1So 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,

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

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

4Then Sāriputta said to Mahākoṭṭhita: “Reverend Koṭṭhika, these three people are found in the world. What three? The personal witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three people found in the world. Of these three people, who do you believe to be the finest?”

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

6Then Mahākoṭṭhita said to Sāriputta: “Reverend Sāriputta, these three people are found in the world. What three? The personal witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three people found in the world. Of these three people, who do you believe to be the finest?”

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7“Reverend Koṭṭhika, these three people are found in the world. What three? The personal witness, the one attained to view, and the one freed by faith. These are the three people found in the world.

Of these three people, I believe the person attained to view to be finest. Why is that? Because this person’s faculty of wisdom is outstanding.”

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8Then 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.

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9“In this matter, Sāriputta, it’s not easy to definitively declare that one of these three people is finest.

In some cases, a person who is freed by faith is practicing for perfection, while the personal witness and the one attained to view are once-returners or non-returners.

10In this matter, it’s not easy to definitively declare that one of these three people is finest.

In some cases, a personal witness is practicing for perfection, while the one freed by faith and the one attained to view are once-returners or non-returners.

11In this matter, it’s not easy to definitively declare that one of these three people is finest.

In some cases, one attained to view is practicing for perfection, while the one freed by faith and the personal witness are once-returners or non-returners.

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12In this matter, it’s not easy to definitively declare that one of these three people is finest.”

1Evaṁ 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: 

2"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?

3"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.

4Atha 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?

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5"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.

6Atha 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?

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7"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.

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8Atha 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.

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9"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.

10Na 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.

11Na 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.

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12Na khvettha, sāriputta, sukaraṁ ekaṁsena byākātuṁ:  ‘Ayaṁ imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro cā’"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.