Saṁyutta Nikāya 55.24

Translators: sujato

Linked Discourses 55.24

3. Saraṇānivagga
3. About Sarakāni

Paṭhamasaraṇānisakkasutta

About Sarakāni (1st)

Kapilavatthunidānaṁ.
At Kapilavatthu.

Tena kho pana samayena saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato hoti.
Now at that time Sarakāni the Sakyan had passed away.

So bhagavatā byākato:
The Buddha declared that he was

“sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo”ti.
a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening.

Tatra sudaṁ sambahulā sakkā saṅgamma samāgamma ujjhāyanti khīyanti vipācenti:
At that, several Sakyans came together complaining, grumbling, and objecting,

“acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho.
“Oh, how incredible, how amazing!

Ettha dāni ko na sotāpanno bhavissati.
Who can’t become a stream-enterer these days?

Yatra hi nāma saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato;
For the Buddha even declared Sarakāni to be a stream-enterer after he passed away.

so bhagavatā byākato:

‘sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’ti.

Saraṇāni sakko sikkhādubbalyamāpādi, majjapānaṁ apāyī”ti.
Sarakāni was too weak for the training; he used to drink liquor.”

Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened. The Buddha said:

“idha, bhante, saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato.

So bhagavatā byākato:

‘sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’ti.

Tatra sudaṁ, bhante, sambahulā sakkā saṅgamma samāgamma ujjhāyanti khīyanti vipācenti—

acchariyaṁ vata, bho, abbhutaṁ vata, bho.

Ettha dāni ko na sotāpanno bhavissati.

Yatra hi nāma saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato;

so bhagavatā byākato:

‘sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’ti.

Saraṇāni sakko sikkhādubbalyamāpādi, majjapānaṁ apāyī”ti.

“Yo so, mahānāma, dīgharattaṁ upāsako buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gato dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gato saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gato, so kathaṁ vinipātaṁ gaccheyya.
“Mahānāma, when a lay follower has for a long time gone for refuge to the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, how could they go to the underworld?

Yañhi taṁ, mahānāma, sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
And if anyone should rightly be said to

‘dīgharattaṁ upāsako buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gato dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gato saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gato’ti, saraṇāni sakkaṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya.
have for a long time gone for refuge to the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, it’s Sarakāni the Sakyan.

Saraṇāni, mahānāma, sakko dīgharattaṁ upāsako buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gato dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gato saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gato.
Sarakāni the Sakyan has for a long time gone for refuge to the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha.

So kathaṁ vinipātaṁ gaccheyya.
How could he go to the underworld?

Idha, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—
Take a certain person who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …

itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti.

Dhamme …pe…
the teaching …

saṅghe …pe…
the Saṅgha …

hāsapañño javanapañño vimuttiyā ca samannāgato.
They have laughing wisdom and swift wisdom, and are endowed with freedom.

So āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.
They’ve realized 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.

Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.
This person is exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—
Take another person who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …

itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti.

Dhamme …pe…
the teaching …

saṅghe …pe…
the Saṅgha …

hāsapañño javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.
They have laughing wisdom and swift wisdom, but are not endowed with freedom.

So pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā opapātiko hoti tattha parinibbāyī anāvattidhammo tasmā lokā.
With the ending of the five lower fetters they’re reborn spontaneously. They are extinguished there, and are not liable to return from that world.

Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.
This person, too, is exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—
Take another person who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …

itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti.

Dhamme …pe…
the teaching …

saṅghe …pe…
the Saṅgha …

na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.
But they don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.

So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā rāgadosamohānaṁ tanuttā sakadāgāmī hoti, sakideva imaṁ lokaṁ āgantvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.
With the ending of three fetters, and the weakening of greed, hate, and delusion, they’re a once-returner. They come back to this world once only, then make an end of suffering.

Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—
Take another person who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …

itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti;

dhamme …pe…
the teaching …

saṅghe …pe…
the Saṅgha …

na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.
But they don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.

So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno hoti avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇoti.
With the ending of three fetters they’re a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening.

Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo na heva kho buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti …
Take another person who doesn’t have experiential confidence in the Buddha …

na dhamme …pe…
the teaching …

na saṅghe …pe…
the Saṅgha …

na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.
They don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.

Api cassa ime dhammā honti—
Still, they have these qualities:

saddhindriyaṁ, vīriyindriyaṁ, satindriyaṁ, samādhindriyaṁ, paññindriyaṁ.
the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.

Tathāgatappaveditā cassa dhammā paññāya mattaso nijjhānaṁ khamanti.
And they accept the teachings proclaimed by the Realized One after deliberating them with a degree of wisdom.

Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo agantā nirayaṁ agantā tiracchānayoniṁ agantā pettivisayaṁ agantā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ.
This person, too, doesn’t go to hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They don’t go to places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo na heva kho buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti …
Take another person who doesn’t have experiential confidence in the Buddha …

na dhamme …pe…
the teaching …

na saṅghe …pe…
the Saṅgha …

na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato,
They don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.

api cassa ime dhammā honti
Still, they have these qualities:

saddhindriyaṁ …pe… paññindriyaṁ.
the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.

Tathāgate cassa saddhāmattaṁ hoti pemamattaṁ.
And they have a degree of faith and love for the Buddha.

Ime cepi, mahānāma, mahāsālā subhāsitaṁ dubbhāsitaṁ ājāneyyuṁ, ime cāhaṁ mahāsāle byākareyyaṁ: ‘sotāpannā avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti;
If these great sal trees could understand what was well said and poorly said, I’d declare them to be stream-enterers.

kimaṅgaṁ pana saraṇāniṁ sakkaṁ.
Why can’t this apply to Sarakāni?

Saraṇāni, mahānāma, sakko maraṇakāle sikkhaṁ samādiyī”ti.
Mahānāma, Sarakāni the Sakyan undertook the training at the time of his death.”

Catutthaṁ.