Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.87

Translators: sujato

Numbered Discourses 4.87

9. Macalavagga
9. Confirmed

Puttasutta

The Son

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ.
“Mendicants, these four people are found in the world.

Katame cattāro?
What four?

Samaṇamacalo, samaṇapuṇḍarīko, samaṇapadumo, samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo.
The confirmed ascetic, the white lotus ascetic, the pink lotus ascetic, and the exquisite ascetic of ascetics.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇamacalo hoti?
And how is a person a confirmed ascetic?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sekho hoti pāṭipado;
It’s when a mendicant is a practicing trainee,

anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamāno viharati.
who lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa jeṭṭho putto ābhiseko anabhisitto macalappatto;
It’s like the eldest son of an anointed aristocratic king. He has not yet been anointed, but is eligible, and has been confirmed in the succession.

evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sekho hoti pāṭipado, anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamāno viharati.
In the same way, a mendicant is a practicing trainee, who lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇamacalo hoti.
That’s how a person is a confirmed ascetic.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapuṇḍarīko hoti?
And how is a person a white lotus ascetic?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati, no ca kho aṭṭha vimokkhe kāyena phusitvā viharati.
It’s when a mendicant realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. But they don’t have direct meditative experience of the eight liberations.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapuṇḍarīko hoti.
That’s how a person is a white lotus ascetic.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapadumo hoti?
And how is a person a pink lotus ascetic?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati, aṭṭha ca vimokkhe kāyena phusitvā viharati.
It’s when a mendicant realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. … And they have direct meditative experience of the eight liberations.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapadumo hoti.
That’s how a person is a pink lotus ascetic.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo hoti?
And how is a person an exquisite ascetic of ascetics?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu yācitova bahulaṁ cīvaraṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ senāsanaṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ gilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito.
It’s when a mendicant usually uses only what they’ve been invited to accept—robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick—rarely using them without invitation.

Yehi kho pana sabrahmacārīhi saddhiṁ viharati, tyassa manāpeneva bahulaṁ kāyakammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ vacīkammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ manokammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena;
When living with other spiritual practitioners, they usually treat them agreeably by way of body, speech, and mind, and rarely disagreeably.

manāpaṁyeva bahulaṁ upahāraṁ upaharanti, appaṁ amanāpaṁ.
And they usually present them with agreeable things, rarely with disagreeable ones.

Yāni kho pana tāni vedayitāni pittasamuṭṭhānāni vā semhasamuṭṭhānāni vā vātasamuṭṭhānāni vā sannipātikāni vā utupariṇāmajāni vā visamaparihārajāni vā opakkamikāni vā kammavipākajāni vā, tāni panassa na bahudeva uppajjanti. Appābādho hoti.
They’re healthy, so the various unpleasant feelings—stemming from disorders of bile, phlegm, wind, or their conjunction; or caused by change in weather, by not taking care of yourself, by overexertion, or as the result of past deeds—usually don’t come up.

Catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī,
They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.

āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.
And they realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. …

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo hoti.
That’s how a person is an exquisite ascetic of ascetics.

Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti, mameva taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti.
And if anyone should be rightly called an exquisite ascetic of ascetics, it’s me.

Ahañhi, bhikkhave, yācitova bahulaṁ cīvaraṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ senāsanaṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ gilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito.
For I usually use only what I’ve been invited to accept …

Yehi kho pana bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ viharāmi te me manāpeneva bahulaṁ kāyakammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ vacīkammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ manokammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpaṁyeva bahulaṁ upahāraṁ upaharanti, appaṁ amanāpaṁ.
When living with other spiritual practitioners, I usually treat them agreeably …

Catunnaṁ kho panasmi jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī akicchalābhī akasiralābhī,
I get the four absorptions when I want, without trouble or difficulty.

āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmi.
And I’ve realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. …

Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti, mameva taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti.
So if anyone should be rightly called an exquisite ascetic of ascetics, it’s me.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti.
These are the four people found in the world.”

Sattamaṁ.