sutta » an » an4 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.88

Saṁyojanasutta

Fetters

“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 tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno hoti avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo.
It’s when a mendicant—with the ending of three fetters—is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening.

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 tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā, rāgadosamohānaṁ tanuttā sakadāgāmī hoti, sakideva imaṁ lokaṁ āgantvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.
It’s when a mendicant—with the ending of three fetters, and the weakening of greed, hate, and delusion—is a once-returner. They come back to this world once only, then make an end of suffering.

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 pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā opapātiko hoti tattha parinibbāyī anāvattidhammo tasmā lokā.
It’s when a mendicant—with the ending of the five lower fetters—is reborn spontaneously. They’re extinguished there, and are not liable to return from that world.

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 āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja 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.

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

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

Aṭṭhamaṁ.