Monks, whereas some Ascetics and Brāhmins, feeding on the food of the dedicated, make their living by such base arts, such wrong means of livelihood as palmistry, divining by signs, portents, dreams, body-marks, mouse gnawings, fire-oblations, oblations from a ladle, of husks, rice-powder, rice grains, ghee or oil, from the mouth or of blood, reading the finger-tips, house- and garden-lore, skill in charms, ghost-lore, earth-house lore, snake-lore, poison-lore, rat-lore, bird-lore, crow-lore, foretelling a person’s life-span, charms against arrows, knowledge of animals’ cries, the Ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood.
Thus the worldling would praise The Tathāgata.
Whereas some Ascetics and Brāhmins make their living by such base arts as judging the marks of gems, sticks, clothes, swords, spears, arrows, weapons, women, men, boys, girls, male and female slaves, elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, cows, goats, rams, cocks, quail, iguanas, bamboo-rats, tortoises, deer, the Ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts.
Thus the worldling would praise The Tathāgata.
Whereas some Ascetics and Brāhmins make their living by such base arts as predicting: The chiefs will march out - the chiefs will march back, our chiefs will advance and the other chiefs will retreat, our chiefs will win and the other chiefs will lose, the other chiefs will win and ours will lose, thus there will be victory for one side and defeat for the other’, the Ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts.
Thus the worldling would praise The Tathāgata.
Whereas some Ascetics and Brāhmins make their living by such base arts as predicting an eclipse of the moon, the sun, a star; that the sun and moon will go on their proper course - will go astray; that a star will go on its proper course - will go astray; that there will be a shower of meteors, a blaze in the sky, an earthquake, thunder; a rising, setting, darkening, brightening of the moon, the sun, the stars; and such will be the outcome of these things, the Ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood.
Thus the worldling would praise The Tathāgata.
Whereas some Ascetics and Brāhmins make their living by such base arts as predicting good or bad rainfall; a good or bad harvest; security, danger; disease, health; or accounting, computing, calculating, poetic composition, philosophizing, the Ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood.
Thus the worldling would praise The Tathāgata.