Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XIX. Arañña Vaggo

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XIX: The Forest

Sutta 183a

Piṇḍa-Pātika Suttaṃ

Alms-Round Only Men^[ed1]

Translated by E. M. Hare

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[161]

[1] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, these five are alms-round only men.

What five?

One is an alms-round only man
out of folly and blindness;

one out of evil desires and longings;

one foolish and mind-tossed;^[2]

one at the thought:

"It is praised by Buddhas and their disciples";

and one is an alms-round only man
just because his wants are little,
just for contentment,
just to mark^[3] (his own faults),
just for seclusion,
just because it is the very thing.^[4]

 

§

 

Verily, monks, of these five
who are alms-round only men,
he who is an alms-round only man
just because his wants are little,
for contentment,
to mark (his own faults),
for seclusion,
just because it is the very thing —
he of the five
is topmost,
best,
foremost,
highest,
elect.

■

Monks, just^[5] as from the cow comes milk,
from milk cream,
from cream butter,
from butter ghee,
from ghee the skim of ghee
there reckoned topmost;
even so, monks,
of these five alms-round only men,
he who is an alms-round only man
just because his wants are little,
for contentment,
to mark (his own faults),
for seclusion
and just because it is the very thing —
he of the five
is topmost,
best,
foremost,
highest,
elect.'

 

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^[ed1] Piṇḍapātika, lit. alms-round man. Not included in the PTS collection. In the manner of the Hare translations of the other suttas in this chapter: AN 5.181. Except for this first one, which I have edited as called for by the change of subject, I have left the footnotes intact as they apply.

^[2] Cf. above, § 93.

^[3] Sallekha, from √likh; F. Dial. i, 10: 'purgation of evil'; Dial iii, 109: resigned';; but it is as in the Psalms (cxxx, 3): 'If thou shouldeet mark iniquities, who can stand?'

^[4] Idam aṭṭhitaṃ, to S.e., and Comy. which explains: imāya kalyāṇāya paṭipattiyā attho etassa.

^[5] This simile recurs at S. iii, 264; A. ii, 95; v, 182; Cf. J. vi, 206.