Numbered Discourses 5
1. Powers of a Trainee
8. Failure
“Mendicants, a mendicant with five qualities fails, and doesn’t establish themselves in the true teaching. What five? A mendicant who is faithless … shameless … imprudent … lazy … witless fails, and doesn’t establish themselves in the true teaching. A mendicant with these five qualities fails, and doesn’t establish themselves in the true teaching.
A mendicant with five qualities doesn’t fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. What five? A mendicant who is faithful … conscientious … prudent … energetic … wise doesn’t fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. A mendicant with these five qualities doesn’t fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching.”