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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

60. The Layperson's Proper Practice

1Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika approached the Blessed One …. The Blessed One said to him:

1Atha kho anāthapiṇḍiko gahapati yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho anāthapiṇḍikaṁ gahapatiṁ bhagavā etadavoca: 



2"Householder, a noble disciple who possesses four qualities is practicing the way proper to the layperson, a way that brings the attainment of fame and leads to heaven. What four?

2"Catūhi kho, gahapati, dhammehi samannāgato ariyasāvako gihisāmīcipaṭipadaṁ paṭipanno hoti yasopaṭilābhiniṁ saggasaṁvattanikaṁ. Katamehi catūhi?

"Here, householder, a noble disciple serves the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with robes; he serves the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with almsfood; he serves the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with lodgings; he serves the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with medicines and provisions for the sick.[n.743] Ee is somewhat misleading here. First, it punctuates wrongly, and then it adds an extra paccupaṭṭhito hoti at the end. The punctuation in Ce and Be indicates that the indirect object (the item given) belongs with the preceding paccupaṭṭhito, and they both lack paccupaṭṭhito hoti at the end. Thus in Ce and Be there is no separate phrase indicating that the lay disciple simply serves the Saṅgha without mention of an item presented.

Idha, gahapati, ariyasāvako bhikkhusaṅghaṁ paccupaṭṭhito hoti cīvarena, bhikkhusaṅghaṁ paccupaṭṭhito hoti piṇḍapātena, bhikkhusaṅghaṁ paccupaṭṭhito hoti senāsanena, bhikkhusaṅghaṁ paccupaṭṭhito hoti gilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārena.



"Householder, a noble disciple who possesses these four qualities is practicing the way proper to the layperson, a way that brings the attainment of fame and leads to heaven."

Imehi kho, gahapati, catūhi dhammehi samannāgato ariyasāvako gihisāmīcipaṭipadaṁ paṭipanno hoti yasopaṭilābhiniṁ saggasaṁvattanikanti.

3When the wise practice the way
proper for the layperson, they serve
the virtuous monks of upright conduct
with robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines:

3Gihisāmīcipaṭipadaṁ,
paṭipajjanti paṇḍitā;
Sammaggate sīlavante,
cīvarena upaṭṭhitā.

4for them both by day and night
merit always increases;
having done excellent deeds,
they pass on to a heavenly state.

4Piṇḍapātasayanena,
Gilānappaccayena ca;
Tesaṁ divā ca ratto ca,
Sadā puññaṁ pavaḍḍhati;
Saggañca kamatiṭṭhānaṁ,
Kammaṁ katvāna bhaddakan"ti.



Dasamaṁ.
Puññābhisandavaggo paṭhamo.

5Dve puññābhisandā dve ca,
saṁvāsā samajīvino;
Suppavāsā sudatto ca,
bhojanaṁ gihisāmicīti.