1"Bhikkhus, there are these seven kinds of persons who are worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world. What seven?

(1) "Here, bhikkhus, some person dwells contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena, perceiving impermanence, experiencing impermanence, constantly, continuously, and uninterruptedly focusing on it with the mind, fathoming it with wisdom. With the destruction of the taints, he has realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, he dwells in it. This is the first kind of person worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

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2(2) "Again, some person dwells contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena, perceiving impermanence, experiencing impermanence, constantly, continuously, and uninterruptedly focusing on it with the mind, fathoming it with wisdom. For him the exhaustion of the taints and the exhaustion of life occur simultaneously. [n.1465] At Pp 13 (Be §16) this person is called a samasīsī, lit., "a same-header." Mp explains that there are four kinds of samasīsī. (1) One who has been ill and attains the destruction of the taints at the same time that he recovers from the illness is called an "illness same-header" (rogasamasīsī). (2) One who has been afflicted with a severe painful feeling and attains the destruction of the taints at the same time that he overcomes the pain is called a "feeling same-header" (vedanāsamasīsī). (3) One who has been practicing insight in a particular posture and attains the destruction of the taints at the same time that he breaks the posture is called a "posture same-header" (iriyāpathasamasīsī). (4) And one who attains the destruction of the taints at the same time that his life ends is called a "life same-header" (jīvitasamasīsī). In this sutta, the "life same-header" is intended. This is the second kind of person worthy of gifts ….

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(3) "Again, bhikkhus, some person dwells contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena, perceiving impermanence, experiencing impermanence, constantly, continuously, and uninterruptedly focusing on it with the mind, fathoming it with wisdom. With the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes an attainer of nibbāna in the interval. [n.1466] Antarāparinibbāyī. Lit., "one who attains nibbāna in between (or along the way)." Pp 16 (Be §36) defines this person as one who eliminates the five lower fetters, takes spontaneous birth, and then, either immediately after being reborn or (at the latest) before reaching the middle of the life span, generates the path for abandoning the five higher fetters. Similarly, Mp defines this type as a person who is reborn somewhere among the pure abodes (suddhāvāsesu) and then attains arahantship either at the time of rebirth, slightly afterward, or before reaching the middle of the life span. In spite of these authorized definitions, I believe there is textual evidence that the name of this type should be understood to mean literally that he attains the destruction of the taints in between or along the way (antarā), that is, between two lives, and then attains final nibbāna without taking rebirth at all. See AN4.131 and AN4.131, n. 829. I give further arguments for this interpretation below in note 1536 on p. 1782. This is the third kind of person worthy of gifts ….

(4) " … With the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes an attainer of nibbāna upon landing. [n.1467] Upahaccaparinibbāyī. Both Pp 17 (Be §37) and Mp define this type as one who eliminates the five lower fetters, takes spontaneous rebirth (in the pure abodes), and then reaches arahantship after passing the middle of the life span or, at the latest, at the time of death. Again, as I will maintain in relation to AN7.55, there are suggestions in the Nikāyas that this type is one who attains the destruction of the taints almost immediately after taking rebirth in the pure abodes. See AN7.55, n. 1537. This is the fourth kind of person worthy of gifts ….

(5) " … With the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes an attainer of nibbāna without exertion. [n.1468] The difference between (5) and (6) is probably determined primarily on the basis of the amount of effort they must put forth to win the goal. Pp 17 (Be §§38–39) says merely that one generates the path without effort and the other as the result of effort. In any case, on the commentarial interpretation these two become, not separate types of non-returners, but two modes in which the first two types (the antarāparinibbāyī and the upahaccaparinibbāyī) attain nibbāna. Such an explanation would reduce the distinct types of non-returners to three. This would override the sequential and mutually exclusive nature of the five types, which is implied by the fivefold classification and strongly suggested by the similes of AN7.55. This is the fifth kind of person worthy of gifts ….

(6) " … With the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes an attainer of nibbāna through exertion. This is the sixth kind of person worthy of gifts ….

(7) "Again, bhikkhus, some person dwells contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena, perceiving impermanence, experiencing impermanence, constantly, continuously, and uninterruptedly focusing on it with the mind, fathoming it with wisdom. With the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes one bound upstream, heading toward the Akaniṭṭha realm. [n.1469] See AN4.131, n. 828. This is the seventh kind of person worthy of gifts ….

"These, bhikkhus, are the seven kinds of persons who are worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world."

1"Sattime, bhikkhave, puggalā āhuneyyā pāhuneyyā dakkhiṇeyyā añjalikaraṇīyā anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa. Katame satta?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sabbasaṅkhāresu aniccānupassī viharati, aniccasaññī, aniccapaṭisaṁvedī satataṁ samitaṁ abbokiṇṇaṁ cetasā adhimuccamāno paññāya pariyogāhamāno. So āsavānaṁ khayā … pe … sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamo puggalo āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa.

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2Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo sabbasaṅkhāresu aniccānupassī viharati, aniccasaññī, aniccapaṭisaṁvedī satataṁ samitaṁ abbokiṇṇaṁ cetasā adhimuccamāno paññāya pariyogāhamāno. Tassa apubbaṁ acarimaṁ āsavapariyādānañca hoti jīvitapariyādānañca. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyo puggalo āhuneyyo … pe … anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa.

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3Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo sabbasaṅkhāresu aniccānupassī viharati, aniccasaññī, aniccapaṭisaṁvedī satataṁ samitaṁ abbokiṇṇaṁ cetasā adhimuccamāno paññāya pariyogāhamāno. So pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā antarāparinibbāyī hoti … pe … upahaccaparinibbāyī hoti … pe … asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti … pe … sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti … pe … uddhaṁsoto hoti akaniṭṭhagāmī. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, sattamo puggalo āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa. Ime kho, bhikkhave, satta puggalā āhuneyyā pāhuneyyā dakkhiṇeyyā añjalikaraṇīyā anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā"ti.

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Chaṭṭhaṁ.