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AN 9.12PTS AN 4.378Saupādisesa3 min read

With Residue

Saupādisesasutta

Sāriputta visits some wanderers, who claim that only perfected ones are free from bad rebirth. Sāriputta has no opinion on this, but asks the Buddha, who replies that even stream-enterers are freed from lower rebirth.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Aṅguttara Nikāya 9.12Numbered Discourses 9.12
  • 0.22. Sīhanādavagga2. The Lion’s Roar

0.3SaupādisesasuttaWith Residue

1.1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

1.2Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.Then Venerable Sāriputta robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.1.3Atha kho āyasmato sāriputtassa etadahosi:Then it occurred to him,1.4“atippago kho tāva sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya carituṁ,“It’s too early to wander for alms in Sāvatthī.1.5yannūnāhaṁ yena aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ ārāmo tenupasaṅkameyyan”ti.Why don’t I visit the monastery for the wanderers of other religions?”1.6Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ ārāmo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā tehi aññatitthiyehi paribbājakehi saddhiṁ sammodi.Then he went to the monastery for the wanderers of other religions and exchanged greetings with the wanderers there.1.7Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side.

2.1PTS 4.379Tena kho pana samayena tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:Now at that time while those wanderers of other religions were sitting together this discussion came up among them:

2.2“yo hi koci, āvuso, saupādiseso kālaṁ karoti, sabbo so aparimutto nirayā aparimutto tiracchānayoniyā aparimutto pettivisayā aparimutto apāyaduggativinipātā”ti.“Reverends, no one who dies with residue is exempt from hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. They’re not exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.”

2.3Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ bhāsitaṁ neva abhinandi nappaṭikkosi.Sāriputta neither approved nor rejected that statement of the wanderers of other religions.2.4Anabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi:He rose from his seat, thinking,2.5“bhagavato santike etassa bhāsitassa atthaṁ ājānissāmī”ti.“I will learn the meaning of this statement from the Buddha himself.”

2.6Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then Sāriputta wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on his return from almsround, he went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened.

3.1“Idhāhaṁ, bhante, pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisiṁ.3.2Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, etadahosi:3.3‘atippago kho tāva sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya carituṁ;3.4yannūnāhaṁ yena aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ ārāmo tenupasaṅkameyyan’ti.3.5Atha kho ahaṁ, bhante, yena aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ ārāmo tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā tehi aññatitthiyehi paribbājakehi saddhiṁ sammodiṁ.3.6Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁ.3.7Tena kho pana samayena tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:3.8‘yo hi koci, āvuso, saupādiseso kālaṁ karoti, sabbo so aparimutto nirayā aparimutto tiracchānayoniyā aparimutto pettivisayā aparimutto apāyaduggativinipātā’ti.3.9Atha kho ahaṁ, bhante, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ bhāsitaṁ neva abhinandiṁ nappaṭikkosiṁ.3.10Anabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkamiṁ:3.11‘bhagavato santike etassa bhāsitassa atthaṁ ājānissāmī’”ti.

4.1“Ke ca, sāriputta, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā bālā abyattā, ke ca saupādisesaṁ vā ‘saupādiseso’ti jānissanti, anupādisesaṁ vā ‘anupādiseso’ti jānissanti.“Sāriputta, these foolish, incompetent wanderers following other religions: who are they to know whether someone has residue or not?

5.1PTS 4.380Navayime, sāriputta, puggalā saupādisesā kālaṁ kurumānā parimuttā nirayā parimuttā tiracchānayoniyā parimuttā pettivisayā parimuttā apāyaduggativinipātā.There are these nine individuals who, dying with residue, are exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.5.2Katame nava?What nine?

5.3Idha, sāriputta, ekacco puggalo sīlesu paripūrakārī hoti, samādhismiṁ paripūrakārī, paññāya mattaso kārī.There’s an individual who has fulfilled ethics and immersion, but has limited wisdom.5.4So pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā antarāparinibbāyī hoti.With the ending of the five lower fetters they’re extinguished between one life and the next.5.5Ayaṁ, sāriputta, paṭhamo puggalo saupādiseso kālaṁ kurumāno parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This is the first individual …

6.1Puna caparaṁ, sāriputta, idhekacco puggalo sīlesu paripūrakārī hoti, samādhismiṁ paripūrakārī, paññāya mattaso kārī.Furthermore, there’s an individual who has fulfilled ethics and immersion, but has limited wisdom.6.2So pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā upahaccaparinibbāyī hoti …pe…With the ending of the five lower fetters they’re extinguished upon landing. This is the second individual …

6.3asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti …pe…With the ending of the five lower fetters they’re extinguished without extra effort.6.4This is the third individual …

6.5sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti …pe…With the ending of the five lower fetters they’re extinguished with extra effort.6.6This is the fourth individual …

6.7uddhaṁsoto hoti akaniṭṭhagāmī.With the ending of the five lower fetters they head upstream, going to the Akaniṭṭha realm.6.8Ayaṁ, sāriputta, pañcamo puggalo saupādiseso kālaṁ kurumāno parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This is the fifth individual …

7.1Puna caparaṁ, sāriputta, idhekacco puggalo sīlesu paripūrakārī hoti, samādhismiṁ mattaso kārī, paññāya mattaso kārī.Furthermore, there’s an individual who has fulfilled ethics, but has limited immersion and wisdom.7.2So 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.7.3Ayaṁ, sāriputta, chaṭṭho puggalo saupādiseso kālaṁ kurumāno parimutto nirayā …pe… parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This is the sixth individual …

8.1PTS 4.381Puna caparaṁ, sāriputta, idhekacco puggalo sīlesu paripūrakārī hoti, samādhismiṁ mattaso kārī, paññāya mattaso kārī.Furthermore, there’s an individual who has fulfilled ethics, but has limited immersion and wisdom.8.2So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā ekabījī hoti, ekaṁyeva mānusakaṁ bhavaṁ nibbattetvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.With the ending of three fetters, they’re a one-seeder. They will be reborn just one time in a human existence, then make an end of suffering.8.3Ayaṁ, sāriputta, sattamo puggalo saupādiseso kālaṁ kurumāno parimutto nirayā …pe… parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This is the seventh individual …

9.1Puna caparaṁ, sāriputta, idhekacco puggalo sīlesu paripūrakārī hoti, samādhismiṁ mattaso kārī, paññāya mattaso kārī.Furthermore, there’s an individual who has fulfilled ethics, but has limited immersion and wisdom.9.2So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā kolaṅkolo hoti, dve vā tīṇi vā kulāni sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.With the ending of three fetters, they go from family to family. They will transmigrate between two or three families and then make an end of suffering.9.3Ayaṁ, sāriputta, aṭṭhamo puggalo saupādiseso kālaṁ kurumāno parimutto nirayā …pe… parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This is the eighth individual …

10.1Puna caparaṁ, sāriputta, idhekacco puggalo sīlesu paripūrakārī hoti, samādhismiṁ mattaso kārī, paññāya mattaso kārī.Furthermore, there’s an individual who has fulfilled ethics, but has limited immersion and wisdom.10.2So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sattakkhattuparamo hoti, sattakkhattuparamaṁ deve ca manusse ca sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.With the ending of three fetters, they have at most seven rebirths. They will transmigrate at most seven times among gods and humans and then make an end of suffering.10.3Ayaṁ, sāriputta, navamo puggalo saupādiseso kālaṁ kurumāno parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This is the ninth individual …

11.1PTS 4.382Ke ca, sāriputta, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā bālā abyattā, ke ca saupādisesaṁ vā ‘saupādiseso’ti jānissanti, anupādisesaṁ vā ‘anupādiseso’ti jānissanti.These foolish, incompetent wanderers following other religions: who are they to know whether someone has residue or not?11.2Ime kho, sāriputta, nava puggalā saupādisesā kālaṁ kurumānā parimuttā nirayā parimuttā tiracchānayoniyā parimuttā pettivisayā parimuttā apāyaduggativinipātā.These are the nine individuals who, dying with residue, are exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

11.3Na tāvāyaṁ, sāriputta, dhammapariyāyo paṭibhāsi bhikkhūnaṁ bhikkhunīnaṁ upāsakānaṁ upāsikānaṁ.Up until now, Sāriputta, I have not felt the need to give this exposition of the teaching to the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.11.4Taṁ kissa hetu?Why is that?11.5Māyimaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ sutvā pamādaṁ āhariṁsūti.For I didn’t want those who heard it to introduce negligence.11.6Api ca mayā, sāriputta, dhammapariyāyo pañhādhippāyena bhāsito”ti.However, I have spoken it in order to answer your question.”

11.7Dutiyaṁ.