1At Sāvatthī.

There the Buddha … said:

“Mendicants, suppose a wheel-turning monarch were to rule as sovereign lord over these four continents. And when his body breaks up, after death, he’s reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm, in the company of the gods of the Thirty-Three. There he entertains himself in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, and supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. Still, as he’s lacking four things, he’s not exempt from hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. He’s not exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

Now suppose a noble disciple wears rags and feeds on scraps of alms-food. Still, as they have four things, they’re exempt from hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld.

2What four? It’s when a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’

They have experiential confidence in the teaching: ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha — visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’

They have experiential confidence in the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, straightforward, methodical, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’

Furthermore, a noble disciple’s ethical conduct is loved by the noble ones, unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion.

These are the four factors of stream-entry that they have.

And, mendicants, gaining these four continents is not worth a sixteenth part of gaining these four things.”

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Tatra kho bhagavā … pe … etadavoca:

"Kiñcāpi, bhikkhave, rājā cakkavattī catunnaṁ dīpānaṁ issariyādhipaccaṁ rajjaṁ kāretvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ sahabyataṁ, so tattha nandane vane accharāsaṅghaparivuto dibbehi ca pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāreti, so catūhi dhammehi asamannāgato, atha kho so aparimuttova nirayā aparimutto tiracchānayoniyā aparimutto pettivisayā aparimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.

Kiñcāpi, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako piṇḍiyālopena yāpeti, nantakāni ca dhāreti, so catūhi dhammehi samannāgato, atha kho so parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā.

2Katamehi catūhi? Idha, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti: ‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti.

Dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti: ‘svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī’ti.

Saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti: ‘suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ujuppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ñāyappaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, sāmīcippaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, yadidaṁ – cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā, esa bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā’ti.

Ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato hoti akhaṇḍehi acchiddehi asabalehi akammāsehi bhujissehi viññuppasatthehi aparāmaṭṭhehi samādhisaṁvattanikehi.

Imehi catūhi dhammehi samannāgato hoti.

Yo ca, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ dīpānaṁ paṭilābho, yo catunnaṁ dhammānaṁ paṭilābho catunnaṁ dīpānaṁ paṭilābho catunnaṁ dhammānaṁ paṭilābhassa kalaṁ nāgghati soḷasin"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.