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- Anguttara Nikaya VII.64
- Dhammaññu Sutta
- One With a Sense of Dhamma
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
"A monk endowed with these seven qualities is worthy of
gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect, an unexcelled field
of merit for the world. Which seven? There is the case where a monk is one with a sense of
Dhamma, a sense of meaning, a sense of himself, a sense of moderation, a sense of time, a
sense of social gatherings, & a sense of distinctions among individuals.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of Dhamma? There is the case where a monk
knows the Dhamma: dialogues, narratives of mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses,
spontaneous exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing events, question & answer
sessions [the earliest classifications of the Buddha's teachings]. If he didn't know the
Dhamma -- dialogues, narratives of mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses,
spontaneous exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing events, question & answer
sessions -- he wouldn't be said to be one with a sense of Dhamma. So it's because he does
know the Dhamma -- dialogues...question & answer sessions -- that he is said to be one
with a sense of Dhamma. This is one with a sense of Dhamma.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of meaning? There is the case where a monk
knows the meaning of this & that statement -- 'This is the meaning of that statement;
that is the meaning of this.' If he didn't know the meaning of this & that statement
-- 'This is the meaning of that statement; that is the meaning of this' -- he wouldn't be
said to be one with a sense of meaning. So it's because he does know the meaning of this
& that statement -- 'This is the meaning of that statement; that is the meaning of
this' -- that he is said to be one with a sense of meaning. This is one with a sense of
Dhamma & a sense of meaning.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of himself? There is the case where a monk
knows himself: 'This is how far I have come in conviction, virtue, learning, liberality,
discernment, quick-wittedness.' If he didn't know himself -- 'This is how far I have come
in conviction, virtue, learning, liberality, discernment, quick-wittedness' -- he wouldn't
be said to be one with a sense of himself. So it's because he does know himself -- 'This
is how far I have come in conviction, virtue, learning, liberality, discernment,
quick-wittedness' -- that he is said to be one with a sense of himself. This is one with a
sense of Dhamma, a sense of meaning, & a sense of himself.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of moderation? There
is the case where a monk knows moderation in accepting robes, almsfood, lodgings, &
medicinal requisites for curing the sick. If he didn't know moderation in accepting robes,
almsfood, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for curing the sick, he wouldn't be said to
be one with a sense of moderation. So it's because he does know moderation in accepting
robes, almsfood, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for curing the sick, that he is said
to be one with a sense of moderation. This is one with a sense of Dhamma, a sense of
meaning, a sense of himself, & a sense of moderation.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of time? There is the case where a monk knows
the time: 'This is the time for recitation; this, the time for questioning; this, the time
for making an effort [in meditation]; this, the time for seclusion.' If he didn't know the
time -- 'This is the time for recitation; this, the time for questioning; this, the time
for making an effort; this, the time for seclusion' -- he wouldn't be said to be one with
a sense of time. So it's because he does know the time -- 'This is the time for
recitation; this, the time for questioning; this, the time for making an effort; this, the
time for seclusion' -- that he is said to be one with a sense of time. This is one with a
sense of Dhamma, a sense of meaning, a sense of himself, a sense of moderation, & a
sense of time.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of social gatherings?
There is the case where a monk knows his social gathering: 'This is a social gathering of
noble warriors; this, a social gathering of priests; this, a social gathering of
householders; this, a social gathering of contemplatives; here one should approach them in
this way, stand in this way, act in this way, sit in this way, speak in this way, stay
silent in this way.' If he didn't know his social gathering -- 'This is a social gathering
of noble warriors; this, a social gathering of priests; this, a social gathering of
householders; this, a social gathering of contemplatives; here one should approach them in
this way, stand in this way, act in this way, sit in this way, speak in this way, stay
silent in this way' -- he wouldn't be said to be one with a sense of social gatherings. So
it's because he does know his social gathering -- 'This is a social gathering of noble
warriors; this, a social gathering of priests; this, a social gathering of householders;
this, a social gathering of contemplatives; here one should approach them in this way,
stand in this way, act in this way, sit in this way, speak in this way, stay silent in
this way' -- that he is said to be one with a sense of social gatherings. This is one with
a sense of Dhamma, a sense of meaning, a sense of himself, a sense of moderation, a sense
of time, & a sense of social gatherings.
"And how is a monk one with a sense of distinctions among individuals? There is
the case where people are known to monk in terms of two categories.
"Of two people -- one who wants to see noble ones and one who doesn't -- the one
who doesn't want to see noble ones is to be criticized for that reason, the one who does
want to see noble ones is, for that reason, to be praised.
"Of two people who want to see noble ones -- one who wants to hear the true Dhamma
and one who doesn't -- the one who doesn't want to hear the true Dhamma is to be
criticized for that reason, the one who does want to hear the true Dhamma is, for that
reason, to be praised.
"Of two people who want to hear the true Dhamma -- one who listens with an
attentive ear and one who listens without an attentive ear -- the one who listens without
an attentive ear is to be criticized for that reason, the one who listens with an
attentive ear is, for that reason, to be praised.
"Of two people who listen with an attentive ear -- one who, having listened to the
Dhamma, remembers it, and one who doesn't -- the one who, having listened to the Dhamma,
doesn't remember it is to be criticized for that reason, the one who, having listened to
the Dhamma, does remember the Dhamma is, for that reason, to be praised.
"Of two people who, having listened to the Dhamma, remember it -- one who explores
the meaning of the Dhamma he has remembered and one who doesn't -- the one who doesn't
explore the meaning of the Dhamma he has remembered is to be criticized for that reason,
the one who does explore the meaning of the Dhamma he has remembered is, for that reason,
to be praised.
"Of two people who explore the meaning of the Dhamma they have remembered -- one
who practices the Dhamma in line with the Dhamma, having a sense of Dhamma, having a sense
of meaning, and one who doesn't -- the one who doesn't practice the Dhamma in line with
the Dhamma, having a sense of Dhamma, having a sense of meaning, is to be criticized for
that reason, the one who does practice the Dhamma in line with the Dhamma, having a sense
of Dhamma, having a sense of meaning is, for that reason, to be praised.
"Of two people who practice the Dhamma in line with the Dhamma,
having a sense of Dhamma, having a sense of meaning -- one who practices for both his own
benefit and that of others, and one who practices for his own benefit but not that of
others -- the one who practices for his own benefit but not that of others is to be
criticized for that reason, the one who practices for both his own benefit and that of
others is, for that reason, to be praised.
"This is how people are known to a monk in terms of two categories. And this is
how a monk is one with a sense of distinctions among individuals.
"A monk endowed with these seven qualities is worthy of gifts, worthy of
hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect, an unexcelled field of merit for the
world."