On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus, live life possessed of virtue, possessed of the Patimokkha (Monastic mode of conduct), restrained with the restraint of the Patimokkha, perfect in conduct and resort and seeing fear in the slightest fault, train by undertaking the training precepts. " (Buddha spoke encouragingly of the Patimokkha to the monks. Patimokkha is the basic code of monastic discipline. It consists of 227 rules for fully ordained monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhunis) and is contained in the Suttavibhanga, which is a division of the Vinaya Pitaka).
If a bhikkhu (monk) should wish: 'May I be dear and agreeable to my companions in the holy life,may i be respected and honored by them.' If this is so, let him live by the precepts, be devoted to internal serenity of mind, not neglect meditation, be possessed of insight and dwell in seclusion.
If a bhikkhu (monk ) should wish: 'May I acquire sufficient robes, alms-food, resting place and medicinal requisites,' let him live by the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May the services of those who grant me robes, alms-food, resting place and medicinal requisites I use, bring them great fruit (merit) and benefit,' let him live by the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish: 'When my kinsmen and relatives who have passed away and died remember me with confidence in their minds, may that bring them great fruit and great benefit,' let him live by the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I become a conqueror of discontent and delight, and may discontent and delight not conquer me; may I abide transcending discontent and delight whenever they arise,' let him live by the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I become a conqueror of fear and dread, and may fear and dread not conquer me; may I abide transcending fear and dread whenever they arise." let him live by the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I become one to obtain at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas that constitute the higher mind and provide a pleasant abiding here and now.' Let him live by the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I contact with the body and abide in those liberations that are peaceful and immaterial, transcending forms.' Let him live by the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I, with the destruction of three fetters (1.the view of self 2. doubts 3. sensual desire and ill-will), become a stream-enterer, no longer subject to perdition, bound for deliverance, headed for enlightenment.' Let him live by the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I, with the destruction of three fetters and with the attenuation of lust, hate, and delusion, become a once-returner, returning once to this world to make an end of suffering,' let him live by the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, become due to reappear spontaneously in the Pure Abodes and there attain final Nibbana, without ever returning from that world.' Let him fulfill the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish:'May I wield the various kinds of super-normal power: - having been one, may I become many; having been many, may I become one - may I appear and vanish -may I go unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain as though through space - may I dive in and out of the earth as though it were water - may I walk on water without sinking as though it were earth - seated cross legged, may I travel in space like a bird; with my hand may I touch and stroke the moon and sun so powerful and might - may I wield bodily mastery, even as far as the Brahma-world' Let him fulfill the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I, with the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, hear both kinds of sounds, the divine and the human, those that are far as well as near.' Let him fulfill the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I understand the minds of other beings, having encompassed them with my own mind. May I understand minds which is pure and impure. May i understand mind affected and not affected by lust; may I understand a mind affected by hate and unaffected by hate; may I understand a mind affected by delusion and a mind unaffected by delusion; may I understand a contracted mind as contracted and a distracted mind as distracted; may I understand an exalted mind as exalted and an unexalted mind as unexalted; may I understand a surpassed mind as surpassed and an unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed; may I understand a concentrated mind as concentrated and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; may I understand a liberated mind as liberated and an unliberated mind as unliberated' Let him fulfill the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I recollect my manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births...Thus with their aspects and their particulars may I recollect my manifold past lives.' Let him fulfill the precepts. If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate; may I understand how beings pass on according to their actions (kamma) thus.' Let him fulfill the precepts.
If a bhikkhu should wish: 'May I, by realizing for myself with direct knowledge, here and now enter upon and abide in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless (without defilements) with the destruction of the taints. ' Let him fulfill the precepts, be devoted to internal serenity of mind, not neglect meditation, be possessed of insight, and dwell in empty huts.
So it was with reference to this that it was said: 'Bhikkhus, dwell possessed of virtue, possessed of the Patimokkha, restrained with the restraint of the Patimokkha, perfect in conduct and resort, and seeing fear in the slightest fault, train by undertaking the training precepts.'
That is what the Blessed One said and the monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
This sutta is sometimes known as 'if a bhikkhu should wish' or 'if anyone desires'. Buddha spoke encouragingly of the Patimokkha to the monks. Patimokkha is the basic code of monastic discipline. It consists of 227 rules for fully ordained monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhunis) and is contained in the Suttavibhanga, which is a division of the Vinaya Pitaka). The Buddha explains the essence of right effort to realize non-egoistic desires.He summarized the noble desires as:
To be pleasant to fellow monks
To be able to give blessings to those who support the monks community
To control one’s own dissatisfaction and subdue fear and dread
To have deep insight and concentration
To be freed from cycle of rebirth, to be reborn in the Pure Abodes and to attain nibbana
To develop super-normal powers and knowledge
By WHH
References: 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The Middle discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)