SN 55.1PTS SN 5.3422 min read

A Wheel-Turning Monarch

Cakkavattirājasutta

Even a universal monarch may have a bad rebirth, but someone who has the four factors of stream-entry—experiential faith in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and ethical conduct—is freed from such destinies.

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

0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 55.1Linked Discourses 55.1
0.21. Veḷudvāravagga1. At Bamboo Gate

0.3CakkavattirājasuttaA Wheel-Turning Monarch

1.1PTS 5.342Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.

1.2Tatra kho bhagavā …pe… etadavoca:There the Buddha … said:

1.3“kiñcāpi, bhikkhave, rājā cakkavattī catunnaṁ dīpānaṁ issariyādhipaccaṁ rajjaṁ kāretvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ sahabyataṁ, so tattha nandane vane accharāsaṅghaparivuto dibbehi ca pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāreti, so catūhi dhammehi asamannāgato, atha kho so aparimuttova nirayā aparimutto tiracchānayoniyā aparimutto pettivisayā aparimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.“Mendicants, suppose a wheel-turning monarch were to rule as sovereign lord over these four continents. And when his body breaks up, after death, he’s reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm, in the company of the gods of the thirty-three. There he amuses himself in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, and supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. Still, as he’s lacking four things, he’s not exempt from hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. He’s not exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.¹

1.4Kiñcāpi, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako piṇḍiyālopena yāpeti, nantakāni ca dhāreti, so catūhi dhammehi samannāgato, atha kho so parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.Now suppose a noble disciple wears rags and feeds on scraps of almsfood. Still, as they have four things, they’re exempt from hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

2.1PTS 5.343Katamehi catūhi?What four?²2.2Idha, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti:It’s when a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha:³2.3‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti.‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’⁴

2.4Dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti:They have experiential confidence in the teaching:2.5‘svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī’ti.‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha—apparent in the present life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’⁵

2.6Saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti:They have experiential confidence in the Saṅgha:2.7‘suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ujuppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ñāyappaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, sāmīcippaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, yadidaṁ—cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā, esa bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā’ti.‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, direct, systematic, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individual persons. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’⁶

2.8Ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato hoti akhaṇḍehi acchiddehi asabalehi akammāsehi bhujissehi viññuppasatthehi aparāmaṭṭhehi samādhisaṁvattanikehi.Furthermore, a noble disciple’s ethical conduct is loved by the noble ones, unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion.⁷

2.9Imehi catūhi dhammehi samannāgato hoti.These are the four qualities that they possess.

2.10Yo ca, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ dīpānaṁ paṭilābho, yo catunnaṁ dhammānaṁ paṭilābho catunnaṁ dīpānaṁ paṭilābho catunnaṁ dhammānaṁ paṭilābhassa kalaṁ nāgghati soḷasin”ti.And, mendicants, gaining these four continents is not worth a sixteenth part of gaining these four things.”⁸

2.11Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

The legendary wheel-turning monarch, who ruled without violence from sea to sea, is depicted in detail in DN 17 and DN 26.
The four continents (dīpa) are largely mythical, but attempting real world correlations: the Black Plum Tree Land (jambudīpa, India), West of Godāvarī (aparagoyāna, western Asia and Africa; see AN 3.80:4.2 and note), North of Kuru (uttarakuru, central and northern Asia), and East of Videha (pubbavidehāna, eastern Asia). Notably there is no continent to the south of India, suggesting there is at least some geographical reality underlying these places.
↩ sn55.1:1.3
These are the four factors of stream-entry. The devotional passages that follow are regularly recited throughout Theravadin communities, and also form the basis of meditation on the triple gem.
↩ sn55.1:2.1
“Experiential” is avecca, literally “having undergone”. “Experiential confidence” is the faith of a stream-enterer, who has seen for themselves.
↩ sn55.1:2.2
Bhagavā (“blessed one”, “lord”) is the standard honorific for the Buddha in Pali; normally I translate it as “the Buddha”. The literal meaning is “one who has good fortune”, in which sense it stems from Vedic times (Rig Veda 7.41.5). In Pali it is used only for the Buddha, but elsewhere was a general honorific used, for example, by King Janaka to address Yajñavalkya (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.14), among respected peers (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 1.8.7), to a teacher (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.4.3), or by Manu to his daughter (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 1.8.1.9).
Buddha (“awakened one”) is used in Pali especially of Siddhattha Gotama himself, but occasionally as a general term for those who are enlightened. The idea of “awakening” is found throughout the Vedic texts, often associated with the Dawn (RV 1.113.4).
Arahant (“perfected one”, literally “worthy”) is used for the Buddha and others who have realized full awakening. Originally an epithet of the “worthy gods” deserving of praise and sacrifice (eg. RV 1.94.1, 1.127.06, 1.134.6, 5.7.2, 5.52.5, 5.86.5; ŚB 3.4.1.3).
Vijjācaraṇasampanna (“accomplished in knowledge and conduct”) is explained in detail at DN 3.
For sugata (“holy”) see note on SN 38.3:1.4.
Lokavidū may be explained as singular—knowing the cosmos inside a person (SN 2.26)—or plural—knowing the worlds, sometimes numbered three (Tha Ap 535:26.2; cf. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.5.16).
The Buddha’s training is often compared to taming a fine horse or elephant (eg. MN 65:33.1, MN 107:3.2).
The Buddha’s role as teacher of gods is emphasized in SN 1, SN 2, SN 6, and many places throughout the canon.
↩ sn55.1:2.3
Sandiṭṭhika and akālika (“apparent in the present life, immediately effective”) are synonyms, as are anantara and diṭṭheva dhamme, all of which mean “in the present life, without delay or interim”, in contrast with samparāyika (“pertaining to lives to come”; see eg. MN 13:8.5).
Ehipassika (“inviting inspection”) is literally “come-and-see-ish”.
For “relevant”, see note on SN 55.7:3.1.
“Sensible people” is viññū, “knowing ones”.
All these epithets seem primarily Buddhist.
↩ sn55.1:2.5
The suttas distinguish between two senses of Saṅgha. The “mendicant Saṅgha” (bhikkhusaṅgha) is the conventional community of monks and nuns. The “Saṅgha of disciples” (sāvakasaṅgha) is classified as fourfold according to the stages of awakening: stream-entry, once-return, non-return, and perfection. Each of these stages is further subdivided into those of the path who are practicing for realization and those of the fruit who have realized. These are referred to as “noble disciples”, four of the path and four of the fruit, making eight individuals in total. Saṅgha is not used in the sense of “spiritual community”.
“Worthy of hospitality” is literally “to be treated as a guest” (pāhuṇa, see SN 4.18:1.2).
“Religious donation” is dakkhiṇa, the fee paid to Vedic priests for their services; for details see MN 142:5.1.
Añjali is the gesture of raising one’s cupped palms, originally for receiving water or ghee as a ritual gesture (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 1.4.5.1, 1.9.3.6, 5.3.4.21, 9.4.2.4, 13.8.4.5).
The idea of the “field of merit” is that donations to the Saṅgha yield abundant fruit (see SN 1.33, MN 56, AN 8.59, AN 3.57, AN 8.12, MN 142, etc.). In Sanskrit, puṇyakṣetra is used for a holy place, especially a ford (tīrtha) such as Gayā (Garuḍa Purāṇa 1.82.7) or the Ganges (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa 3.40.58).
↩ sn55.1:2.7
This entails keeping the five precepts at a minimum.
↩ sn55.1:2.8
Compare Dhp 178.
↩ sn55.1:2.10