Aṇguttara Nikāya
Chakka-Nipāta
III: Anuttariya-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sixes
Chapter III: Above All
Sutta 30
Anuttariya Suttaṃ
Above All
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, these six are above all.[1]
What six?
The sight above all;
the sound above all;
the gain above all;
the training above all;
the service above all;
the ever minding above all.
§
And what, monks, is the sight above all?
Herein, monks, some go to see the treasures:[2]
the elephant,
the horse,
the gem;
to see divers things;
to see some recluse [230] or godly man,
wrong in view,
treading the wrong path.
And is that the sight, monks?
I say it is not;
it is indeed a mean sight,
common,
vulgar,
un-Ariyan,
not wall-found,
leading not to world-weariness,
dispassion,
ending,
calm,
knowledge,
awakening,
Nibbāna.[3]
But some,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust,[4]
go to see the Tathāgata
or the Tathāgata's disciple.
That, monks, is the sight
above all sights
for purging man,
overcoming grief and woe,
clearing away ill and pain,
winning truth,
and realizing Nibbāna;
I mean,
going to see the Tathāgata
or his disciple,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust.
This, monks, is called the sight above all.
Herein is the sight above all.
■
And what, monks, is the sound above all?
Herein, monks,
some go to hear the sound of the drum,
the lute,
the sound of song;
to hear divers things;
to hear the Dhamma of some recluse or godly man,
wrong in view,
treading the wrong path.
And is that the sound, monks?
No, I say it is not;
it is indeed a mean sound,
common,
vulgar,
un-Ariyan,
not wall-found,
leading not to world-weariness,
dispassion,
ending,
calm,
knowledge,
awakening,
Nibbāna.
But some,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust,
go to hear the Tathāgata's Dhamma
or his disciple's.
That, monks, is the sound
above all sounds
for purging man,
overcoming grief and woe,
clearing away ill and pain,
winning truth,
and realizing Nibbāna;
I mean,
going to hear the Tathāgata's Dhamma
or his disciple's,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust.
This, monks, is called the sound above all.
Herein is the sight and sound above all.
■
And what, monks, is the gain above all?
Herein, monks,
some gain the gain of a son
or a wife
or wealth;
gain divers things;
gain faith in some recluse or godly man,
wrong in view,
treading the wrong path.
And is that the gain, monks?
No, I say it is not;
it is indeed a mean gain,
common,
vulgar,
un-Ariyan,
not wall-found,
leading not to world-weariness,
dispassion,
ending,
calm,
knowledge,
awakening,
Nibbāna.
But some,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust,
gain faith in the Tathāgata
or his disciple.
That, monks, is the gain
above all gains
for purging man,
overcoming grief and woe,
clearing away ill and pain,
winning truth,
and realizing Nibbāna;
I mean,
gaining faith in the Tathāgata
or his disciple,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust.
This, monks, is called the gain above all.
Herein is the sight, sound and gain above all.
■
[231] And what, monks, is the training above ail?
Herein, monks,
some train in elephant-lore,
in horsemanship,
in the use of the chariot,
the bow,
the sword;[5]
train in divers ways;
train after the way of some recluse or godly man,
wrong in view,
treading the wrong path.
And is that the training, monks?
No, I say it is not;
it is indeed a mean training,
common,
vulgar,
un-Ariyan,
not wall-found,
leading not to world-weariness,
dispassion,
ending,
calm,
knowledge,
awakening,
Nibbāna.
But some,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust,
train in the onward course
of virtue,
thought
and insight[6]
according to the Dhamma-discipline declared by the Tathāgata.
That, monks, is the training
above all training
for purging man,
overcoming grief and woe,
clearing away ill and pain,
winning truth,
and realizing Nibbāna;
I mean,
training in the onward course
of virtue,
thought
and insight
according to the Dhamma-discipline declared by the Tathāgata,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust.
This, monks, is called the training above all.
Herein is the sight, sound, gain and training above all.
■
And what, monks, is the service above all?
Herein, monks, some serve a warrior,
a brahman,
a householder;
serve divers folk;
serve some recluse or godly man,
wrong in view,
treading the wrong path.
And is that the service, monks?
No, I say it is not;
it is indeed a mean service,
common,
vulgar,
un-Ariyan,
not wall-found,
leading not to world-weariness,
dispassion,
ending,
calm,
knowledge,
awakening,
Nibbāna.
But some,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust,
serve the Tathāgata
or his disciple.
That, monks, is the service
above all services
for purging man,
overcoming grief and woe,
clearing away ill and pain,
winning truth,
and realizing Nibbāna;
I mean,
serving the Tathāgata
or his disciple,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust.
This, monks, is called the service above all.
Herein is the sight, sound, gain, training and service above all.
■
And what, monks, is the ever minding above all?
Herein, monks,
some ever mind the gain of a son
or a wife
or wealth;
ever mind divers gains;
ever mind some recluse or godly man,
wrong in view,
treading the wrong path.
And is that the ever minding, monks?
No, I say it is not;
it is indeed a mean ever minding,
common,
vulgar,
un-Ariyan,
not well-found,
leading not to world-weariness,
dispassion,
ending,
calm,
knowledge,
awakening,
Nibbāna.
But some,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust,
ever mind the Tathāgata
or the Tathāgata's disciple.
That, monks, is the ever minding
above all ever minding
for purging man,
over- [232] coming grief and woe,
clearing away ill and pain,
winning truth,
and realizing Nibbāna;
I mean, ever minding the Tathāgata
or his disciple,
endued with faith and piety,
sure in trust.
This, monks, is called the ever minding above all.
Verily, monks, these are the six above all.
They who have found the noblest sight, the sound
Above all sounds, the gain of gains; have found
Joy in the training, are on service set,
Who make the ever minding more-become:
They who have found, linked to right loneliness,
The deathless way to peace[7] - joyous in zeal,
Restrained by virtue, wise, they verily
Shall in due time know where all Ill doth end.'
[3] Clause borrowed from the First Utterance.
[4] Niviṭṭha-saddho, niviṭṭha-pemo (from √prī), ekantagato abhippasanno.
[5] Cf. Vin. ii, 10; Mil. 66.
[6] Adhisīla, adhicitta, adhipaññā.
[7] Viveka-paṭisaṇuttaṃ khemam amata-gāminaṃ; for the first compound see Thag. 589; [but?] the second half of the line recurs at M. i, 508 (see Tr.'s n. at 571); there the reading is -gāminaṃ, with our v.l. and S.e. Our Comy. is silent.
