Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XIX: Yodhajīva Vagga
The Book of the Fours
Sutta 189
Sacchi-Karaṇiya Suttaṃ
Make it Real
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time, The Lucky Man, Sāvatthī-town residing.
There the Lucky Man addressed the beggars, saying:
"Beggars!"
"Bhadante!" replied those beggars to the Lucky Man.
Bhagava said:
2. "Four, beggars, are things to be made real.[1]
What four?
There are things, beggars, to be made real through body.
There are things, beggars, to be made real through the memory.[2]
There are things, beggars, to be made real through the eye.
There are things, beggars, to be made real through wisdom.
And what, beggars are the things to be made real through body?
The Eight Releases, beggars, are the things to be made real through body.
And what, beggars, are the things to be made real through the memory?
Past habitations,[3] beggars, are the things to be made real through the memory.
And what, beggars, are the things to be made real through the eye?
The shifting-about[4] of beings, beggars, are things to be made real through the eye.
And what, beggars, are the things to be made real through wisdom?
The destruction of the corrupting influences,[5] beggars, is to be made real through wisdom.
These, beggars, are the four things to be made real.
[1] Sacchi-karaṇiyā. Woodward, Bhk. Bodhi, PED: 'Realized'. Things which you do not see or believe which are by way of the methods/skills described, to be seen for yourself as real things.'
[2] Sati.
[3] Pubbe-nivāsa. Prior habitations. Vestments. Habits. If the meaning were 'lives' there were words for that. Why were these words used and not those?
[4] Cutūpapāt. This may be different than you imagine. Woodward would have this be 'realized' by way of clairvoyance. Clear seeing it would be. But there is a phrase for clairvoyance [dibba-cakkhu] when that idea is to be expressed.
