Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
55. Sot'Āpatti Saṃyutta
6. Sappañña Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
55. Kindred Sayings on Streamwinning
6. Discreet
Sutta 53
Dhammadinna Suttaṃ
Dhammadinna
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was staying near Benares,
at Isipatana,
in the Deer Park.
Then Dhammadinna[1] the lay-disciple
came with five hundred [348] lay-disciples
to see the Exalted One,
and on coming to him saluted him
and sat down at one side.
As they thus sat,
Dhammadinna the lay-disciple
said this to the Exalted One:
"Let my lord the Exalted One admonish us!
Let my lord the Exalted One admonish us,
that it may be for our profit and welfare
for many a long day."
"Then, Dhammadinna, thus must ye train yourselves:
'As to those discourses[2] uttered by the Tathāgata,
deep,
deep in meaning,
transcendental[3]
and concerned with the Void,[4]
from time to time
we will spend our days learning them.'
That is how you must train yourselves, Dhammadinna."
"Lord, it is no easy thing for us,
living as we do
in crowded houses,[5]
encumbered with children,
enjoying the use of Benares sandal-wood,
decking ourselves with garlands and unguents,
handling gold and silver, -
it is no easy thing for us
from time to time
to spend our days
learning those discourses uttered by the Tathāgata,
deep,
deep in meaning,
transcendental
and concerned with the Void.
Let my lord the Exalted One
teach us some other teaching,
to us who stand firm in the five precepts."
"Then, Dhammadinna,
ye must train yourselves in this way:
'We shall be blessed
with unwavering loyalty to the Buddha,
thus:
"He it is the Exalted One,
Arahant,
a fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
a Happy One,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer
of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One."
■
We shall be blessed
with unwavering loyalty to the Norm,
thus:
"Well proclaimed by the Exalted One
is the Norm,
seen in this very life,
a thing not involving time,
inviting one to come and see,
leading onward,
to be known for themselves
by the wise."
■
We shall be blessed
with unwavering loyalty to the Order,
thus:
"Walking righteously is the Exalted One's Order,
walking uprightly,
walking in the right way,
walking dutifully
is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples:
namely,
the four pairs of men,
the eight sorts of men.
That is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples.
Worthy of honour are they,
worthy of reverence,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of salutations with clasped hands, -
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world."
■
We shall be blessed
with the virtues dear to the Ariyans,
virtues unbroken,
whole,
unspotted,
untarnished,
giving freedom,
praised by the wise:
virtues untainted (by craving or delusion),
which lead to concentration of the mind.'
That is how you must train yourselves, Dhammadinna."
§
"Lord, as to these four limbs of stream-winning taught by the Exalted One,
those conditions are seen to exist in us already.
We do live according to them.
Lord, we do possess
with unwavering loyalty to the Buddha,
thus:
'He it is the Exalted One,
Arahant,
a fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
a Happy One,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer
of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.'
Lord, we do possess
with unwavering loyalty to the Norm,
thus:
■
'Well proclaimed by the Exalted One
is the Norm,
seen in this very life,
a thing not involving time,
inviting one to come and see,
leading onward,
to be known for themselves
by the wise.'
■
Lord, we do possess
with unwavering loyalty to the Order,
thus:
'Walking righteously is the Exalted One's Order,
walking uprightly,
walking in the right way,
walking dutifully
is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples:
namely,
the four pairs of men,
the eight sorts of men.
That is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples.
Worthy of honour are they,
worthy of reverence,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of salutations with clasped hands, -
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.'
■
Lord, we do possess
the virtues dear to the Ariyans,
virtues unbroken,
whole,
unspotted,
untarnished,
giving freedom,
praised by the wise:
virtues untainted (by craving or delusion),
which lead to concentration of the mind."[6]
[349] "Well for you, Dhammadinna!
Well gotten by you, Dhammadinna!
You liave declared the fruits of stream-winning, Dhannnadinna!"
[1] Comy. He was one of the seven laymen who had followings of 500. The others were Visākhā the woman lay-disciple, Ugga the housefather, Citta the housefather, Haṭṭhaka Ālavaka, and Cūḷa-Anāthapiṇḍika and Anāthapiṇḍika the housefathers.
[2] Suttantā. Cf. S. ii, 267; K.S. ii, 179.
[3] Comy. 'Such as the Asankhata-saṇyutta,' etc. (S. iv, 360 ff.).
[4] Suñña-Nibbāna. Cf. VM. 513. Comy. refers to Khajjamta sutta, etc. (S. iii 81).
[5] Text, 353.
[6] Text, 343.
