AN 3.21

Samiddhasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho āyasmā ca samiddho āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ samiddhaṁ āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

With Saviṭṭha

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then Venerable Saviṭṭha and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side and Venerable Sāriputta said to Venerable Saviṭṭha,

“Tayome, āvuso samiddha, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Kāyasakkhī, diṭṭhippatto, saddhāvimutto. Ime kho, āvuso, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Imesaṁ, āvuso, tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ katamo te puggalo khamati abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā”ti?

“Reverend Saviṭṭha, these three individuals are found in the world. What three? The direct witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three individuals found in the world. Of these three individuals, who do you believe to be the finest?”

“Tayome, āvuso sāriputta, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Kāyasakkhī, diṭṭhippatto, saddhāvimutto. Ime kho, āvuso, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Imesaṁ, āvuso, tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ yvāyaṁ puggalo saddhāvimutto, ayaṁ me puggalo khamati imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. Taṁ kissa hetu? Imassa, āvuso, puggalassa saddhindriyaṁ adhimattan”ti.

“Reverend Sāriputta, these three individuals are found in the world. What three? The direct witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three individuals found in the world. Of these three individuals, I believe the individual freed by faith to be finest. Why is that? Because this individual’s faculty of faith is extraordinary.”

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahākoṭṭhikaṁ etadavoca: “tayome, āvuso koṭṭhika, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Kāyasakkhī, diṭṭhippatto, saddhāvimutto. Ime kho, āvuso, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Imesaṁ, āvuso, tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ katamo te puggalo khamati abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā”ti?

Then Sāriputta said to Mahākoṭṭhita, “Reverend Koṭṭhita, these three people are found in the world. What three? The direct witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three individuals found in the world. Of these three individuals, who do you believe to be the finest?”

“Tayome, āvuso sāriputta, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Kāyasakkhī, diṭṭhippatto, saddhāvimutto. Ime kho, āvuso, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Imesaṁ, āvuso, tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ yvāyaṁ puggalo kāyasakkhī, ayaṁ me puggalo khamati imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. Taṁ kissa hetu? Imassa, āvuso, puggalassa samādhindriyaṁ adhimattan”ti.

“Reverend Sāriputta, these three individuals are found in the world. What three? The direct witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three individuals found in the world. Of these three individuals, I believe the direct witness to be finest. Why is that? Because this individual’s faculty of immersion is extraordinary.”

Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: “tayome, āvuso sāriputta, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Kāyasakkhī, diṭṭhippatto, saddhāvimutto. Ime kho, āvuso, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Imesaṁ, āvuso, tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ katamo te puggalo khamati abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā”ti?

Then Mahākoṭṭhita said to Sāriputta, “Reverend Sāriputta, these three individuals are found in the world. What three? The direct witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three individuals found in the world. Of these three individuals, who do you believe to be the finest?”

“Tayome, āvuso koṭṭhika, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Kāyasakkhī, diṭṭhippatto, saddhāvimutto. Ime kho, āvuso, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Imesaṁ, āvuso, tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ yvāyaṁ puggalo diṭṭhippatto, ayaṁ me puggalo khamati imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. Taṁ kissa hetu? Imassa, āvuso, puggalassa paññindriyaṁ adhimattan”ti.

“Reverend Koṭṭhita, these three people are found in the world. What three? The direct witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three individuals found in the world. Of these three individuals, I believe the individual attained to view to be finest. Why is that? Because this individual’s faculty of wisdom is extraordinary.”

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantañca samiddhaṁ āyasmantañca mahākoṭṭhikaṁ etadavoca: “byākataṁ kho, āvuso, amhehi sabbeheva yathāsakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ. Āyāmāvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocessāma. Yathā no bhagavā byākarissati tathā naṁ dhāressāmā”ti. “Evamāvuso”ti kho āyasmā ca samiddho āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Atha kho āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca samiddho āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto yāvatako ahosi āyasmatā ca samiddhena āyasmatā ca mahākoṭṭhikena saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo taṁ sabbaṁ bhagavato ārocesi.

Then Sāriputta said to Saviṭṭha and Mahākoṭṭhita, “Each of us has spoken from the heart. Come, reverends, let’s go to the Buddha, and tell him about this. As he answers, so we’ll remember it.” “Yes, reverend,” they replied. Then Sāriputta, Saviṭṭha, and Mahākoṭṭhita went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. Then Sāriputta told the Buddha of all they had discussed.

“Na khvettha, sāriputta, sukaraṁ ekaṁsena byākātuṁ: ‘ayaṁ imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā’ti. Ṭhānañhetaṁ, sāriputta, vijjati yvāyaṁ puggalo saddhāvimutto svāssa arahattāya paṭipanno, yvāyaṁ puggalo kāyasakkhī svāssa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā, yo cāyaṁ puggalo diṭṭhippatto sopassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā.

“In this matter, Sāriputta, it’s not easy to categorically declare that one of these three individuals is finest. In some cases, an individual freed by faith is practicing for perfection, while the direct witness and the one attained to view are once-returners or non-returners.

Na khvettha, sāriputta, sukaraṁ ekaṁsena byākātuṁ: ‘ayaṁ imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā’ti. Ṭhānañhetaṁ, sāriputta, vijjati yvāyaṁ puggalo kāyasakkhī svāssa arahattāya paṭipanno, yvāyaṁ puggalo saddhāvimutto svāssa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā, yo cāyaṁ puggalo diṭṭhippatto sopassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā.

In this matter, it’s not easy to categorically declare that one of these three individuals is finest. In some cases, a direct witness is practicing for perfection, while the one freed by faith and the one attained to view are once-returners or non-returners.

Na khvettha, sāriputta, sukaraṁ ekaṁsena byākātuṁ: ‘ayaṁ imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā’ti. Ṭhānañhetaṁ, sāriputta, vijjati yvāyaṁ puggalo diṭṭhippatto svāssa arahattāya paṭipanno, yvāyaṁ puggalo saddhāvimutto svāssa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā, yo cāyaṁ puggalo kāyasakkhī sopassa sakadāgāmī vā anāgāmī vā.

In this matter, it’s not easy to categorically declare that one of these three individuals is finest. In some cases, one attained to view is practicing for perfection, while the one freed by faith and the direct witness are once-returners or non-returners.

Na khvettha, sāriputta, sukaraṁ ekaṁsena byākātuṁ: ‘ayaṁ imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā’”ti.

In this matter, it’s not easy to categorically declare that one of these three individuals is finest.”