Factors for Stream Entry (Fourth Discourse)

(The Four Factors of Stream-Entry in Ten Modes)

At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika was sick, afflicted, gravely ill. Then the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika addressed a man thus: Come, good man, approach the Venerable Sāriputta, pay homage (respect) to him in my name with your head at his feet, and say: ‘Venerable Sir, the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika is sick, afflicted, gravely ill; he pays homage (respect) to the Venerable Sāriputta with his head at his feet’. Then say: ‘It would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Venerable Sāriputta would come to the residence of the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika out of compassion.’

‘Yes, Master,’ that man replied, and he approached the Venerable Sāriputta, paid homage (respect) to him, sat down to one side, and delivered his message. The Venerable Sāriputta consented by silence.

Then, in the morning, the Venerable Sāriputta dressed and, taking bowl and robe, went to the residence of the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika with the Venerable Ānanda as his companion. He then sat down in the appointed seat and said to the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika: ‘I hope you are bearing up, Householder, I hope you are getting better. I hope your painful feelings are subsiding and not increasing, and that their subsiding, not their increase, is to be experienced.’

‘I am not bearing up, Venerable Sir, I am not getting better. Strong painful feelings are increasing in me, not subsiding, and their increase, not their subsiding, is to be acknowledged.’

You, Householder, do not have that distrust towards The Buddha which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have confirmed confidence in The Buddha thus: The Perfectly Enlightened One is an Arahant, Perfectly Enlightened, accomplished in true wisdom and conduct, fortunate, knower of the worlds, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, Teacher of heavenly beings and humans, The Enlightened One, The Fortunate One. As you consider within yourself that confirmed confidence in The Buddha, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that distrust towards The Teachings which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have confirmed confidence in The Teachings thus: The Teachings are well expounded by The Perfectly Enlightened One, directly visible, immediate, inviting one to come and see, applicable, to be personally experienced by the wise. As you consider within yourself that confirmed confidence in The Teachings, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that distrust towards The Community which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have confirmed confidence in The Community thus: The Community of The Perfectly Enlightened One’s disciples is practicing the wholesome way, practicing the straight way, practicing the true way, practicing the proper way; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals - this Community of The Perfectly Enlightened One’s disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respectful salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world. As you consider within yourself that confirmed confidence in The Community, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that immorality which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have those virtues dear to the Noble Ones, unbroken, untorn, unblemished, unblotched, liberating, praised by the wise, not misunderstood, and leading to concentration. As you consider within yourself those virtues dear to the Noble Ones, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong view which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right View. As you consider within yourself that Right View, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong intention which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Intention. As you consider within yourself that Right Intention, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong speech which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Speech. As you consider within yourself that Right Speech, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong action which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Action. As you consider within yourself that Right Action, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong livelihood which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Livelihood. As you consider within yourself that Right Livelihood, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong effort which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Effort. As you consider within yourself that Right Effort, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong mindfulness which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Mindfulness. As you consider within yourself that Right Mindfulness your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong concentration which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Concentration. As you consider within yourself that Right Concentration, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong wisdom which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Wisdom. As you consider within yourself that Right Wisdom, your pains may subside on the spot.

You, Householder, do not have that wrong liberation which the uninstructed worldling possesses because of which the latter, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. And you have Right Liberation. As you consider within yourself that Right Liberation, your pains may subside on the spot.

Then the pains of the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika subsided on the spot. Then the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika served the Venerable Sāriputta and the Venerable Ānanda from his own dish. When the Venerable Sāriputta had finished his meal and had washed his hands and bowl, the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika took a low seat and sat down to one side, and the Venerable Sāriputta thanked him with these verses:

When one has confidence in The Tathāgata,

Unshakable and well established,

And wholesome conduct built on virtue,

Dear to the Noble Ones and praised;

When one has confidence in The Community

And view that has been purified,

They say that one is not poor,

That one’s life is not useless.

Therefore the person of intelligence,

Remembering The Buddha’s Teaching,

Should be devoted to confidence and virtue,

To confidence and vision of The Teachings.

Then the Venerable Sāriputta, having thanked the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika with these verses, rose from his seat and departed.

Then the Venerable Ānanda approached The Perfectly Enlightened One, paid homage (respect) to him, and sat down to one side. The Perfectly Enlightened One then said to him:

Now, Ānanda, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?

‘The Householder Anāthapiṇḍika, Venerable Sir, has been encouraged by the Venerable Sāriputta with such and such an encouragement.’

Sāriputta is wise, Ānanda, Sāriputta has great wisdom, in so far as he can analyze The Four Factors of Stream-Entry in Ten Modes. 

(Reference: SN 55.26)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares details of Sāriputta visiting a Household Practitioner and identifying that he has attained Enlightenment. Sāriputta determines that the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika is Enlightened through identifying the four factors of Stream-Entry and the Ten Modes (i.e. The Ten Fold Path).

The four factors are confirmed confidence in The Buddha, The Teachings, The Community, and a Practitioner is practicing virtuous conduct (moral conduct). See Chapter 53 of this book for details on these four factors.

Sāriputta also identifies that the Householder Anāthapiṇḍika is practicing The Ten Fold Path through explaining that he is not practicing wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong actions, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration, wrong wisdom, or wrong liberation. An Enlightened being would be practicing all of these as “right” or “righteous” detailed in The Teachings of The Ten Fold Path.

Detailed explanation of The Ten Fold Path is available in this same book series found in Chapter 5 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).