Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XIII: Bhaya Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
XIII: Fears
Sutta 123
Puggala Sutta
Different Persons (a)
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, these four persons are found existing in the world.
What four?
[130] Now, monks, a certain person here,
aloof from sense-desires,
aloof from evil conditions,
enters upon the first musing,
which is accompanied by thought directed and sustained,
born of seclusion,
zestful and easeful,
and abides therein.
He enjoys[1] its sweetness,
longs for it
and finds happiness therein.
Established therein,
given thereto,
generally spending his time therein
and not falling away therefrom,
when he makes an end
he is reborn in the company of devas of the Brahmā-group.
A kalpa, monks, is the life-span
of the devas of the Brahmā-group.
Therein the ordinary man stays
and spends his time
according to the life-span of those devas;
then he goes to purgatory
or the womb of an animal,
he goes to the peta-realm.
But a disciple of the Exalted One,
after staying there
and spending his time
according to the life-span of those devas,
finally passes away in that same state.
Such, monks, is the distinction,
such the specific feature,
the difference between the learned Ariyan disciple
and the unlearned ordinary man
in the matter of bourn and rebirth.
■
Again, monks, a certain person here,
by the calming down of thought directed and sustained,
enters upon the second musing,
that calming of the inner self,
that one-pointedness of mind
apart from thought directed and sustained,
that is born of mental balance,
zestful and easeful,
and having attained it
abides therein.
He enjoys its sweetness,
longs for it
and finds happiness therein.
Established therein,
given thereto,
generally spending his time therein
and not falling away therefrom,
when he makes an end
he is reborn in the company of the Radiant devas.
Now, monks, the life-span of those devas is two kalpas.
Therein the ordinary man stays
and spends his time
according to the life-span of those devas;
then he goes to purgatory
or the womb of an animal,
he goes to the peta-realm.
But a disciple of the Exalted One,
after staying there
and spending his time
according to the life-span of those devas,
finally passes away in that same state.
Such, monks, is the distinction,
such the specific feature,
the difference between the learned Ariyan disciple
and the unlearned ordinary man
in the matter of bourn and rebirth.
■
Again, monks, a certain person here,
by the fading out of zest,
disinterested,
mindful and composed,
experiences in his [131] own person[2]
that ease of which the Ariyans declare:
"He who is disinterested and alert
dwells at ease,"
— thus he attains and abides in the third musing.
He enjoys its sweetness,
longs for it
and finds happiness therein.
Established therein,
given thereto,
generally spending his time therein
and not falling away therefrom,
when he makes an end
he is reborn in the company of the Ever-radiant[3] devas.
Now, monks, the life-span of those devas is four kalpas.
Therein the ordinary man stays
and spends his time
according to the life-span of those devas;
then he goes to purgatory
or the womb of an animal,
he goes to the peta-realm.
But a disciple of the Exalted One,
after staying there
and spending his time
according to the life-span of those devas,
finally passes away in that same state.
Such, monks, is the distinction,
such the specific feature,
the difference between the learned Ariyan disciple
and the unlearned ordinary man
in the matter of bourn and rebirth.
■
Once more, monks, a certain person here,
by abandoning both ease and discomfort,
by the ending of both happiness and unhappiness felt before,
attains the fourth musing,
a state of neither ease nor discomfort,
an equanimity of utter purity,
and having attained it abides therein.
He enjoys its sweetness,
longs for it and finds happiness therein.[4]
Established therein,
given thereto,
generally spending his time therein
and not falling away therefrom,
when he makes an end
he is reborn in the company of the Vehapphala devas.[5]
Now, monks, the life-span of the Vehapphala devas is five hundred kalpas.
Therein the ordinary man stays
and spends his time
according to the life-span of those devas;
then he goes to purgatory
or the womb of an animal,
he goes to the peta-realm.
But a disciple of the Exalted One,
after staying there
and spending his time
according to the life-span of those devas,
finally passes away in that same state.
Such, monks, is the distinction,
such the specific feature,
the difference between the learned Ariyan disciple
and the unlearned ordinary man
in the matter of bourn and rebirth.
These, then, monks, are the four persons found existing in the world.'
[1] Assādeti. Comy. der. from sādu (sweet); sukha-sādena assādeti, Cf. Pts. of Contr. 258 (for the kappa), 278 (for the objection that such pleasure is disputable). At G.S. i, 245 in three instances he is reborn with devas having other qualities than these.
[2] Kāyena, as at § 87, 113; Cf. K.S. v, 190
[3] Subhakiṇṇa or -kiṇha. Expl. as different in this respect from the Radiant (Ābhassara) above; cf. § 232.
[4] The question arises, as in note above, 'How can he enjoy or desire it, if he has become disinterested?'
[5] Cf. M. i, 329, iii, 103; JA. iii, 358. Commentaries do not explain the name (? air-fruit), which possibly means a refined form of ether or the 10th Brahmaloka.
