Brāhmaṇavagga · The Brahmin · Gāthā 407
Yo ve silena sampanno, adantena damena ca; UddharattānaṂ sīlena, sīlaṃ tassa na hīyati.
Yo ve silena sampanno, adantena damena ca; uddharattānaṂ sīlena, sīlaṃ tassa na hīyati.
Who is complete in virtue, through self-discipline; having elevated the self with virtue, one’s virtue does not decay.
Third repetition of the same theme. The Buddha emphasizes sīla as the unshakable foundation of the brāhmaṇa.
Without virtue, there is no Brahman. Spiritual transformation begins with ethics, not with ecstasy.