Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
55. Sotāpatti Saṃyutta
3. Saraṇāni (or Sarakāni) Vagga
Sutta 28
Duvera
or
Tatiya Anāthapiṇḍika Suttaṃ
Stream-entry
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time Bhagava,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Jeta-forest park.
There then, Anāthapiṇḍika, the housefather,
approached the Lucky Man.
Having approached,
he drew near.
Having drawn near
he exchanged greetings.
Having exchanged greetings
Anāthapiṇḍika, the housefather, took a seat to one side.
Then, with him seated to one side,
the Lucky Man said this
to Anāthapiṇḍika, the housefather:
"Now whenever, housefather,
in the student of aristocracy,
the five fears of retribution
are allayed,
and four dimensions of Stream-entry
have been mastered,
and he has wisely,
well viewed,
well penetrated
the aristocratic method,
he may with certainty of his aspiration
by himself,
of himself
predict:
'Destroyed is Hell for me,
destroyed is creeping animal's wombs,
destroyed is the ghostly garb,
destroyed is falling away,
depression,
repeated failure.
A Streamwinner am I!
An unfailing thing,
assured,
destined for self-awakening.'
§
What five fears of retribution has he allayed?
Whatever, housefather,
for him who injures breathing things,
from injury to breathing things,
results in fear of retribution
in this seen thing,
results in fear of retribution
in the hereafter,
experienced in the heart as pain and misery,
in abstention from injury to breathing things,
that fear of retribution is allayed.
■
Whatever, housefather,
for him who takes what is not given,
from taking what is not given,
results in fear of retribution
in this seen thing,
results in fear of retribution
in the hereafter,
experienced in the heart as pain and misery,
in abstention from taking what is not given,
that fear of retribution is allayed.
■
Whatever, housefather,
for he who carries on in an ungodly way,
from carrying on in an ungodly way,
results in fear of retribution
in this seen thing,
results in fear of retribution
in the hereafter,
experienced in the heart as pain and misery,
in abstention from carrying on in an ungodly way,
that fear of retribution is allayed.
■
Whatever, housefather,
for him who utters negligent speech,
from uttering negligent speech,
results in fear of retribution
in this seen thing,
results in fear of retribution
in the hereafter,
experienced in the heart as pain and misery,
in abstention from uttering negligent speech,
that fear of retribution is allayed.
■
Whatever, housefather,
for him who behaves carelessly
because of fermented and distilled drink,
from behaving carelessly
because of fermented and distilled drink,
results in fear of retribution
in this seen thing,
results in fear of retribution
in the hereafter,
experienced in the heart as pain and misery,
in abstention from behaving carelessly
because of fermented and distilled drink,
that fear of retribution is allayed.
These are the five fears of retribution he has allayed.
§
What four dimensions of Stream-entry
has he mastered?
Herein, housefather,
of the Buddha,
the student of aristocracy
is possessed of certain clarity:
'Just he is the Lucky Man,
Aristocrat,
consummately self-awakened one,
possessor of vision and conduct,
the Welcome,
Worldly-wise,
people's unsurpassed Dhamma-coach,
teacher of gods and men,
Buddha,
The Lucky Man.'
■
Of the Dhamma,
the student of aristocracy
is possessed of certain clarity:
'Well revealed is the Lucky Man's Dhamma,
a seen-here thing,
timeless,
a come-and-see thing
leading onward,
something to be experienced for one's self by the wise.'
■
Of the Order,
the student of aristocracy
is possessed of certain clarity:
'Practicing well
is the Lucky Man's Order of students,
of upright practice
is the Lucky Man's Order of students,
practicing the method
is the Lucky Man's Order of students,
practicing consummately
is the Lucky Man's Order of students.
That is to say
it is the four pairs of men,
the eight good men —
that is the Lucky Man's Order of students
that is worthy of veneration,
worthy of hospitality,
worthy of handouts,
worthy of salutation,
an unsurpassable field of prosperity for the world.'
■
And he is possessed of ethics
praised by the Aristocrats —
unbroken,
without gaps,
untarnished,
unblemished,
liberating,
not disparaged by the wise,
beyond,
second to none,
evolving into serenity.
These are the four dimensions of Stream-entry
he has mastered.
§
And what is that aristocratic method
he has wisely,
well viewed,
well penetrated?'
Here, housefather,
the student of aristocracy
thoroughly mentally studies
points of conception
of mutually bound up stimuli,
so:
This 'this' being,
that is had;
with this support,
that comes to birth;
This 'this' not being,
that 'that' is not had;
this ending,
that subsides.
That is to say:
Blindness-stimuli: own-making,[1]
own-making-stimuli: consciousness,
consciousness-stimuli: named-form,
named-form-stimuli: the six realms of sense,
the six realms of sense-stimuli: contact,
contact-stimuli: sensation
sensation-stimuli: thirst,
thirst-stimuli: support,
support-stimuli: existence,
existence-stimuli: birth,
birth-stimuli: aging and death,
grief and lamentation
pain and misery,
and despair.
Thus is had
this self-sustaining
mutually bound up
body of pain.
Thus also:
Blindness'-ending: own-making's-ending,
own-making's-ending: consciousness'-ending,
consciousness'-ending: named-form's-ending,
named-form's-ending: the six realms of sense's-ending,
the six realms of sense's-ending: contact's-ending,
contact's-ending: sensation's-ending
sensation's-ending: thirst's-ending,
thirst's-ending: support's-ending,
support's-ending: existence's-ending,
existence's-ending: birth's-ending,
birth's-ending: aging and death,
grief and lamentation
pain and misery,
and despair's-ending.
Thus is had
the end of this self-sustaining
mutually bound up
body of pain.
This is that aristocratic method
he has wisely,
well viewed,
well penetrated.
Now whenever, housefather,
in the student of aristocracy,
these five fears of retribution are allayed,
and these four dimensions of Stream-entry have been mastered,
and he has wisely,
well viewed,
well penetrated
the aristocratic method,
he may with certainty of his aspiration
by himself,
of himself
predict:
'Destroyed is Hell for me,
destroyed is creeping animal's wombs,
destroyed is the ghostly garb,
destroyed is falling away,
depression,
repeated failure.
A Streamwinner am I!
An unfailing thing,
assured,
destined for self-awakening.'"
[1] Avijjā-paccayā saṇkhārā. Here this is just a list or table of mutually bound up conditions and is not a series of clauses in a sentence to be read out as with Woodward: "Conditioned by ignorance, activities come to pass", or Bhk. Bodhi: "With ignorance as condition, volitional formations [come to be]." To read it that way is a short-cut that ignores the instruction that what should be done with the pairs of items in this list is to subject them to examination in mind per the previously described method:
This 'this' being,
that 'that' is had;
with this support,
that comes to birth;
This 'this' not being,
that 'that' is not had;
this ending,
that subsides.
So:
This 'blindness-stimuli' being, own-making is had;
with blindness-stimuli support,
own-making comes to birth;
This 'blindness-stimuli' not being,
own-making is not had;
blindness-stimuli ending,
own-making subsides.
