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- I wrote this article in response to the views of some Buddhists. Some people say that Lord Buddha never said that one must associate with an ariya to become a sotāpanna. A moral puthujjuna who understands the Buddha Dhamma can very well be a “sappurisa.” I have analyzed this with several suttas and a little common sense. I would like Sir Lal or someone from the forum to correct any mistakes I may have made in my article.
Can we help someone escape the mud if we are trapped in it ourselves?
Words can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. Take the word “right” for example. I can use it to say “turn right at the next stop sign” or I can use it to say “you are right.” The word is spelled the same regardless of the context, but is it possible to give it a fixed definition? No, it would be ridiculous to do so. Imagine the absurdity if every time you are right, the person in front of you points to the right and tells you, “Right.” The same applies in Buddhism. Taking the easiest word, “Dhamma,” this word has multiple definitions. These definitions are “mental phenomena,” “the doctrine of Lord Buddha,” and “the doctrine of any religious figure.”
We can say that Islam is the “Muhammad Dhamma”, and Christianity is the “Jesus Dhamma”. When we say the “Buddha Dhamma” we refer only to Buddhism. When we say the dhammas we refer to mental phenomena.
Sometimes a word is merged with a syllable or a few letters to emphasize a specific meaning. Take “Sadhamma,” for example. This is yet another term for the Buddha Dhamma, but emphasizing “the true Dhamma.” Not just any Buddhist teaching but the true Dhamma of Lord Buddha.
Some may call themselves Buddhists, but they encourage people to do evil things by saying that it is the Dhamma. We can see that in Burma and Sri Lanka with extremist monks. They talk about themselves as the defenders of Buddhism. In this case, another word comes into play: “Adhamma.” A single letter has completely changed the meaning of the word. Adhamma means false Dhamma. It is a Dhamma contrary to Sadhamma. Taught that the death of non-Buddhists is necessary for the survival of Buddhism is an Adhamma.
Now that we understand the meaning of a word according to its context, we must always seek to know if there is a context and we must also use our wisdom and intelligence to find its meaning in a given context.
I will take a word that is crucial to understand for our progression towards Nibbāna “Sappurisa”. This word can mean either a moral person or a noble person (ariya).
Some people think this word always means a person of integrity. Remember the analogy with the word “Right.”
Before going further, I will emphasize one particular sutta. It’s in the Sallekhasutta. Lord Buddha said something simple to understand.
If you’re sinking in the mud yourself, Cunda, it is quite impossible for you to pull out someone else who is sinking in the mud.
So vata, cunda, attanā palipapalipanno paraṁ palipapalipannaṁ uddharissatīti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
But if you’re not sinking in the mud yourself, it is quite possible for you to pull out someone else who is sinking in the mud.
So vata, cunda, attanā apalipapalipanno paraṁ palipapalipannaṁ uddharissatīti ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.
If you’re not tamed, trained, and quenched yourself, it is quite impossible for you to help tame, train, and extinguish someone else.
So vata, cunda, attanā adanto avinīto aparinibbuto paraṁ damessati vinessati parinibbāpessatīti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
But if you are tamed, trained, and quenched yourself, it is quite possible for you to help tame, train, and extinguish someone else.
So vata, cunda, attanā danto vinīto parinibbuto paraṁ damessati vinessati parinibbāpessatīti ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.
Now, that we have this important passage. Let’s take the example of the Cūḷapuṇṇamasutta. In this sutta, Lord Buddha describes the qualities of a highly moral person. I say this person is highly moral because they are moral and encourage others to do what is good for them. Lord Buddha says in this context that this person possesses worldly right view and abstains from the 10 akusalas. In this context, this person is also called a Sappurisa. However, in the Sotāpattiphalasutta, the first cause that gives rise to sotāpanna magga phala is association with a Sappurisa. Does one simply have to associate with a good person to become a Sotāpanna?
We must know that Lord Buddha is not the inventor of morality. Morality and immorality are phenomena of nature. That’s why there are brahma, deva, human worlds and the 4 planes of misery. If we are moral, most of the time we go to the higher worlds; if we are immoral, most of the time we go to the lower worlds. In this Samsara, it will never change. In all eras, there will always be moral or immoral people. Of course, some eras will be more dominated by one of the two states of mind, but both will always be there to varying degrees. They do not depend on a person and are effects of causes and conditions. Long before Lord Buddha, there were moral and highly moral people. These highly moral people encouraged others to do the same. They taught right worldly views like rebirth, Kamma, the benefits of meditation etc. These highly moral people even developed all the jhanas through Metta (loving-kindness) and took rebirth in the Brahma worlds. All this happened outside the Sasanas of the SammāsamBuddhas. All this to say that Buddhism does not teach anything new about Metta (loving-kindness) and meditation.
If associating with a moral person is enough to attain Nibbana, then why couldn’t Sunetta the yogi attain Nibbana? He was highly moral, he encouraged others to accumulate good Kamma, and those who didn’t listen to him were reborn in the four planes of misery. Sunetta had even developed metta to a very high level and took rebirth in a Brahma world.
His story is told in the Sunetta Sutta and in the Sattasūriyasutta.
Sunetta possesses the qualities of a Sappurisa, but how is it that his Dhamma does not lead to Nibbana? Lord Buddha clearly stated in the Sattasūriya sutta that this yogi had not attained the four noble truths. He even regressed from his status as a Brahma to become a Deva and regressed to the human world.
In the Pathamamettā Sutta, Lord Buddha describes the difference between an ariya who develops metta and a puthujjana who develops metta. An Ariya who develops metta and who goes to a Brahma world is never reborn lower. He attains Nibbāna there. A puthujana who develops metta and who goes to a Brahma world will be reborn in lower worlds at the end of his lifespan. The difference again is the noble eightfold path.
How does a moral person who is supposed to be an awakening factor, as stated in the Sotāpattiphalasutta, regress in Samsara to the 4 planes of misery??
Let us remember that it is impossible to pull a person out of the mud if we have not even gotten out. It is impossible to tame someone else if we are not even tame.
Some people will say that a puthujana can attempt to teach the true Dhamma word for word, and this will help a person become a sotāpanna. Again, this is false.
Only an ariya can teach Sadhamma (the true Dhamma) in such a way that a person understands it. Even if a puthujjana memorized the words of the Lord Buddha and transmitted them from generation to generation, no one would understand their true meaning unless an ariya explained them. True sasana is preserved by those who have attained a stage of magga phala.
In the Māgaṇḍiyasutta, Lord Buddha repeats these verses:
Arogyaparama labha
santutthiparamam dhanam
vissasaparama nati
nibbanam paramam sukham.
“Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold—it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.”
Yogi Māgaṇḍiya told Lord Buddha that he had already heard these words from his masters. These words were passed down from generation to generation. Lord Buddha asked him what the meaning of this verse was. Proud of himself, Māgaṇḍiya began to stroke his limbs.
When he said this, Māgaṇḍiya stroked his own limbs with his hands, saying:
Evaṁ vutte, māgaṇḍiyo paribbājako sakāneva sudaṁ gattāni pāṇinā anomajjati:
“This is that health, worthy Gotama, this is that extinguishment!“idantaṁ, bho gotama, ārogyaṁ, idantaṁ nibbānaṁ.
For I am now healthy and happy, and have no afflictions.”, bho gotama, etarahi arogo sukhī, na maṁ kiñci ābādhatī”ti.
“Māgaṇḍiya, suppose a person was blind from birth.“Seyyathāpi, māgaṇḍiya,
jaccandho puriso;They couldn’t see sights that are dark or bright, or blue, yellow, red, or magenta.
They couldn’t see even and uneven ground, or the stars, or the moon and sun.so na passeyya kaṇhasukkāni rūpāni, na passeyya nīlakāni rūpāni, na passeyya pītakāni rūpāni, na passeyya lohitakāni rūpāni, na passeyya mañjiṭṭhakāni rūpāni, na passeyya samavisamaṁ, na passeyya tārakarūpāni, na passeyya candimasūriye.
They might hear a sighted person saying:So suṇeyya cakkhumato bhāsamānassa:‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’‘chekaṁ vata, bho, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti.They’d go in search of white cloth.
So odātapariyesanaṁ careyya.
But someone would cheat them with a dirty, soiled garment, saying:Tamenaṁ aññataro puriso telamalikatena sāhuḷicīrena vañceyya:
‘Sir, here is a white cloth for you, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’‘idaṁ te, ambho purisa, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti.
They’d take it and put it on, expressing their gladness:So taṁ paṭiggaṇheyya, paṭiggahetvā pārupeyya, pārupetvā attamano attamanavācaṁ nicchāreyya:
‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’‘chekaṁ vata, bho, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti.
What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya?Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, māgaṇḍiya,Did that person blind from birth do this knowing and seeing,api nu so jaccandho puriso jānanto passanto amuṁ telamalikataṁ sāhuḷicīraṁ paṭiggaṇheyya, paṭiggahetvā pārupeyya, pārupetvā attamano attamanavācaṁ nicchāreyya:or out of faith in the sighted person?”‘chekaṁ vata, bho,, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti udāhu cakkhumato saddhāyā”ti?
“They did so not knowing or seeing,“Ajānanto hi, bho gotama, apassanto so jaccandho puriso amuṁ telamalikataṁ sāhuḷicīraṁ paṭiggaṇheyya, paṭiggahetvā pārupeyya, pārupetvā attamano attamanavācaṁ nicchāreyya:
but out of faith in the sighted person.”‘chekaṁ vata, bho, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti, cakkhumato saddhāyā”ti.
“In the same way, the wanderers of other religions are blind and sightless. Not knowing health and not seeing extinguishment, they still recite this verse:
“Evameva kho, māgaṇḍiya, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā andhā acakkhukā ajānantā ārogyaṁ, apassantā nibbānaṁ, atha ca panimaṁ gāthaṁ bhāsanti:
‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’‘ārogyaparamā lābhā, nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhan’ti.
For this verse was recited by the perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas of the past:
Pubbakehesā, māgaṇḍiya, arahantehi sammāsambuddhehi gāthā bhāsitā:
‘Health is the ultimate blessing;‘Ārogyaparamā lābhā,extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhaṁ;Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold—
Aṭṭhaṅgiko ca maggānaṁ,it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.’khemaṁ amatagāminan’ti.
These days it has gradually become a verse used by ordinary people.Sā etarahi anupubbena puthujjanagāthā.But Māgaṇḍiya, this body is a disease, a boil, a dart, a misery, an affliction.
Yet you say of this body:Ayaṁ kho pana, māgaṇḍiya, kāyo rogabhūto gaṇḍabhūto sallabhūto aghabhūto ābādhabhūto, so tvaṁ imaṁ kāyaṁ rogabhūtaṁ gaṇḍabhūtaṁ sallabhūtaṁ aghabhūtaṁ ābādhabhūtaṁ:‘This is that health, this is that extinguishment!’‘idantaṁ, bho gotama, ārogyaṁ, idantaṁ nibbānan’ti vadesi.Māgaṇḍiya, you don’t have the noble vision by which you might know health and see extinguishment.”Tañhi te, māgaṇḍiya, ariyaṁ cakkhuṁ natthi yena tvaṁ ariyena cakkhunā ārogyaṁ jāneyyāsi, nibbānaṁ passeyyāsī”ti.
“I am quite confident that the worthy Gotama“Evaṁ pasanno ahaṁ bhoto gotamassa.is capable of teaching me so that I can know health and see extinguishment.
”Pahoti me bhavaṁ gotamo tathā dhammaṁ desetuṁ yathāhaṁ ārogyaṁ jāneyyaṁ, nibbānaṁ passeyyan”ti.
As can be seen without the noble right view, it is impossible to explain the Dhamma correctly. Māgaṇḍiya did not have the noble association, therefore, he is unable to understand the hidden meaning of this verse. Understanding this, he humbly requested Lord Buddha, who is the father of the ariyas, to explain it. He quickly understood that his teachers, who were repeating the teachings of the SammāsamBuddhas of the past, could not tame him because they were not even tamed. As Lord Buddha said, it is impossible to tame someone else if one is not even tamed. It is impossible to pull someone else out of the samsaric mire if one does not have the noble eightfold path. That is why the Bodhisatta, when practicing the worldly eightfold path, quickly realized that although his yogi teachers, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, were moral and well established in samadhi, they could not lead him to Nibbana because they did not have the noble right view. In the Avijjasutta, Lord Buddha describes how ignorance is eradicated. The eradication of this process begins with association with a Sappurisa. If we translate this as just a moral person, millions would attain Nibbana. Moral people with good samadhi are found in all religions. The 5 precepts, the 8 precepts and the ascetic rules were followed long before the birth of Lord Buddha. Even his mother, Queen Maya Devi, ritually followed the precepts. I say ritual because she was not yet an ariya. As long as one is not sotāpanna, Silabbata paramasa (attachment to rituals) is not eradicated. His mother became Ariya when Lord Buddha came to teach the Dhamma to the Tavatimsa deities. It is therefore reasonable to say that in the context of the Avijjāsutta, Sotāpattiphalasutta and Dutiyasāriputtasutta, sappurisa means a Noble person (someone who is at least sotāpanna).
All this to say that one must see the context and meaning of words wisely. One should not read the suttas like the Bible. One must have a teacher to explain it to us. One must associate with the Maha Sangha. One will have a good chance of coming across an ariya if one has sufficient paramis. It should always be remembered that it is impossible to be tame alone (except in the case of Lord Buddhas and Paccekabuddhas).
When the last sotāpanna dies, the Dhamma will disappear and another SammāsamBuddha will have to appear to turn the wheel of Dhamma again. The suttas will be there, the monastic rules will be there, but there will not be a single practitioner who will realize the Dhamma when the last sotāpanna dies.
see the Duration of the Sasanas.
That is why Lord Buddha said in the Kalyāṇamittasutta and the Upaḍḍhasutta that the whole of the path to Nibbāna depends on good friends. One must see with wisdom that “Kalyāṇamitta” is not a mere moral worldly friend. He is an Ariya who encourages us to develop the noble eightfold path.
People might say, “But I don’t have access to monks and I live in a non-Buddhist region. It’s extremely difficult for me to consider travelling due to a lack of means or any other reason.”
Rest assured, your efforts and your practice will not be in vain. Continue reading the Dhamma, listening to discourses and meditating. My teacher told me about the Sotānugata sutta. In this sutta, Lord Buddha speaks of those who have practiced the Dhamma seriously but who have understood it only theoretically. Thanks to their merits, they will be reborn in a deva world, and there will be deva or human ariyas who will remind them of the Dhamma, and they will become ariyas.
He even told me that if we have enough merit, ariyas devas or ariyas brahmas can teach us the Dhamma in our dreams and one can become sotāpanna in this way. Sometimes they can even introduce thoughts of Dhamma into our mind and by reflecting on these thoughts, the noble eightfold path can be realized. The noble eightfold path must always come from an ariya whether deva, Brahma or human. See the Mahācattārīsakasutta to see the difference between the worldly eightfold path and the noble eightfold path.
However, for this to happen, one must listen to the Dhamma with one’s ears. That is why listening to the true Dhamma must be prioritized above all else. We must continue to do our best, each of us according to our abilities. It is perfectly possible to attain Nibbāna. If it does not happen in this life, it will happen in the next or in a later one. We must continue to associate with the Maha Sangha. Listen attentively to the Dhamma, reflect on the Dhamma, and apply it in your daily life. By doing this, you increase your chances of attaining the Noble Eightfold Path.
See Four Conditions for Attaining Sōtapanna Magga/Phala
See Vedās Originated With Buddha Kassapa’s Teachings
See Dhamma – Different Meanings Depending on the Context
See Why is it Necessary to Learn Key Pāli Words?
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Thank you, Jittananto.
- I have not had the time to read the post.
- However, the basic idea of a sappurisa is explained in the “Paṭhamaasappurisa Sutta (SN 45.25).”
- According to the above sutta, there can be two types of sappurisa: (i) one who is on the mundane eightfold path and generally a “moral person” (ii) one who is on the Noble Eightfold Path, i.e., a Noble Person or Ariya. The one on the mundane path could be there temporarily, because one can change one’s views and become an asappurisa at any time, especially in future births. On the other hand, one on the Noble Path will never become an asappurisa.
- By the way, the English translation in the link translates sappurisa as ” true person.” That is not a good translation.
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I have a chat with ChatGPT on the term “sappurisa” for the following suttas: SN 45.25, MN 113, MN 110, AN 5.148, DN 33, DN 34, AN 7.64, SN 45.26, AN 4.201, AN 2.31, AN 4.73, SN 55.5 and SN 55.55.
The below is a chart by ChatGPT on “Sappurisa in Various Suttas – Traits & Moral vs Noble Emphasis”
Here’s the chart mapping each sutta to the sappurisa traits it emphasizes and showing whether it points more toward a “moral person” or a “noble person.”
From this, you can see that SN 55.5 and SN 55.55 clearly use sappurisa in a “noble person” sense, while others often emphasize moral integrity and right view without necessarily implying noble attainment.
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Thank you for the summary, Seng Kiat.
- The first two suttas in that summary are discussed in “Four Conditions for Attaining Sōtapanna Magga/Phala.”
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@Jittananto asked: “The orange part is the difference between them, right?”
Yes, the orange colour shows the “Borderline Noble” with asappurisa (including asappurisena asappurisatarañca) and sappurisa (including sappurisena sappurisatarañca) being “Moral Person” and “Noble Person” respectively.
See “Asappurisa Sutta 2 (SN 45.26)” and “Sappurisa Sikkhāpada Sutta (AN 4.201)”.
- In SN 45.26, the asappurisa is delineated with two additional wrong factors: micchā-ñāṇa (wrong knowledge) and micchā-vimutti (wrong liberation)—labeling him even worse.
- The Sappurisa Sikkhāpada Sutta (AN 4.201) clarifies that a false person breaks the precepts, while a true person keeps them and encourages others to do likewise.
In the above chart by ChatGPT on “Sappurisa in Various Suttas – Traits & Moral vs Noble Emphasis”, I was suprised that ChatGPT was able to labled SN 55.5 and SN 55.55 as “Noble Person” for sappurisa as for other suttas it was labled as “Moral Person” and SN 45.26 & SN AN 4.201 as “Borderline Noble”.
This the reason why most people (puthujjana) will take sappurisa as “true person” and assume any “moral person” with the traits or quality of the above “Sappurisa in Various Suttas – Traits & Moral vs Noble Emphasis” chart and will lead one to stages of Enlightenment without the need for the “moral person” to be a “Noble Person.”
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