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SN 55.24PTS SN 5.3753 min read

About Sarakāni (1st)

Paṭhamasaraṇānisakkasutta

When Sarakāni the Sakyan died the Buddha declared him a stream-enterer. But others complained, since he was known as a drinker. However, the Buddha confirmed to Mahānāma that Sarakāni had undertaken the precepts on his deathbed.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 55.24Linked Discourses 55.24
  • 0.23. Saraṇānivagga3. About Sarakāni

0.3PaṭhamasaraṇānisakkasuttaAbout Sarakāni (1st)

1.1PTS 5.375Kapilavatthunidānaṁ.At Kapilavatthu.

1.2Tena kho pana samayena saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato hoti.Now at that time Sarakāni the Sakyan had passed away.11.3So bhagavatā byākato:The Buddha declared that he was1.4“sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo”ti.a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening.

1.5Tatra sudaṁ sambahulā sakkā saṅgamma samāgamma ujjhāyanti khīyanti vipācenti:At that, several Sakyans came together complaining, grumbling, and objecting,1.6“acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho.“Oh lord, how incredible, how amazing!1.7Ettha dāni ko na sotāpanno bhavissati.Who can’t become a stream-enterer these days?1.8Yatra hi nāma saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato;For the Buddha even declared Sarakāni to be a stream-enterer after he passed away.1.9so bhagavatā byākato:1.10‘sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’ti.1.11Saraṇāni sakko sikkhādubbalyamāpādi, majjapānaṁ apāyī”ti.Sarakāni was too weak for the training; he used to drink liquor.”2

2.1Atha 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:2.2“idha, bhante, saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato.2.3So bhagavatā byākato:2.4‘sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’ti.2.5Tatra sudaṁ, bhante, sambahulā sakkā saṅgamma samāgamma ujjhāyanti khīyanti vipācenti—2.6acchariyaṁ vata, bho, abbhutaṁ vata, bho.2.7Ettha dāni ko na sotāpanno bhavissati.2.8Yatra hi nāma saraṇāni sakko kālaṅkato;2.9so bhagavatā byākato:2.10‘sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’ti.2.11Saraṇāni sakko sikkhādubbalyamāpādi, majjapānaṁ apāyī”ti.

3.1PTS 5.376“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?3.2Yañhi taṁ, mahānāma, sammā vadamāno vadeyya:And if anyone should rightly be said to3.3‘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.3.4Saraṇāni, 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.3.5So kathaṁ vinipātaṁ gaccheyya.How could he go to the underworld?

4.1Idha, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—Take a certain individual who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …4.2itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti.4.3Dhamme …pe…the teaching …4.4saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …4.5hāsapañño javanapañño vimuttiyā ca samannāgato.They have laughing wisdom and swift wisdom, and are endowed with freedom.4.6So āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.They’ve realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.4.7Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This individual is exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

5.1Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—Take another individual who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …5.2itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti.5.3Dhamme …pe…the teaching …5.4saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …5.5hāsapañño javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.They have laughing wisdom and swift wisdom, but are not endowed with freedom.5.6So 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.5.7Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This individual, too, is exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

6.1PTS 5.377Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—Take another individual who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …6.2itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti.6.3Dhamme …pe…the teaching …6.4saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …6.5na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.But they don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.6.6So 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.6.7Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This individual, too, is exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

7.1Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—Take another individual who has experiential confidence in the Buddha …7.2itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti;7.3dhamme …pe…the teaching …7.4saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …7.5na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.But they don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.7.6So 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, assured, destined for awakening.7.7Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.This individual, too, is exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

8.1Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo na heva kho buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti …Take another individual who doesn’t have experiential confidence in the Buddha …8.2na dhamme …pe…the teaching …8.3na saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …8.4na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato.They don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.8.5Api cassa ime dhammā honti—Still, they have these qualities:8.6saddhindriyaṁ, vīriyindriyaṁ, satindriyaṁ, samādhindriyaṁ, paññindriyaṁ.the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.8.7Tathāgatappaveditā cassa dhammā paññāya mattaso nijjhānaṁ khamanti.And they accept the teachings proclaimed by the Realized One after deliberating them with a degree of wisdom.8.8Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo agantā nirayaṁ agantā tiracchānayoniṁ agantā pettivisayaṁ agantā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ.This individual, 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.

9.1Idha pana, mahānāma, ekacco puggalo na heva kho buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti …Take another individual who doesn’t have experiential confidence in the Buddha …9.2na dhamme …pe…the teaching …9.3na saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …9.4na hāsapañño na javanapañño na ca vimuttiyā samannāgato,They don’t have laughing wisdom or swift wisdom, nor are they endowed with freedom.9.5api cassa ime dhammā hontiStill, they have these qualities:9.6saddhindriyaṁ …pe… paññindriyaṁ.the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.9.7Tathāgate cassa saddhāmattaṁ hoti pemamattaṁ.And they have a degree of faith and fondness for the Buddha.39.8Ayampi kho, mahānāma, puggalo agantā nirayaṁ agantā tiracchānayoniṁ agantā pettivisayaṁ agantā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ.This individual, 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.

9.9Ime 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.9.10kimaṅgaṁ pana saraṇāniṁ sakkaṁ.Why can’t this apply to Sarakāni?9.11Saraṇāni, mahānāma, sakko maraṇakāle sikkhaṁ samādiyī”ti.Mahānāma, Sarakāni the Sakyan undertook the training at the time of his death.”4

9.12Catutthaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. He appears only in this Sutta and the next. MS spells his name saraṇāni. Pali names often have different spellings. Unless there is a reason otherwise, I adopt the choices by Bodhi, who, following the most common international practice, usually follows the Sinhalese manuscripts.

    ↩ sn55.24:1.2

  2. Drinking alcohol violates the fifth precept, meaning that he could not be a stream-enterer. It is noteworthy that this Sutta follows immediately after one where the key question is whether keeping precepts is essential for a stream-enterer.

    ↩ sn55.24:1.11

  3. Saddhāmatta (“a degree of faith”) is sufficient for one to progress in the path (MN 22:47.2, MN 70:21.2). Compare saddhāmattaka, which is used in a diminutive sense, “mere faith” (MN 65:28.5, AN 6.55:11.2).

    ↩ sn55.24:9.7

  4. Sarakāni was not a “drunk stream-enterer”, as slandered by the Sakyans. Here he is said to have completed the factors of stream-entry by undertaking the training (in the five precepts) on his deathbed (see SN 55.28:2.7), while SN 55.21:1.13 confirms that he “fulfilled” said training.

    ↩ sn55.24:9.11