[Rohini's father:]

You go to sleep saying,

"Contemplatives."

You wake up,

"Contemplatives."

You praise only

contemplatives.

No doubt you will be

a contemplative.

Abundant food & drink you give to contemplatives. Now, Rohini, I ask you:

Why do you hold
contemplatives dear?

They don't like to work,

they're lazy,

living off what's given by others, full of hankerings, wanting delicious things:

Why do you hold
contemplatives dear?

[Rohini:]

For a long time, father, you've quizzed me about contemplatives. I'll praise to you their discernment,

virtue,
endeavor.

They do like to work,

they're not lazy.

They do the best work:

	They abandon
	passion & anger.
That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

They rid themselves of the three evil roots,(1) doing pure actions.

	All their evil's
	abandoned.
That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

Clean their bodily action, so is their verbal action. Clean their mental action:

That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

Spotless, like mother of pearl, pure within & without, perfect in clear qualities:

That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

Learned, maintaining the Dhamma, noble, living the Dhamma, they teach the goal

	& the Dhamma:
That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

Learned, maintaining the Dhamma, noble, living the Dhamma, with unified minds

	& mindful:
That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

Traveling far, mindful, giving counsel unruffled, they discern the end

	of suffering:
That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

When they leave any village they don't turn to look back

	at anything.

How free from concern they go!

That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

They don't store in a granary,

	pot,
	or basket.

They hunt [only] for what's already cooked:

That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

They take neither silver,

nor gold,
nor money.

They live off whatever is present:

That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

Having gone forth from different families & from different countries,

	still they hold
	one another dear:
That's why I hold
contemplatives dear.

[Rohini's father:]

Rohini, truly for our well-being were you born in our family. You have conviction in the Buddha & Dhamma, and strong respect for the Sangha.

You truly discern this field of merit

unexcelled.

These contemplatives will receive our offering, too, for here we'll set up our abundant sacrifice.

[Rohini:]

If you're afraid of pain, if you dislike pain, go to the Buddha for refuge, go to the Dhamma & Sangha. Take on the precepts:

That will lead
to your well-being.

[Rohini's father:]

I go to the Buddha for refuge; I go to the Dhamma & Sangha. I take on the precepts:

That will lead
to my well-being.

Before, I was a kinsman to Brahma; now, truly a brahman. I'm a three-knowledge man & safe, consummate in knowledge,

washed clean.