Light/Dark

Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

I. At Bhaṇḍa Village — AN 4.6: A Little Learning

1“Mendicants, these four people are found in the world. What four?

A person may have:

  1. Little learning and not get the point of learning.
  2. Little learning but get the point of learning.
  3. Much learning but not get the point of learning.
  4. Much learning and get the point of learning.

And how has a person learned little and not got the point of learning? It’s when a person has learned little of the statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and classifications. And with the little they’ve learned, they understand neither the meaning nor the text, nor do they practice in line with the teaching. That’s how a person has learned little and not got the point of learning.

2And how has a person learned little but has got the point of learning? It’s when a person has learned little of the statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and classifications. But with the little they’ve learned, they understand the meaning and the text, and they practice in line with the teaching. That’s how a person has learned little but has got the point of learning.

3And how has a person learned much but hasn't got the point of learning? It’s when a person has learned much of the statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and classifications. But even though they’ve learned much, they understand neither the meaning nor the text, nor do they practice in line with the teaching. That’s how a person has learned much but hasn't got the point of learning.

4And how has a person learned much and has got the point of learning? It’s when a person has learned much of the statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and classifications. And with the large amount they’ve learned, they understand the meaning and the text, and they practice in line with the teaching. That’s how a person has learned much and has got the point of learning.


These are the four people found in the world.

5If you don’t learn much,
and aren’t steady in ethics,
they’ll criticize you on both counts,
for your ethics and your learning.

6If you don’t learn much,
and you are steady in ethics,
they’ll praise your ethical conduct,
since your learning has succeeded.

7If you learn much,
but aren’t steady in ethics,
they’ll criticize your ethical conduct,
for your learning hasn’t succeeded.

8If you learn much,
and you are steady in ethics,
they’ll praise you on both counts,
for your ethics and your learning.

9A wise disciple of the Buddha
who has much learning, and has memorized the teachings,
is like a coin of mountain gold.
Who is worthy of criticizing them?
Even the gods praise them,
and by Brahmā, too, they’re praised.”

1"Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro?

Appassuto sutena anupapanno,

appassuto sutena upapanno,

bahussuto sutena anupapanno,

bahussuto sutena upapanno.


Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo appassuto hoti sutena anupapanno? Idha, bhikkhave, ekaccassa puggalassa appakaṁ sutaṁ hoti – suttaṁ geyyaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ gāthā udānaṁ itivuttakaṁ jātakaṁ abbhutadhammaṁ vedallaṁ. So tassa appakassa sutassa na atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo appassuto hoti sutena anupapanno.

2Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo appassuto hoti sutena upapanno? Idha, bhikkhave, ekaccassa puggalassa appakaṁ sutaṁ hoti – suttaṁ geyyaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ gāthā udānaṁ itivuttakaṁ jātakaṁ abbhutadhammaṁ vedallaṁ. So tassa appakassa sutassa atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo appassuto hoti sutena upapanno.

3Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo bahussuto hoti sutena anupapanno? Idha, bhikkhave, ekaccassa puggalassa bahukaṁ sutaṁ hoti – suttaṁ geyyaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ gāthā udānaṁ itivuttakaṁ jātakaṁ abbhutadhammaṁ vedallaṁ. So tassa bahukassa sutassa na atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo bahussuto hoti sutena anupapanno.

4Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo bahussuto hoti sutena upapanno? Idha, bhikkhave, ekaccassa puggalassa bahukaṁ sutaṁ hoti – suttaṁ geyyaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ gāthā udānaṁ itivuttakaṁ jātakaṁ abbhutadhammaṁ vedallaṁ. So tassa bahukassa sutassa atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo bahussuto hoti sutena upapanno.


Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasminti.

5Appassutopi ce hoti,
sīlesu asamāhito;
Ubhayena naṁ garahanti,
sīlato ca sutena ca.

6Appassutopi ce hoti,
sīlesu susamāhito;
Sīlato naṁ pasaṁsanti,
tassa sampajjate sutaṁ.

7Bahussutopi ce hoti,
sīlesu asamāhito;
Sīlato naṁ garahanti,
nāssa sampajjate sutaṁ.

8Bahussutopi ce hoti,
sīlesu susamāhito;
Ubhayena naṁ pasaṁsanti,
sīlato ca sutena ca.

9Bahussutaṁ dhammadharaṁ,
sappaññaṁ buddhasāvakaṁ;
Nekkhaṁ jambonadasseva,
ko taṁ ninditumarahati;
Devāpi naṁ pasaṁsanti,
brahmunāpi pasaṁsito"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.