TheravādaAN 4.90HOLYMAP · SACRED TEXTS
Sutta PiṭakaAN 4.90

Sutta Piṭaka

AN 4.90

Khandhasutta

1
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

Aggregates

“Mendicants, these four individuals are found in the world. What four? The confirmed ascetic, the white lotus ascetic, the pink lotus ascetic, and the delicate ascetic of ascetics.

2
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And how is an individual a confirmed ascetic? It’s when a mendicant is a trainee who hasn’t achieved their heart’s desire, but lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary from the yoke. That’s how an individual is a confirmed ascetic.

3
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And how is an individual a white lotus ascetic? It’s when a mendicant meditates observing rise and fall in the five grasping aggregates. ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the disappearance of form. Such is feeling … Such is perception … Such are choices … Such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the disappearance of consciousness.’ But they don’t have direct meditative experience of the eight liberations. That’s how an individual is a white lotus ascetic.

4
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And how is an individual a pink lotus ascetic? It’s when a mendicant meditates observing rise and fall in the five grasping aggregates. ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the disappearance of form. Such is feeling … Such is perception … Such are choices … Such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the disappearance of consciousness.’ And they have direct meditative experience of the eight liberations. That’s how an individual is a pink lotus ascetic.

5
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And how is an individual a delicate ascetic of ascetics? It’s when a mendicant usually uses only what they’ve been invited to accept … And if anyone should be rightly called a delicate ascetic of ascetics, it’s me. These are the four individuals found in the world.”

1
AN 4.90English
2
AN 4.900%

Sutta Piṭaka

Find your chapter.

4801 chapters

Make yourself comfortable.

PAGE COLOUR

TEXT SIZE

100%

Your preferences stay with you on this device.

ORIGINALS & TRANSLATIONS

Choose your edition.

Select one edition for quiet reading, or several to compare the words.

Pāli text: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka Buddhavasse 2500 (M.L. Maniratana Bunnag Dhamma Society Fund), as published by SuttaCentral. Public domain. · Source ↗

Pāli text: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka, via SuttaCentral. Public domain.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. SuttaCentral, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). · Source ↗

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato (SuttaCentral), dedicated to the public domain via CC0. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

↑
Explore the atlas
↑ ↓ to explore   ·   Enter to open   ·   Esc to close