Other Enlightened Beings

“Apart from Master Gotama, is there any one bhikkhu, Master Gotama’s disciple, who by realising for himself with direct knowledge here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints?”

“There are not only one hundred, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but far more bhikkhus, my disciples, who by realising for themselves with direct knowledge here and now enter upon and abide in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus, is there any one bhikkhuni, Master Gotama’s disciple, who by realising for herself with direct knowledge here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints?”

“There are not only one hundred... or five hundred, but far more bhikkhunis, my disciples, who by realising for themselves with direct knowledge here and now enter upon and abide the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, is there any one man lay follower, Master Gotama’s disciple, clothed in white leading a life of celibacy who, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, will reappear spontaneously [in the Pure Abodes] and there attain final Nibbana without ever returning from that world?”

“There are not only one hundred... or five hundred, but far more men lay followers, my disciples, clothed in white leading lives of celibacy who, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, will reappear spontaneously [in the Pure Abodes] and there attain final Nibbana without ever returning from that world.”

“Apart from Master Gotama, the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and the men lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy, is there any one man lay follower, Master Gotama’s disciple, clothed in white enjoying sensual pleasures, who carries out his instruction, responds to his advice, has gone beyond doubt, become free from perplexity, gained intrepidity, and become independent of others in the Teacher’s Dis­pensation?”

“There are not only one hundred... or five hundred, but far more men lay followers, my disciples, clothed in white enjoying sensual pleasures, who carry out my instruction, respond to my advice, have gone beyond doubt, become free from perplexity, gained intrepidity, and become independent of others in the Teacher’s Dispensation.”

“Apart from Master Gotama, the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and the men lay followers clothed in white, both those leading lives of celibacy and those enjoying sensual plea­sures, is there any one woman lay follower. Master Gotama’s disciple, clothed in white leading a life of celibacy who, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, will reappear spontaneously [in the Pure Abodes] and there attain final Nibbana without ever returning from that world?”

“There are not only one hundred... or five hundred, but far more women lay followers, my disciples, clothed in white leading lives of celibacy who, with the destruction of the five lower fet­ters, will reappear spontaneously [in the Pure Abodes] and there attain final Nibbana without ever returning from that world.”

“Apart from Master Gotama, the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and the men lay followers clothed in white, both those leading lives of celibacy and those enjoying sensual pleasures, and the women lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy, is there any one woman lay follower, Master Gotama’s disciple, clothed in white enjoying sensual pleasures, who carries out his instruction, responds to his advice, has gone beyond doubt, become free from perplexity, gained intrepidity, and become independent of others in the Teacher’s Dispensation?”

“There are not only one hundred… or five hundred, but far more women lay followers, my disciples, clothed in white enjoying sensual pleasures, who carry out my instruction, respond to my advice, have gone beyond doubt, become free of perplexity, gained intrepidity, and become independent of others in the Teacher’s Dispensation.”

“Master Gotama, if only Master Gotama were accom­plished in this Dhamma, but no bhikkhus were accomplished, then this holy life would be deficient in that respect; but because Master Gotama and bhikkhus are accomplished in this Dhamma, this holy life is thus complete in that respect. If only Master Gotama and bhikkhus were accomplished in this Dhamma, but no bhikkhunis were accomplished, then this holy life would be deficient in that respect; but because Master Gotama, bhikkhus, and bhikkhunis are accomplished in this Dhamma, this holy life is thus complete in that respect. If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus, and bhikkhunis were accomplished in this Dhamma, but no men lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy were accomplished, then this holy life would be deficient in that respect; but because Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and men lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy are accomplished in this Dhamma, this holy life is thus complete in that respect. If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and men lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy were accomplished in this Dhamma, but no men lay followers clothed in white enjoying sensual pleasures were accomplished, then this holy life would be deficient in that respect; but because Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and men lay followers clothed in white, both those leading lives of celibacy and those enjoying sensual pleasures, are accom­plished in this Dhamma, this holy life is thus complete in that respect. If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, and men lay followers clothed in white... were accomplished in this Dhamma, but no women lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy were accomplished, then this holy life would be deficient in that respect; but because Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, men lay followers clothed in white... and women lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy are accomplished in this Dhamma, this holy life is thus complete in that respect. If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, men lay followers clothed in white ...and women lay followers clothed in white leading lives of celibacy were accomplished in this Dhamma, but no women lay followers clothed in white enjoying sensual pleasures were accomplished, then this holy life would be deficient in that respect; but because Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, men lay followers clothed in white, both those leading lives of celibacy and those enjoying sensual pleasures, and women lay followers clothed in white, both those leading lives of celibacy and those enjoying sensual pleasures, are accomplished in this Dhamma, this holy life is thus complete in that respect.

“Just as the river Ganges inclines towards the sea, slopes towards the sea, flows towards the sea, and merges with the sea, so too Master Gotama’s assembly with its homeless ones and its householders inclines towards Nibbana, slopes towards Nibbana, flows towards Nibbana, and merges with Nibbana.

“Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! Master Gotama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been over­thrown, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms. I go to Master Gotama for refuge and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. I would receive the going forth under Master Gotama, I would receive the full admission.”

The source for the above material:
MN 73 Mahavacchagotta Sutta: The Greater Discourse to Vacchagotta. Copyright © Bhikkhu Bodhi 1995, 2001. Reprinted from The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya. With permission from Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm Street, Somerville, MA 02144 U.S.A.