Sotānugata sutta: Discourse on “Followed the teachings by ear”
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
All of the discourses delivered by the Lord Gautama Buddha, who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, were grouped into five collections at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the passing away of the Buddha in 483 BC.
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya) contain the discourses in eleven groups (nipātas), grouped numerically from one to eleven, based on the number of facts discussed by the Buddha in each discourse. Sotānugata sutta is included in the Mahā vagga of the fourth group of the discourses in the Anguttara Nikāya. (1)
Content of Sotānugata sutta
“Monks, when one has followed the teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view, one can expect four benefits.”
“What four?”
“Monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. While being happy there, the teachings he has previously learned appear in his memory. They are slow to appear, but he quickly reaches distinction. This, monks, is the first benefit to be expected when a monk has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view.”
[Initially, all of the Buddha’s teachings were categorised into nine parts or angas based upon their form and style known as the nine-fold dispensation of the Buddha (navānga buddha sāsana or navānga satthusāsana). This was before the Pali Canon (tipitaka) came into existence. The nine parts are: Discourses in prose (sutta), mixed prose and verse (geyya), elaboration of brief teachings (veyyākarana), verses (gāthā), inspired utterances (udāna), sayings of the Buddha (itivuttaka), Buddha’s previous birth stories (jātaka), extraordinary things or miracles (abbhūtadhamma) and questions and answers (vedalla).]
“Furthermore, monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. He is happy there but, the teachings he has previously learned do not appear in his memory. However, a monk with psychic powers who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. The thought occurs to this deity: ‘I used to live my holy life under this teaching and training’. His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction. This, monks, is the second benefit to be expected when a monk has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view.”
[In Buddhist cosmology, there are six sensual planes of heavenly beings (deities), in which rebirth takes place due to highly meritorious, skillful, and wholesome volitional actions performed during one’s previous existence. They are named: Cātummahārājika heaven, Tāvatimsā heaven, Yāma heaven, Tusita heaven, Nimmānarati heaven and Paranimmita Vasavattiheaven.]
“Suppose, monks, a man is skilled in the sound of drums. While travelling along a highway, he hears the sound of a drum. He will not have any doubt or uncertainty as to whether it was the sound of a drum or not. He will come to the conclusion: ‘That is the sound of a drum’. In the same way, monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. He is happy there but, the teachings he has previously learned do not appear in his memory. However, a monk with psychic powers who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. The thought occurs to this deity: ‘I used to live my holy life under this teaching and training’. His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction. This, monks, is the second benefit to be expected when a monk has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view.”
“Furthermore, monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. He is happy there but, the teachings he has previously learned do not appear in his memory. Nor does a monk with psychic powers who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. However, a certain deity teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. The thought occurs to this deity: ‘I used to live my holy life under this teaching and training’. His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction.”
“Suppose, monks, a man is skilled in the sound of a conch. While travelling along a highway, he hears the sound of a conch. He will not have any doubt or uncertainty as to whether it was the sound of a conch or not. He will come to the conclusion: ‘That is the sound of a conch’. In the same way, monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. He is happy there but, the teachings he has previously learned do not appear in his memory. Nor does a monk with psychic powers who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. However, a certain deity teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. The thought occurs to this deity: ‘I used to live my holy life under this teaching and training’. His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction. This, monks, is the third benefit to be expected when a monk has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view.”
“Furthermore, monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. He is happy there but, the teachings he has previously learned do not appear in his memory. Nor does a monk with psychic powers who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. Nor does a certain deity teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. However, another spontaneously born deity reminds this deity: ‘Do you remember my dear. Do you remember where we lived the holy life together?’ Then he says: ‘I remember my dear. I remember my dear.’ His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction.”
“Suppose, monks, there were two friends who had played together in the sand. They happen to meet with one another somewhere at a later time. Then, one friend will say to the other: ‘Do you remember this my friend? Do you remember that my friend?’ Then he says: ‘I remember my friend. I remember my friend.’ His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction. In the same way, monks, a certain monk masters the teaching: statements, mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, inspired exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing stories and question and answer sessions. He has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view. He passes away with a confused mind and is reborn among a certain order of deities. He is happy there but, the teachings he has previously learned do not appear in his memory. Nor does a monk with psychic powers who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. Nor does a certain deity teaches the Dhamma to an assembly of deities. However, another spontaneously born deity reminds this deity: ‘Do you remember my dear. Do you remember where we lived the holy life together?’ Then he says: ‘I remember my dear. I remember my dear.’ His memory is slow to arise, but he quickly reaches distinction. This, monks, is the fourth benefit to be expected when a monk has followed these teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view.”
“These, monks, are the four benefits to be expected when one has followed the teachings by ear, recited them verbally, examined them by the mind, and penetrated them well by view.”
In the Sotānugata sutta, the Buddha has referred to some of the benefits of listening to the Buddha’s teaching when it is properly learned by the listener. The Buddha has described certain ways in which a listener should learn the teaching after listening to it in order to get the benefit from listening. They include, listening properly, remembering them, reciting them verbally, examining them by the mind, penetrating them well by view and living a spiritual life accordingly. When the Dhamma is learned in that way, even if the listener passes away with a confused mind, the benefits will follow him. A rebirth in a happy realm of deities, where the memory of previous learning and practise will arise in four different situations has been described in the discourse.
References
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Sotānugata sutta, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Anguttara Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
End.
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