AN4_32: Saṅgahasutta

Saṅgahasutta - translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi

“Bhikkhus, there are these four means of sustaining a favorable relationship. What four? Giving, endearing speech, beneficent conduct, and impartiality. These are the four means of sustaining a favorable relationship.”

Giving, endearing speech,
beneficent conduct, and impartiality
under diverse worldly conditions,
as is suitable to fit each case: these means
of sustaining a favorable relationship
are like the linchpin of a rolling chariot.

If there were no such means
of sustaining a favorable relationship,
neither mother nor father
would be able to obtain esteem
and veneration from their children.

But since there exist these means
of sustaining a favorable relationship,
wise people respect them;
thus they attain to greatness
and are highly praised. an.ii.33

© Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2012)

This excerpt from The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on the work The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha at Wisdom Publications.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at Wisdom Publications.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Blake Walsh.