Ambāṣṭha (DA20)

Puṣkarasārin Attains Stream-Entry

The priest then fetched a small chair for the Buddha to sit in front of the assembly, and the Bhagavān explained the teaching for them. With plain instruction that’s gainful and joyous, he discussed generosity, precepts, birth in the heavens, the defilement of desire, the trouble of the contaminants, the transcendence of escape, and the declaration of purity. When he knew that the priest’s mind was gentle, pure, undefiled, and capable of accepting instruction about the path, the Bhagavān taught him the eternal teaching of Buddhas. He explained the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of suffering’s formation, the noble truth of suffering’s cessation, and the noble truth of suffering’s escape.

Sitting right there on his seat, the priest had his dust and defilements removed and his Dharma eye was purified. It was like a pure and clean white cloth that’s easily stained. The priest Puṣkarasārin was likewise. He saw the teaching, attained the teaching, became certain about the fruits of the path, didn’t believe other paths, and attained fearlessness.

He then said to the Buddha, “Now, I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha of monks three times. Permit me to become a layman of the correct teaching! For the rest of my life, I won’t kill, steal, commit adultery, lie, or drink alcohol. Please let the Bhagavān and the great assembly have pity on me and accept my invitation for the next seven days.” The Bhagavān then silently consented to this.

During the next seven days, the priest gave a variety of offerings to the Buddha and his large assembly. After that, the Bhagavān traveled among the people.

Not long after the Buddha departed, the priest Puṣkarasārin fell sick, and his life ended. When the monks heard that this priest had given offerings to the Buddha for seven days before his life ended, they each thought, “Where was he born after his life ended?”

A group of monks went to the Buddha. After bowing to him, they sat to one side of the Buddha and said, “That priest had given offerings to the Buddha for seven days before his body broke up and his life ended. Where was he reborn?”

The Buddha told the monks, “This clansman had broadly collected virtues, perfected one teaching and the next, and didn’t go contrary to the teaching. He ended the five lower bonds and will reach parinirvāṇa without returning to this world.”

When the monks heard what the Buddha had taught, they rejoiced and approved.

This sūtra is part of the Dharma Pearls translation project.

Prepared by Charles Patton for SuttaCentral.