SN 21.12

Sahāyakasutta

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. Atha kho dve bhikkhū sahāyakā āyasmato mahākappinassa saddhivihārino yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu. Addasā kho bhagavā te bhikkhū dūratova āgacchante. Disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi: “passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, ete bhikkhū sahāyake āgacchante kappinassa saddhivihārino”ti? “Evaṁ, bhante”. “Ete kho te bhikkhū mahiddhikā mahānubhāvā. Na ca sā samāpatti sulabharūpā, yā tehi bhikkhūhi asamāpannapubbā. Yassa catthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti tadanuttaraṁ brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharantī”ti.

Companions

At Sāvatthī. Then two mendicants who were companions, protégés of Venerable Mahākappina, went to the Buddha. The Buddha saw them coming off in the distance, and addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, do you see those monks coming who are companions, protégés of Venerable Mahākappina?” “Yes, sir.” “Those mendicants are very mighty and powerful. It’s not easy to find an attainment that they have not already attained. And they’ve realized the supreme culmination of the spiritual path in this very life. They live having achieved with their own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.”

Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“Sahāyāvatime bhikkhū, cirarattaṁ sametikā; Sameti nesaṁ saddhammo, dhamme buddhappavedite.

“These companion mendicants have been together for a long time. The true teaching has brought them together, the teaching proclaimed by the Buddha.

Suvinītā kappinena, dhamme ariyappavedite; Dhārenti antimaṁ dehaṁ, jetvā māraṁ savāhinin”ti.

They’ve been well trained by Kappina in the teaching proclaimed by the Noble One. They bear their final body, having vanquished Māra with his legions.”