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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

IX. Confirmed — AN 4.87: The Son

1“Mendicants, these four people are found in the world. What four? The confirmed ascetic, the white lotus ascetic, the pink lotus ascetic, and the exquisite ascetic of ascetics.

2And how is a person a confirmed ascetic? It’s when a mendicant is a practicing trainee, who lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary. It’s like the eldest son of an anointed king. He has not yet been anointed, but is eligible, and has been confirmed in the succession. In the same way, a mendicant is a practicing trainee, who lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary. That’s how a person is a confirmed ascetic.

3And how is a person a white lotus ascetic? It’s when a mendicant realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. But they don’t have direct meditative experience of the eight liberations. That’s how a person is a white lotus ascetic.

4And how is a person a pink lotus ascetic? It’s when a mendicant realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. … And they have direct meditative experience of the eight liberations. That’s how a person is a pink lotus ascetic.


5And how is a person an exquisite ascetic of ascetics? It’s when a mendicant usually uses only what they’ve been invited to accept — robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick — rarely using them without invitation. When living with other spiritual practitioners, they usually treat them agreeably by way of body, speech, and mind, and rarely disagreeably. And they usually present them with agreeable things, rarely with disagreeable ones. They’re healthy, so the various unpleasant feelings — stemming from disorders of bile, phlegm, wind, or their conjunction; or caused by change in weather, by not taking care of yourself, by overexertion, or as the result of past deeds — usually don’t come up. They get the four absorptions — blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind — when they want, without trouble or difficulty. And they realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. … That’s how a person is an exquisite ascetic of ascetics.


6And if anyone should be rightly called an exquisite ascetic of ascetics, it’s me. For I usually use only what I’ve been invited to accept … When living with other spiritual practitioners, I usually treat them agreeably … I’m healthy … I get the four absorptions when I want, without trouble or difficulty. And I’ve realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. …


7So if anyone should be rightly called an exquisite ascetic of ascetics, it’s me.

These are the four people found in the world.”

1"Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro? Samaṇamacalo, samaṇapuṇḍarīko, samaṇapadumo, samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo.

2Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇamacalo hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sekho hoti pāṭipado; anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamāno viharati. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa jeṭṭho putto ābhiseko anabhisitto macalappatto; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sekho hoti pāṭipado, anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamāno viharati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇamacalo hoti.

3Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapuṇḍarīko hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati, no ca kho aṭṭha vimokkhe kāyena phusitvā viharati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapuṇḍarīko hoti.

4Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapadumo hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati, aṭṭha ca vimokkhe kāyena phusitvā viharati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇapadumo hoti.


5Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu yācitova bahulaṁ cīvaraṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ senāsanaṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ gilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito. Yehi kho pana sabrahmacārīhi saddhiṁ viharati, tyassa manāpeneva bahulaṁ kāyakammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ vacīkammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ manokammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpaṁyeva bahulaṁ upahāraṁ upāhāranti, appaṁ amanāpaṁ. Yāni kho pana tāni vedayitāni pittasamuṭṭhānāni vā semhasamuṭṭhānāni vā vātasamuṭṭhānāni vā sannipātikāni vā utupariṇāmajāni vā visamaparihārajāni vā opakkamikāni vā kammavipākajāni vā, tāni panassa na bahudeva uppajjanti. Appābādho hoti. Catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo hoti.


6Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti, mameva taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti. Ahañhi, bhikkhave, yācitova bahulaṁ cīvaraṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ senāsanaṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ gilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito. Yehi kho pana bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ viharāmi te me manāpeneva bahulaṁ kāyakammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ vacīkammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ manokammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpaṁyeva bahulaṁ upahāraṁ upāhāranti, appaṁ amanāpaṁ. Yāni kho pana tāni vedayitāni pittasamuṭṭhānāni vā semhasamuṭṭhānāni vā vātasamuṭṭhānāni vā sannipātikāni vā utupariṇāmajāni vā visamaparihārajāni vā opakkamikāni vā kammavipākajāni vā, tāni me na bahudeva uppajjanti. Appābādhohamasmi. Catunnaṁ kho panasmi jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmi.


7Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti, mameva taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya samaṇesu samaṇasukhumāloti.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin"ti.

Sattamaṁ.