counting small amounts (using the fingers)
• Counting larger amounts (not using the fingers)
• Summing up very large amounts
• Composing poetry
• Producing theories using witty but false reasoning
• Producing theories using deception

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn their living by improper means such as:

• Arranging auspicious days for marriages in which the bride or groom is brought home
• Arranging auspicious days for marriages in which the bride or groom is sent forth
• Arranging auspicious days for engagement
• Arranging auspicious days for divorce
• Arranging auspicious days for monetary gain
• Arranging auspicious days for monetary expenditure
• Using charms to make people unlucky
• Using charms to induce abortions
• Casting spells that cause the loss of speech
• Casting spells that paralyze a person's jaws
• Casting spells that cause a loss of control over one's hands
• Casting spells that cause a total loss of hearing
• Acting as an oracle who receives answers through the use of mirrors
• Acting as an oracle who receives answers through the use possessed girls
• Acting as an oracle who receives answers from a god
• Worshiping the Sun
• Worshiping Brahmā
• Causing flames to come out of the mouth
• Invoking the goddess of luck

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

Or he might say: 'Some recluses and Brahmans, surviving on food given by the faithful, earn their living by improper means such as:

• Offering gifts to a god in return for favors
• Fulling favors in return for gifts offers to gods
• Reciting incantations while staying in an earth house
• Inducing virility
• Inducing impotence
• Arranging auspicious locations for homes
• Consecrating locations for homes
• Ceremonial mouth washing
• Ceremonial bathing
• Offering sacrifices
• Administering emetics
• Administering purgatives
• Administering expectorants
• Administering medicines that expel phlegm
• Administering medicines that induce sneezing
• Administering oils on people's ears
• Administering oils on people's eyes
• Administering drugs through the nose
• Administering drugs to the eyes
• Practicing the occult
• Performing surgeries
• Pediatrics
• Administering medicinal roots
• Binding medicinal herbs

Gautama, the recluse, does not engage in such improper means of livelihood.'

These, monks, are the trifling and minor details of mere morality that an outsider, when speaking well of the Tathāgata, might speak."