The eight articles of the creed are the five rules of conduct and the three restraints; there are five rules of conduct and three restraints. (1)

The rules of conduct are: 1. going by paths trodden by men, beasts, carts, and the like, and looking carefully so as not to occasion the death of any living creature; 2. gentle, salutary, sweet, righteous speech; 3. receiving alms in a manner to avoid the forty-two faults that are laid down; 4. receiving and keeping of the things necessary for religious exercises, after having carefully examined them; 5. performing the operations of nature in an unfrequented place. The three restraints, which are here included in the term rules of conduct in its wider application, are: 1. restraint of the mind, preventing the mind from wandering in the forest of sensual pleasures by employing it in contemplation, study, and the like; 2. restraint of speech, preventing the tongue from saying bad things by a vow of silence and the like; 3. restraint of the body, putting the body in an immovable posture. (2)

The eight rules are thus briefly enumerated, in which the whole creed taught by the righteous guides and set forth in the twelve Angas, is comprehended. (3)

1 The walking of a well-disciplined monk should be pure in four respects: in respect to 1. the cause; 2. the time; 3. the road; 4. the effort. (4)

The cause is: knowledge, faith, and right conduct; the time is day-time; the road excludes bad ways. (5)

The effort is fourfold, namely as regards: 1. substance, 2. place, 3. time, and 4. condition of mind. Hear me explain them. (6)

With regard to substance: the walking monk should look with his eyes; with regard to place: the space of a yoke, that is four cubits; with regard to time: as long as he walks; and with regard to condition of mind: carefully. (7)

He walks carefully who pays attention only to his walk and his body executing it, whilst he avoids attending to the objects of sense, but minds his study, the latter in all five ways. (8)

2 To give way to anger, pride, deceit and greed, laughter, fear, loquacity and slander; these eight faults should a well-disciplined monk avoid; he should use blameless and concise speech at the proper time. (9, 10)

3 As regards begging, a monk should avoid the faults in the search, in the receiving, and in the use of the three kinds of objects, namely food, articles of use, and lodging. (11)

A zealous monk should avoid in the first, that is in the search for alms, the faults occasioned either by the giver or by the receiver; in the second, that is in the receiving of alms, the faults inherent in the receiving; and in the use of the articles received, the four faults. (12)

4 If a monk takes up or lays down the two kinds of things belonging to his general and supplementary outfit, he should proceed in the following way. (13)

A zealous monk should wipe the thing after having inspected it with his eyes, and then he should take it up or put it down, having the rule of conduct in both respects. (14)

5 Excrements, urine, saliva, mucus, uncleanliness of the body, offals of food, waste things, his own body when he is about to die, and everything of this description is to be disposed of in the way to be described. (15)

A place may be not frequented and not seen by people, or not frequented but seen, or frequented and not seen, or frequented and seen. (16)

In a place neither frequented nor seen by other people, which offers no obstacles to self-control, which is even, not covered with grass or leaves, and has been brought into its present condition not long ago, which is spacious, has an inanimate surface-layer, not too near the village and the like, not perforated by holes, and is exempt from insects and seeds, in such a place he should leave his excrements and the like. (17, 18)

The five rules of conduct are thus briefly enumerated, I shall now explain in due order the three restraints. (19)

1 There is, 1. truth; 2. untruth; 3. a mixture of truth and untruth; 4. a mixture of what is not true, and what is not untrue. The restraint of mind refers to all four. (20)

A zealous monk should prevent his mind from desires for the misfortune of somebody else, from thoughts on acts which cause misery to living beings, and from thoughts on acts which cause their destruction. (21)

2 The restraint of speech is also of four kinds, referring to the four divisions as in verse 20. (22)

A zealous monk should prevent his speech from expressing desires, and the like, as in verse 21. (23)

3 In standing, sitting, lying down, jumping, going, and in the use of his organs, a zealous monk should prevent his body from intimating obnoxious desires, from doing acts which cause misery to living beings or which cause their destruction. (24, 25)

These are the five rules of conduct for the practice of the religious life, and the restraints for the prevention of everything sinful. (26)

This is the essence of the creed, which a sage should thoroughly put into practice; such a wise man will soon get beyond the toils of worldly life. (27)

Thus I say.