Brāhmaṇavagga · The Brahmin · Gāthā 411
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.
Six repetitions of the same verse on sīla. The Buddha could have said it once, but Buddhist practice uses repetition to anchor the fundamental.
The brāhmaṇa of the Dhammapada has no shortcuts: virtue → discipline → elevation → irreversibility.