an.7.68 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

One With a Sense of Dhamma

“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. 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 brahmans; 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 brahmans; 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 brahmans; 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 a 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.”

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

One Who Knows the Teachings

“A mendicant with seven qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.
What seven?
It’s when a mendicant knows the teachings, knows the meaning, has self-knowledge, knows moderation, knows the right time, knows assemblies, and knows people high and low.
And how is a mendicant one who knows the teachings?
It’s when a mendicant knows the teachings:
statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and classifications.
If a mendicant did not know these teachings,
they would not be called ‘one who knows the teachings’.
But because they do know these teachings,
they are called ‘one who knows the teachings’.
Such is the one who knows the teachings.
And how are they one who knows the meaning?
It’s when a mendicant knows the meaning of this or that statement:
‘This is what that statement means; that is what this statement means.’
If a mendicant did not know the meaning of this or that statement,
they would not be called ‘one who knows the meaning’.
But because they do know the meaning of this or that statement,
they are called ‘one who knows the meaning’.
Such is the one who knows the teachings and the one who knows the meaning.
And how are they one who has self-knowledge?
It’s when a mendicant has self-knowledge:
‘This is the extent of my faith, ethics, learning, generosity, wisdom, and eloquence.’
If a mendicant did not have self-knowledge,
they would not be called ‘one who has self-knowledge’.
But because they do have self-knowledge,
they are called ‘one who has self-knowledge’.
Such is the one who knows the teachings, the one who knows the meaning, and the one who has self-knowledge.
And how are they one who knows moderation?
It’s when a mendicant knows moderation when receiving robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.
If a mendicant did not know moderation, they would not be called ‘one who knows moderation’.
But because they do know moderation, they are called ‘one who knows moderation’.
Such is the one who knows the teachings, the one who knows the meaning, the one who has self-knowledge, and the one who knows moderation.
And how are they one who knows the right time?
It’s when a mendicant knows the right time:
‘This is the time for recitation; this is the time for questioning; this is the time for meditation; this is the time for retreat.’
If a mendicant did not know the right time,
they would not be called ‘one who knows the right time’.
But because they do know the right time,
they are called ‘one who knows the right time’.
Such is the one who knows the teachings, the one who knows the meaning, the one who has self-knowledge, the one who knows moderation, and the one who knows the right time.
And how are they one who knows assemblies?
It’s when a mendicant knows assemblies:
‘This is an assembly of aristocrats, of brahmins, of householders, or of ascetics.
This one should be approached in this way. This is how to stand, to act, to sit, to speak, or to stay silent when there.’
If a mendicant did not know assemblies,

they would not be called ‘one who knows assemblies’.
But because they do know assemblies,

they are called ‘one who knows assemblies’.
Such is the one who knows the teachings, the one who knows the meaning, the one who has self-knowledge, the one who knows moderation, the one who knows the right time, and the one who knows assemblies.
And how are they one who knows people high and low?
It’s when a mendicant understands people in terms of pairs.
Two people:
one likes to see the noble ones, one does not.
The person who doesn’t like to see the noble ones
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who does like to see the noble ones
is praiseworthy in that respect.
Two people like to see the noble ones:
one likes to hear the true teaching, one does not.
The person who doesn’t like to hear the true teaching
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who does like to hear the true teaching
is praiseworthy in that respect.
Two people like to hear the true teaching:
one lends an ear to the teaching, one does not.
The person who doesn’t lend an ear to the teaching
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who does lend an ear to the teaching
is praiseworthy in that respect.
Two people lend an ear to the teaching:
one remembers the teaching they’ve heard, one does not.
The person who doesn’t remember the teaching they’ve heard
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who does remember the teaching they’ve heard
is praiseworthy in that respect.
Two people remember the teaching they’ve heard:
one reflects on the meaning of the teachings they have remembered, one does not.
The person who does not reflect on the meaning of the teachings they have remembered
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who does reflect on the meaning of the teachings they have remembered
is praiseworthy in that respect.
Two people reflect on the meaning of the teachings they have remembered:
one understands the meaning and the teaching and practices accordingly, one understands the meaning and the teaching but does not practice accordingly.
The person who understands the meaning and the teaching but does not practice accordingly
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who understands the meaning and the teaching and practices accordingly
is praiseworthy in that respect.
Two people understand the meaning and the teaching and practice accordingly:
one practices to benefit themselves but not others, and one practices to benefit both themselves and others.
The person who practices to benefit themselves but not others
is reprehensible in that respect.
The person who practices to benefit both themselves and others
is praiseworthy in that respect.
That’s how a mendicant understands people in terms of pairs.
That’s how a mendicant is one who knows people high and low.
A mendicant with these seven qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.”