Aṇguttara Nikāya
Navaka Nipāta
I. Sambodha Vagga

The Book of Nines

Sutta 9

Puggala Suttaṃ

Men

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

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[1][pts][upal] I Hear Tell:

Once Upon a Time, The Lucky Man, Sāvatthī-town revisiting.

There, to the Beggars gathered round, he said:

"Beggars!"

And the beggars responding:
"Broke Tooth!"
Bhagava said:

"Nine, beggars, are men found to exist in the world.

What nine?

Arahants,
those reaching for arahantship;
non-returners,
those reaching for the experience of non-returning;
once-returners,
those reaching for the experience of once-returning;
stream-winners,
those reaching for the experience of stream-winning;
commoners.

These then, beggars are the nine men found to exist in the world."