Buddhism · Sutta Pitaka · Numbered Discourses (Aṅguttara)

AN 3.13

Hopes · Āsaṁsasutta

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“These three individuals are found in the world. What three? The hopeless, the hopeful, and the one who has done away with hope. And what, mendicants, is a hopeless individual? It’s when an individual is reborn in a low family—a family of corpse-workers, bamboo-workers, hunters, chariot-makers, or scavengers—poor, with little to eat or drink, where life is tough, and food and shelter are hard to find. And they’re ugly, unsightly, deformed, sickly—one-eyed, crippled, lame, or half-paralyzed. They don’t get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrances, and makeup; or bed, house, and lighting. They hear this: ‘They say the aristocrats have anointed the aristocrat named so-and-so as king.’ It never occurs to them: ‘Oh, when will the aristocrats anoint me too as king?’ This is called a hopeless individual.

“Tayome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Nirāso, āsaṁso, vigatāso. Katamo ca, bhikkhave puggalo nirāso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo nīce kule paccājāto hoti, caṇḍālakule vā venakule vā nesādakule vā rathakārakule vā pukkusakule vā dalidde appannapānabhojane kasiravuttike, yattha kasirena ghāsacchādo labbhati. So ca hoti dubbaṇṇo duddasiko okoṭimako bavhābādho kāṇo vā kuṇī vā khañjo vā pakkhahato vā, na lābhī annassa pānassa vatthassa yānassa mālāgandhavilepanassa seyyāvasathapadīpeyyassa. So suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira khattiyo khattiyehi khattiyābhisekena abhisitto’ti. Tassa na evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma mampi khattiyā khattiyābhisekena abhisiñcissantī’ti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo nirāso.

And what, mendicants, is a hopeful individual? It’s when someone is the eldest son of an anointed aristocratic king. He has not yet been anointed, but is eligible, and has been confirmed in the succession. He hears this: ‘They say that the aristocrats have anointed the aristocrat named so-and-so as king.’ It occurs to him: ‘Oh, when will the aristocrats anoint me too as king?’ This is called a hopeful individual.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo āsaṁso? Idha, bhikkhave, rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa jeṭṭho putto hoti ābhiseko anabhisitto acalappatto. So suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira khattiyo khattiyehi khattiyābhisekena abhisitto’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma mampi khattiyā khattiyābhisekena abhisiñcissantī’ti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo āsaṁso.

And what, mendicants, is an individual who has done away with hope? It’s when a king has been anointed. He hears this: ‘They say that the aristocrats have anointed the aristocrat named so-and-so as king.’ It never occurs to him: ‘Oh, when will the aristocrats anoint me too as king?’ Why is that? Because the former hope he had to be anointed has now died down. This is called an individual who has done away with hope. These are the three individuals found in the world.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo vigatāso? Idha, bhikkhave, rājā hoti khattiyo muddhāvasitto. So suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira khattiyo khattiyehi khattiyābhisekena abhisitto’ti. Tassa na evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma mampi khattiyā khattiyābhisekena abhisiñcissantī’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yā hissa, bhikkhave, pubbe anabhisittassa abhisekāsā sā paṭippassaddhā. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo vigatāso. Ime kho, bhikkhave, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ.

In the same way, these three individuals are found among the mendicants. What three? The hopeless, the hopeful, and the one who has done away with hope. And what, mendicants, is a hopeless individual? It’s when an individual is unethical, of bad qualities, filthy, with suspicious behavior, underhand, no true ascetic or spiritual practitioner—though claiming to be one—rotten inside, festering, and depraved. They hear this: ‘They say that the mendicant named so-and-so has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.’ It never occurs to them: ‘Oh, when will I too realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and live having realized it with my own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.’ This is called a hopeless individual.

Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā bhikkhūsu. Katame tayo? Nirāso, āsaṁso, vigatāso. Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo nirāso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo dussīlo hoti pāpadhammo asuci saṅkassarasamācāro paṭicchannakammanto assamaṇo samaṇapaṭiñño abrahmacārī brahmacāripaṭiñño antopūti avassuto kasambujāto. So suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī’ti. Tassa na evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma ahampi āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissāmī’ti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo nirāso.

And what, mendicants, is a hopeful individual? It’s when a mendicant is ethical, of good character. They hear this: ‘They say that the mendicant named so-and-so has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.’ It occurs to them: ‘Oh, when will I too realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and live having realized it with my own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.’ This is called a hopeful individual.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo āsaṁso? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti kalyāṇadhammo. So suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma ahampi āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissāmī’ti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo āsaṁso.

And what, mendicants, is an individual who has done away with hope? It’s when a mendicant is a perfected one, who has ended all defilements. They hear this: ‘They say that the mendicant named so-and-so has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.’ It never occurs to them: ‘Oh, when will I too realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and live having realized it with my own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.’ Why is that? Because the former hope they had to be freed has now died down. This is called an individual who has done away with hope. These are the three individuals found among the mendicants.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo vigatāso? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu arahaṁ hoti khīṇāsavo. So suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī’ti. Tassa na evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma ahampi āsavānaṁ khayā …pe… sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissāmī’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yā hissa, bhikkhave, pubbe avimuttassa vimuttāsā sā paṭippassaddhā. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo vigatāso. Ime kho, bhikkhave, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā bhikkhūsū”ti. Tatiyaṁ.