Fields of Merit (MA127)

Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha traveled to the country of Śrāvastī and stayed at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove.

It was then that the householder Anāthapiṇḍada paid the Buddha a visit. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit at one side, and said, “Bhagavān, how many kinds of people are there in the world who are fields of merit?”

The Bhagavān told him, “Householder, the world has altogether two kinds of people who are fields of merit. Which two? First are the trainees, and second are the adepts. There are eighteen kinds of trainees and nine kinds of adepts.

“Householder, what are the eighteen kinds of trainees? Faithful practitioners, Dharma practitioners, those freed by faith, those who’ve arrived at [right] view, those of self-realization, those born from family to family, those of a single seed, those headed for stream-entry, those who’ve attained stream-entry, those headed for once-returning, those who’ve attained once-returning, those headed for non-returning, those who’ve attained non-returning, those who parinirvāṇa in the interim, those who parinirvāṇa at birth, those who parinirvāṇa with practice, those who parinirvāṇa without practice, and those who [parinirvāṇa] upstream to Akaniṣṭha. These are the eighteen kinds of trainees.

“Householder, what are the nine kinds of adepts? Those who are intent, those who are ascending, those who are imperturbable, those who retreat, those who don’t retreat, those who are guarding *(those who guard don’t retreat; and those who don’t guard do retreat)*, those who truly abide, those liberated by wisdom, and those liberated in both ways. These are the nine kinds of adepts.”

The Bhagavān then spoke in verse:

“The trainees and adepts in the world
Are honorable and worthy of respect.
They can correct their physical deeds,
And their verbal and mental deeds, too.
Householder, they are excellent fields
That yield great merits when given gifts.”

The Buddha spoke thus. The householder Anāthapiṇḍada and the monks who heard what he taught rejoiced and approved.

This sūtra is part of the Dharma Pearls translation project.

Prepared by Charles Patton for SuttaCentral.