117 (1) Contemplating the Body1452
“Bhikkhus, without having abandoned six things, one is incapable of contemplating the body in the body. What six? Delight in work, delight in talk, delight in sleep, delight in company, not guarding the doors of the sense faculties, and being immoderate in eating. Without having abandoned these six things, one is incapable of contemplating the body in the body. [450]
“Bhikkhus, having abandoned six things, one is capable of contemplating the body in the body. What six? Delight in work … being immoderate in eating. Having abandoned these six things, one is capable of contemplating the body in the body.”
118 (2) Contemplating the Body Internally, Etc.
“Bhikkhus, without having abandoned six things, one is incapable of contemplating the body in the body internally … externally … both internally and externally … contemplating feelings in feelings … internally … externally … both internally and externally … contemplating mind in mind … internally … externally … both internally and externally … contemplating phenomena in phenomena … internally … externally … both internally and externally. What six? Delight in work, delight in talk, delight in sleep, delight in company, not guarding the doors of the sense faculties, and being immoderate in eating. Without having abandoned these six things, one is incapable of contemplating phenomena in phenomena both internally and externally.
“Bhikkhus, by having abandoned six things, one is capable of contemplating phenomena in phenomena both internally and externally. What six? Delight in work … being immoderate in eating. By having abandoned these six things, one is capable of contemplating phenomena in phenomena both internally and externally.”
119 (3) Tapussa
“Bhikkhus, possessing six qualities, the householder Tapussa has reached certainty about the Tathāgata and become a seer of the deathless, one who lives having realized the deathless. What six? [451] Unwavering confidence in the Buddha, unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, unwavering confidence in the Saṅgha, noble virtuous behavior, noble knowledge, and noble liberation. Possessing these six qualities, the householder Tapussa has reached certainty about the Tathāgata and become a seer of the deathless, one who lives having realized the deathless.”1453
120 (4)–139 (23) Bhallika, Etc.
“Bhikkhus, possessing six qualities, the householder Bhallika … the householder Sudatta Anāthapiṇḍika … the householder Citta of Macchikāsaṇḍa … the householder Hatthaka of Āḷavī … the householder Mahānāma the Sakyan … the householder Ugga of Vesālī … the householder Uggata … the householder Sūra of Ambaṭṭha … the householder Jīvaka Komārabhacca … the householder Nakulapitā … the householder Tavakaṇṇika … the householder Pūraṇa … the householder Isidatta … the householder Sandhāna … the householder Vijaya … the householder Vajjiyamāhita … the householder Meṇḍaka … the lay follower Vāseṭṭha … the lay follower Ariṭṭha … the lay follower Sāragga has reached certainty about the Tathāgata and become a seer of the deathless, one who lives having realized the deathless. What six? Unwavering confidence in the Buddha, unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, unwavering confidence in the Saṅgha, noble virtuous behavior, noble knowledge, and noble liberation. Possessing these six qualities, the householder Sāragga has reached certainty about the Tathāgata and become a seer of the deathless, one who lives having realized the deathless.”
1452 From this point on there are no uddāna verses to rely on for sutta titles. I thus adopt the titles in Ce.
1453 It is often claimed that this series of suttas testifies to a large number of lay arahants during the Buddha’s time. This, however, is a misunderstanding. For we find on this list Anāthapiṇḍika, Pūraṇa (or Purāṇa), and Isidatta, all of whom were reborn in the Tusita heaven (see 6:44 and MN 143.16, III 262,1). We also find Ugga of Vesālī, who is said (at 5:44) to have been reborn among the mind-made deities, and Hatthaka, who is said (at 3:127) to have been reborn in the Aviha heaven of the pure abodes. The terms used to describe these lay followers are descriptive of all noble ones from stream-enterers on up. They all have unwavering confidence (aveccappasāda) in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, have “reached certainty about the Tathāgata” (tathāgate niṭṭhaṅgata), and are seers of nibbāna, the deathless (amataddasa). See 10:63, where certainty about the Buddha is ascribed to disciples at levels lower than arahantship. The statement that these people have noble liberation (ariyena vimuttiyā) is unusual, but Mp glosses it “by the liberation of the fruit of trainees” (sekhaphalavimuttiyā). Quite a different formula is used to describe an arahant. In the Nikāyas there are no recorded cases of laypeople who attained arahantship and then continued to lead the lay life. Those who do attain it entered upon the homeless life soon after their attainment, like Yasa at Vin I 17,1–3.