Aṅguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
X: Upāsaka-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
X: The Lay-followers
Sutta 97
Āhuneyya Suttaɱ
Worshipful
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] THUS have I heard:
Once on a time the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, possessed of ten[1] qualities a monk is worshipful,
worthy of honour,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of being saluted with clasped hands,
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.
§
What ten qualities?
Herein a monk is virtuous,
he dwells restrained with the restraint of the obligation,
well equipped in range of practice,
seeing grounds for fear in minutest faults,
he takes up and trains himself
in the training of the precepts.
■
Then again a monk has heard much;
he bears in mind what he has heard,
he stores up what he has heard.
[199]Whatsoever teachings,
lovely at the beginning,
lovely midway,
lovely at the end (of life),
in spirit and in letter
do stress the brahma-life
in its all-round fullness
and utter purity,
such teachings are much heard by him,
borne in mind,
repeated aloud,
pondered
and well penetrated by vision.
■
Then again a monk has a friendship with the lovely,
fellowship with the lovely,
companionship with the lovely.
■
He is one who has right view,
he is possessed of right seeing.
■
Also he enjoys divers sorts of more-power:[2]
From being one he becomes many;
-◦-
from being many he becomes one;
-◦-
manifest or invisible
he goes unhindered through a wall,
through a rampart,
through a mountain,
as if through air:
-◦-
he plunges into the earth
and shoots up again
as if in water;
-◦-
he walks upon the water
without parting it,
as if on solid ground;
-◦-
he travels through the air
sitting cross-legged,
like a bird upon the wing;
-◦-
even this moon and sun,
though of such mighty power
[138] and majesty,
he handles and strokes them
with his hand;
-◦-
even as far as the Brahma-world
he has power with his body.
■
With the deva-power of hearing,
purified and surpassing that of men,
he can hear sound both of devas and of humans,
whether far or near.
■
He comes to know the minds of other beings,
of other persons,
with his own mind grasping them.
-◦-
Of the mind that is lustful,
he comes to know that it is lustful.
-◦-
Of the mind that is free from lust,
he comes to know that it is free from lust.
-◦-
Of the mind that is full of hate,
he comes to know that it is full of hate.
-◦-
Of the mind that is free from hate,
he comes to know that it is free of hate.
-◦-
Of the mind that is deluded,
he comes to know that it is deluded.
-◦-
Of the mind that is free from delusion,
he comes to know that it is free from delusion.
-◦-
Of the mind that is cramped,
he comes to know that it is cramped.
-◦-
Of the mind that is diffuse,
he comes to know that it is diffuse.
-◦-
Of the mind that is lofty,
he comes to know that it is lofty.
-◦-
Of the mind that is mean,
he comes to know that it is mean.
-◦-
Of the mind that is inferior,
he comes to know that it is inferior.
-◦-
Of the mind that is superior,
he comes to know that it is superior.
-◦-
Of the mind that is uncontrolled,
he comes to know that it is uncontrolled.
-◦-
Of the mind that is controlled,
he comes to know that it is controlled.
-◦-
Of the mind that is in bondage,
he comes to know that it is in bondage.
-◦-
Of the mind that is released,
he comes to know that it is is released.
■
He calls to mind his former dwelling in divers ways, thus:
[200]One birth,
two births,
three, four, five,
even ten births,
twenty, thirty, forty, fifty births;
even a hundred births,
a thousand, a hundred thousand births.
Likewise the divers folding up of aeons,
the divers unfolding of aeons,
the divers folding-unfolding of aeons.
(remembering):
'At that time I had such a name,
was of such a family,
of such complexion,
was thus supported,
thus and thus experienced weal and woe,
had such and such span of life.
As that one,
I deceasing thence
rose up again at that time;
then too I had such a name,
was of such a family,
of such complexion,
was thus supported,
thus and thus experienced weal and woe,
had such and such span of life.
As that one,
I deceasing thence rose up again here.'
Thus with all details and characteristics
he can recall his manifold dwellings aforetime.
■
And again, sir, the Exalted One with the deva-sight,
purified and surpassing that of men,
beholds beings deceasing
and rising up again;
beings both mean and excellent,
fair and foul,
gone to a happy bourn,
gone to an ill-bourn
according to their deeds
(so as to say):
'Alas, sirs, these beings,
given to the practice of evil deeds,
of evil words,
of evil thoughts,
scoffing at the Ariyans,
of perverted view
and reaping the fruits of their perverted view -
these beings,
when body broke up,
beyond death rose up again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory!'
Or:
'Ah, sirs, these beings,
given to the practice of good deeds,
of good words,
of good thoughts,
no scoffers at the Ariyans,
but of [139] sound view
and reaping the fruits of their sound view -
these beings,
when body broke up,
beyond death rose up again in the Happy Bourn
in the heaven world.'
Thus with the deva-sight,
purified and surpassing that of men,
beholds beings deceasing
and rising up again;
beings both mean and excellent,
fair and foul,
gone to a happy bourn,
gone to an ill-bourn
according to their deeds.
■
Then by the destruction of the cankers,
in this same visible state
he attains the heart's release,
the release by insight
that is freed of the cankers,
himself thoroughly comprehending it,
and realizing it abides therein.
■
[201] Possessed of these ten qualities
a monk is worshipful,
worthy of honour,
worthy of offerings,
of salutations with clasped hands,
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.'
[1] With four qualities at G.S. ii, 177: cf. above, §§ 7, [? AN 10.17?] 30.
