1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

Now on that occasion the Venerable Sāriputta was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Migāramātā's Mansion in the Eastern Park. There the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: "Friends, bhikkhus!" [n.255] Mp has a long preamble to its commentary on this sutta, explaining how throngs of lay devotees from Sāvatthī spontaneously assembled at the Eastern Park to hear Sāriputta speak. The devas, too, realizing that Sāriputta was about to deliver a momentous discourse, arrived from multiple celestial realms and from thousands of world systems to listen. Sāriputta exercised a feat of psychic power such that even those at the back of the crowd, and the devas at the far edge of the world system, could clearly see him and hear his voice.

"Friend!" those bhikkhus replied. The Venerable Sāriputta said this.

"Friends, I will teach you about the person fettered internally and the person fettered externally. [n.256] It is striking that the Chinese parallel MĀ 21 (at T I 448c23–25) interprets these two persons in a way diametrically opposite to the Pāli version: "In this world there are two kinds of people. Which two? The person with an internal fetter, the non-returner, who does not come back to this world. And the person with an external fetter, one who is not a non-returner but comes back to this world" ( ). The explanations that follow in MĀ 21 are consistent with this opening statement. Listen and attend closely. I will speak..

"Yes, friend," those bhikkhus replied. The Venerable Sāriputta said this:

2"And who, friends, is the person fettered internally? Here, a bhikkhu is virtuous; he dwells restrained by the Pāṭimokkha, possessed of good conduct and resort, seeing danger in minute faults. Having undertaken the training rules, he trains in them.

With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a certain order of devas. Passing away from there, he is a returner, one who returns to this state of being. This is called the person fettered internally, who is a returner, one who returns to this state of being. [n.257] Mp: "Who returns to this state of being (āgantā itthattaṁ): He returns to this state of the human five aggregates. Or else, he is not reborn in that heavenly realm or in some higher realm, but he comes back to a lower realm. By this factor, what is discussed are the lower two paths and fruits (of stream-entry and once-returning) attained by a bhikkhu who is a dry-insight meditator using the elements as meditation subject (sukkhavipassakassa dhātukammaṭṭhānikabhikkhuno)."

3"And who, friends, is the person fettered externally? Here, a bhikkhu is virtuous; he dwells restrained by the Pāṭimokkha, possessed of good conduct and resort, seeing danger in minute faults. Having undertaken the training rules, he trains in them. Having entered upon a certain peaceful liberation of mind, he dwells in it. [n.258] Mp: "A certain peaceful liberation of mind (aññataraṁ santaṁ cetovimuttiṁ): the fourth jhāna among the eight meditative attainments; for that is peaceful because it stills the opposing defilements, and it is a liberation of mind because it is liberated from those defilements."

With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a certain order of devas. Passing away from there, he is a non-returner, one who does not return to this state of being. This is called the person fettered externally, who is a non-returner, one who does not return to this state of being. [n.259] Mp: "He is reborn in an order of devas among the pure abodes (suddhāvāsa). He does not return to this state of the human five aggregates, nor is he reborn in a lower realm. Either he is reborn in a higher realm or he attains final nibbāna right there. By this factor, what is discussed are the three paths and fruits (up to non-returning) of a bhikkhu working at concentration (samādhikammikassa bhikkhuno)."

4"Again, friends, a bhikkhu is virtuous …. Having undertaken the training rules, he trains in them. He is practicing for disenchantment with sensual pleasures, dispassion toward them, and for their cessation. [n.260] Mp: "At this point, what is discussed is the stream-enterer's and once-returner's insight (undertaken) to destroy lust for the five objects of sensual pleasure and (to reach) the path of non-returning (anāgāmimaggavipassanā)." He is practicing for disenchantment with states of existence, for dispassion toward them, and for their cessation. [n.261] Mp: "By this, what is discussed is the non-returner's insight (undertaken) to destroy lust for existence and (to reach) the path of arahantship (arahattamaggavipassanā)." He is practicing for the destruction of craving. He is practicing for the destruction of greed. [n.262] Mp sees the practice for the destruction of craving (taṇhākkhaya) as again referring to the stream-enterer's and once-returner's insight to reach the path of non-returning, and the practice for the destruction of greed (lobhakkhaya) as again referring to the non-returner's insight to reach the path of arahantship. It would be peculiar for such a distinction to be intended here. Since both craving (taṇhā) and greed (lobha) can refer to the desire for continued existence (bhavataṇhā, bhavarāga), and since it seems improbable that, after alluding to the highest realization, Sāriputta would then revert to a lower level, this sentence may simply be continuing the description of one practicing to attain arahantship.

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With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a certain order of devas. Passing away from there, he is a non-returner, one who does not return to this state of being. This is called a person fettered externally, who is a non-returner, one who does not return to this state of being." [n.263] Mp: "(Sāriputta) has discussed insight under six headings: (1) the lower two paths and fruits of the dry-insight meditator who uses the elements as his meditation subject; (2) the three paths and fruits of one who works at concentration; (3) the stream-enterer's and once-returner's insight to destroy sensual lust (and reach) the path of non-returning; (4) the non-returner's insight to destroy lust for existence (and reach) the path of arahantship; (5) the stream-enterer's and once-returner's insight for ‘the destruction of craving’—that is, craving for sensual pleasure—and to reach the path of non-returning; and (6) the non-returner's insight for ‘the destruction of greed’—that is, greed for existence—and (to reach) the path of arahantship. At the conclusion of the discourse, deities numbering hundreds of thousand of koṭis (a koṭi = ten million) attained arahantship, and there was no counting the number of those who became stream-enterers and so forth."

5Then a number of same-minded deities [n.264] Mp explains samacittā to mean "with the same mind," thereby resolving an ambiguity in the Pāli term. Though in Skt the difference between śama = "peace" and sama = "same, equal" would have been clear, in most dialects of Middle Indo-Aryan (including Pāli) the two words would be indistinguishable and thus their meanings could be conflated. Mp construes sama as equivalent to Skt sama, "same, equal": "They are called ‘sameminded’ because of the similarity in the subtlety of their mind (cittassa sukhumabhāvasamatāya samacittā); for they had created their own bodies with minds of similar subtlety (sukhume cittasarikkhake katvā)." Mp give## other explanations of samacittā, but all assume the meaning is "with the same mind." The Chinese parallel (at T I 449b1) reads "same-minded deities," thus agreeing with Mp. This indicates that the original on which the Chinese translation was based either had samacittā in a language that made a distinction between śama and sama, or, if preserved in a language that did not make such a distinction, had been accompanied by an explanation of the term as meaning "sameminded." However, the expressions santindriyā and santamānasā toward the end of the sutta, both related to the Skt śama, suggest that the original meaning could have been "peaceful minded," unless ambivalence was deliberate. approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, stood to one side, and said to him: "Bhante, at Migāramātā's Mansion in the Eastern Park, Venerable Sāriputta is teaching the bhikkhus about the person fettered internally and the person fettered externally. The assembly is thrilled. It would be good, Bhante, if the Blessed One would approach the Venerable Sāriputta out of compassion." [n.265] Anukampaṁ upādāya. Mp: "Not out of compassion for Sāriputta, for on that occasion there was no need to show compassion for the elder (Sāriputta) … who had already reached the perfection of a disciple's knowledge. Rather, they ask the Blessed One to go out of compassion for the other devas and humans who had assembled there." Despite the commentary, it may be the case that the devas actually wanted the Buddha to approach Sāriputta for his own sake. Sāriputta probably did not have the supernormal ability to see the hosts of devas that had assembled to hear him speak and thus the Buddha had to inform him of this. At Ud 40, Sāriputta says that he does not even see a mud sprite (mayaṁ pan’etarahi paṁsupisācakampi na passāma). The Blessed One consented by silence.

Then, just as a strong man might extend his drawn-in arm or draw in his extended arm, the Blessed One disappeared from Jeta's Grove and reappeared at Migāramātā's Mansion in the Eastern Park in the presence of the Venerable Sāriputta. He sat down in the seat that was prepared.

The Venerable Sāriputta paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to the Venerable Sāriputta:

6"Here, Sāriputta, a number of same-minded deities approached me, paid homage to me, stood to one side, and said: ‘Bhante, at Migāramātā's Mansion in the Eastern Park, Venerable Sāriputta is teaching the bhikkhus about the person fettered internally and the person fettered externally. The assembly is thrilled. It would be good, Bhante, if the Blessed One would approach the Venerable Sāriputta out of compassion.’

"Those deities—ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and even sixty in number—stand in an area even as small as the tip of an awl yet do not encroach upon one another.

It may be, Sāriputta, that you think: ‘Surely, it was there that those deities developed their minds in such a way that ten … and even sixty in number stand in an area even as small as the tip of an awl yet do not encroach upon one another.’ But this should not be regarded in such a way.

Rather, it was right here that those deities developed their minds in such a way that ten … and even sixty in number stand in an area even as small as the tip of an awl yet do not encroach upon one another. [n.266] Mp: "It was right here (idh’eva): It was in this human world and under this teaching that those deities had developed their minds in such a way that they were reborn in a peaceful form-sphere existence. Having come from there, they have created subtle bodies. While those deities might have reached three paths and fruits in Buddha Kassapa's teaching, because all Buddhas have the same teaching, with the words ‘right here’ he refers to the teaching as one." The Chinese parallel is more explicit than the Pāli: "It was in the past when they were human beings that those same-minded deities developed such a wholesome mind, such an extremely vast and great mind."

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"Therefore, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will have peaceful sense faculties and peaceful minds.’ [n.267] Santindriyā bhavissāma santamānasā. As noted in noted above, the repeated use of the word santa here and just below suggests that samacittā, in relation to the deities, could have meant "peaceful minded"—this despite the agreement between Mp and the Chinese translation on "same-minded." It is in such a way that you should train yourselves.

When you have peaceful sense faculties and peaceful minds, your bodily action will be peaceful, your verbal action will be peaceful, and your mental action will be peaceful. (Thinking:) ‘We will offer only peaceful service to our fellow monks,’ it is in such a way, Sāriputta, that you should train yourselves.

Sāriputta, those wanderers of other sects are lost who did not get to hear this exposition of the Dhamma."

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā sāriputto sāvatthiyaṁ viharati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde. Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi: "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.

"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca: 

"Ajjhattasaṁyojanañca, āvuso, puggalaṁ desessāmi bahiddhāsaṁyojanañca. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.

"Evamāvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca: 

2"Katamo cāvuso, ajjhattasaṁyojano puggalo? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno, aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu.

So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā aññataraṁ devanikāyaṁ upapajjati. So tato cuto āgāmī hoti, āgantā itthattaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccati, āvuso, ajjhattasaṁyojano puggalo āgāmī hoti, āgantā itthattaṁ.

3Katamo cāvuso, bahiddhāsaṁyojano puggalo? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno, aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu. So aññataraṁ santaṁ cetovimuttiṁ upasampajja viharati.

So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā aññataraṁ devanikāyaṁ upapajjati. So tato cuto anāgāmī hoti, anāgantā itthattaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, bahiddhāsaṁyojano puggalo anāgāmī hoti, anāgantā itthattaṁ.

4Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti … pe … samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu. So kāmānaṁyeva nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya paṭipanno hoti. So bhavānaṁyeva nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya paṭipanno hoti. So taṇhākkhayāya paṭipanno hoti. So lobhakkhayāya paṭipanno hoti.

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So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā aññataraṁ devanikāyaṁ upapajjati. So tato cuto anāgāmī hoti, anāgantā itthattaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, bahiddhāsaṁyojano puggalo anāgāmī hoti, anāgantā itthattan"ti.

5Atha kho sambahulā samacittā devatā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho tā devatā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: "eso, bhante, āyasmā sāriputto pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde bhikkhūnaṁ ajjhattasaṁyojanañca puggalaṁ deseti bahiddhāsaṁyojanañca. Haṭṭhā, bhante, parisā. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā"ti. Adhivāsesi bhagavā tuṇhībhāvena.

Atha kho bhagavā – seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ – jetavane antarahito pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde āyasmato sāriputtassa sammukhe pāturahosi. Nisīdi bhagavā paññatte āsane.

Āyasmāpi kho sāriputto bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ bhagavā etadavoca:

6"Idha, sāriputta, sambahulā samacittā devatā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho, sāriputta, tā devatā maṁ etadavocuṁ:  ‘eso, bhante, āyasmā sāriputto pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde bhikkhūnaṁ ajjhattasaṁyojanañca puggalaṁ deseti bahiddhāsaṁyojanañca. Haṭṭhā, bhante, parisā. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā yena āyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā’ti.

Tā kho pana, sāriputta, devatā dasapi hutvā vīsampi hutvā tiṁsampi hutvā cattālīsampi hutvā paññāsampi hutvā saṭṭhipi hutvā āraggakoṭinitudanamattepi tiṭṭhanti, na ca aññamaññaṁ byābādhenti.

Siyā kho pana, sāriputta, evamassa:  ‘tattha nūna tāsaṁ devatānaṁ tathā cittaṁ bhāvitaṁ yena tā devatā dasapi hutvā vīsampi hutvā tiṁsampi hutvā cattālīsampi hutvā paññāsampi hutvā saṭṭhipi hutvā raggakoṭinitudanamattepi tiṭṭhanti na ca aññamaññaṁ byābādhentī’ti. Na kho panetaṁ, sāriputta, evaṁ daṭṭhabbaṁ.

Idheva kho, sāriputta, tāsaṁ devatānaṁ tathā cittaṁ bhāvitaṁ, yena tā devatā dasapi hutvā … pe … na ca aññamaññaṁ byābādhenti.

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Tasmātiha, sāriputta, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:  ‘santindriyā bhavissāma santamānasā’ti. Evañhi vo, sāriputta, sikkhitabbaṁ.

Santindriyānañhi vo, sāriputta, santamānasānaṁ santaṁyeva kāyakammaṁ bhavissati santaṁ vacīkammaṁ santaṁ manokammaṁ. ‘Santaṁyeva upahāraṁ upaharissāma sabrahmacārīsū’ti. Evañhi vo, sāriputta, sikkhitabbaṁ.

Anassuṁ kho, sāriputta, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā ye imaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ nāssosun’"ti.