Aṇguttara Nikāya
VIII. Aṭṭhaka Nipāta
VI. Gotamī Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Eights
VI: The Gotamid
Sutta 58
Dutiya Āhuneyya-Bhikkhu Suttaṃ
Those Worthy of Offerings (b)
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:
2. "Monks, a monk who is endowed with eight qualities
is worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
meet to be reverently saluted,
the world's peerless field for merit.
§
What eight?
3. Herein a monk is virtuous,
he abides restrained by the restraint of the obligations,
perfect in behaviour and conduct,
seeing danger in the smallest fault,
accepting the training,
he trains himself accordantly;
■
4. He is learned,[ed1]
is replete with learning,
is a hoard of learning.
Those doctrines which,
lovely at the beginning,
lovely in the middle,
lovely at the end
both in the meaning and the letter of them,
which preach the utterly fulfilled,
the perfectly purified way of the God-life, -
such doctrines are much heard by him,
borne in mind,
repeated aloud,
pondered over
and well penetrated by his vision;
■
5. He dwells strenuous,
steadfast,
energetic,
shirking not the burden of righteousness;
■
6. He is a forest-dweller,
having his bed and seat apart from mankind;
■
7. [1]He endures likes and dislikes,
dwelling in continuous mastery
of dislikes which arise;
■
8. He endures fear and dismay,
dwelling in continuous mastery
of fear and dismay which arise;
■
9. He attains at will,
easily and without difficulty
to those pleasant states of living,
even in this life,
the four musings wholly mental;
■
10. By destroying the cankers,
he enters and abides in
the emancipation of the heart and wisdom,
which is cankerless,
and this state he knows and realizes for himself,
even in this life.
Monks, a monk who is endowed with these eight qualities
is worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
meet to be reverently saluted,
the world's peerless field for merit.'
[1] Cf. M. i, 33; A. v, 132.
[ed1] Hare abridges and I am not able to locate any version of this item that has been translated by Hare. I have used the translation of Woodward, [AN 4. 22] in it's place.
