Nandiya Sakka sutta: Discourse to Sakyan Nandiya
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)
The collection of the connected discourses (samyutta nikāya), consist of the Buddha’s discourses on related topics grouped into five sections called Vaggas. They are named Sagātā Vagga, Nidāna Vagga, Khanda Vagga, Salāyatana Vagga and Mahā Vagga. Each Vagga is further sub-divided into groups called samyuttas, containing a number of discourses on related topics. Each samyutta is again sub-divided into smaller units called vaggas, each containing around ten discourses. Nandiya Sakka sutta is included in the Punnabhisanda vagga, of the Sotapatti samyutta of the Maha Vagga. (1)
Content of Nandiya Sakka sutta
On one occasion, the Buddha was residing at the Nigrodharama monastery near Kapilavatthu in the region of the Sakyans. One day Nandiya the Sakyan went to the Buddha, paid homage and sat to one side.
[Kapilavatthu was in the country of the Sākyans and the Buddha’s father King Suddhodana was an elected chief of the Sākyans. It was at the palace of King Suddhodana in Kapilavatthu, that the Buddha grew up as Prince Siddhartha and lived there until the renunciation at the age of 29. When the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu for the first time after enlightenment on the invitation of King Suddhodana, Nigrodhārāma monastery was donated to the Buddha.]
As he was sitting to one side, he said to the Buddha:
“Venerable Sir, if a disciple of the noble ones lacks the four factors of Stream Entry in every way, is he a disciple of the noble ones who lives heedlessly?”
[According to Buddhist teaching, one who cultivates the Buddhist path of liberation which is the Noble Eightfold Path as described by the Buddha, with diligence, will sooner or later attain full enlightenment or Nibbana, passing through four progressive stages of spiritual development namely;
- Stream Enterer (sotapanna)
- Once Returner (sakadagami)
- Non-Returner (anagami)
- Arahant (arahat)
So a Stream Enterer is the first of the four stages of enlightenment in the Buddhist teaching. A Stream Enterer possesses four positive qualities or characteristics:
- Unshakable confidence with wisdom (aveccappasada) in the Awakened One (Buddha)
- Unshakable confidence with wisdom (aveccappasada) in the Buddha’s teaching (Dhamma)
- Unshakable confidence with wisdom (aveccappasada) in the Buddhist Monastics (Sangha)
- Unbroken and perfect morality that is pleasing to the Noble ones (Ariya kanta sila)] (2)
“Nandiya, someone who lacks these four factors of Stream Entry in every way, is an outsider who belongs with the ordinary persons. However, Nandiya, I will teach you how a disciple of the noble ones lives heedlessly and heedfully. Listen well and pay attention. I will speak.”
“Yes, Venerable Sir,” Nandiya the Sakyan replied. Then the Buddha Said:
“And how, Nandiya, does a disciple of the noble ones live heedlessly? There is a case where a disciple of the noble ones has unshakable confidence in the Awakened One: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy, a self-awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, well gone, knower of the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those who wish to train, the Teacher of gods and human beings, awakened, blessed.’ He is content with that unshakable confidence in the Awakened One and does not make a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedlessly like this, there is no joy in his mind. When there is no joy, there is no rapture. When there is no rapture, there is no tranquility. When there is no tranquility, there is suffering. When one is suffering, the mind does not become concentrated. When his mind is not concentrated, principles do not become clear. Because principles have not become clear, he is reckoned to live heedlessly.”
“Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones has unshakable confidence in the Dhamma: ‘The Dhamma is well explained by the Blessed One, to be seen in the present life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, to be realised by the wise for themselves.’ He is content with that unshakable confidence in the Dhamma and does not make a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedlessly like this, there is no joy in his mind. When there is no joy, there is no rapture. When there is no rapture, there is no tranquility. When there is no tranquility, there is suffering. When one is suffering, the mind does not become concentrated. When his mind is not concentrated, principles do not become clear. Because principles have not become clear, he is reckoned to live heedlessly.”
“Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones has unshakable confidence in the Sangha: ‘The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples who have practised well; who have practised straight-forwardly; who have practised systematically; who have practised properly, in other words, the four types of noble disciples when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individuals, they are the Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples, worthy of gifts; worthy of hospitality; worthy of offerings; worthy of greeting with joined palms; the incomparable field of merit for the world.’ He is content with that unshakable confidence in the Sangha and does not make a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedlessly like this, there is no joy in his mind. When there is no joy, there is no rapture. When there is no rapture, there is no tranquility. When there is no tranquility, there is suffering. When one is suffering, the mind does not become concentrated. When his mind is not concentrated, principles do not become clear. Because principles have not become clear, he is reckoned to live heedlessly.”
“Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones has the virtue loved by the noble ones: ‘untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the wise, untarnished, leading to concentration. He is content with the virtue loved by the noble ones and does not make a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedlessly like this, there is no joy in his mind. When there is no joy, there is no rapture. When there is no rapture, there is no tranquility. When there is no tranquility, there is suffering. When one is suffering, the mind does not become concentrated. When his mind is not concentrated, principles do not become clear. Because principles have not become clear, he is reckoned to live heedlessly.”
“This is how a disciple of the noble ones lives heedlessly.”
“And how, Nandiya, does a disciple of the noble ones live heedfully? There is a case where a disciple of the noble ones has unshakable confidence in the Awakened One: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge and conduct, well gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of gods and human beings, awakened, blessed.’ Not content with that unshakable confidence in the Awakened One, he makes a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedfully like this, there is joy in his mind. When there is joy, there is rapture. When there is rapture, there is tranquility. When there is tranquility, he is happy. When he is happy, the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind is concentrated, principles become clear. When principles have become clear, he is reckoned to live heedfully.”
“Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones has unshakable confidence in the Dhamma: ‘The Dhamma is well founded by the Blessed One, to be seen here and now, timeless, inviting verification, pertinent, to be realised by the wise for themselves.’ Not content with that unshakable confidence in the Dhamma, he makes a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedfully like this, there is joy in his mind. When there is joy, there is rapture. When there is rapture, there is tranquility. When there is tranquility, he is happy. When he is happy, the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind is concentrated, principles become clear. When principles have become clear, he is reckoned to live heedfully.”
“Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones has unshakable confidence in the Sangha: ‘The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples who have practised well; who have practised straight-forwardly; who have practised methodically; who have practised methodically; who have practised masterfully, in other words, the four types of noble disciples when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individuals, they are the Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples, worthy of gifts; worthy of hospitality; worthy of offerings; worthy of respect; the incomparable field of merit for the world.’ Not content with that unshakable confidence in the Sangha, he makes a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedfully like this, there is joy in his mind. When there is joy, there is rapture. When there is rapture, there is tranquility. When there is tranquility, he is happy. When he is happy, the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind is concentrated, principles become clear. When principles have become clear, he is reckoned to live heedfully.”
“Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones has the virtue loved by the noble ones: ‘untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the wise, untarnished, leading to concentration. Not content with the virtue loved by the noble ones, he makes a further effort for solitude by day or seclusion by night. When he lives heedfully like this, there is joy in his mind. When there is joy, there is rapture. When there is rapture, there is tranquility. When there is tranquility, he is happy. When he is happy, the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind is concentrated, principles become clear. When principles become clear, he is reckoned to live heedfully.”
“This is how a disciple of the noble ones lives heedfully.”
In the Nandiya Sakka sutta, Nandiya the Sakyan has asked the Buddha whether a disciple who lacks the four qualities of a Stream Enterer is one who lives heedlessly. The Buddha has stated that only someone with those four factors is a true disciple of the teaching and that even that disciple can live either heedlessly or heedfully. A heedful disciple will live in seclusion and meditate developing the mind accompanied by the positive spiritual factors of joy, rapture, tranquility, happiness and concentration leading to a clear vision of reality. A heedless disciple, though possessing the four qualities of a Stream Enterer, will not practise meditation in seclusion in order to develop the mind and attain a clear vision of reality.
References
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Nandiya Sakka sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
- https://drarisworld.wordpress.com/2019/04/21/stream-enterer-sotapanna-in-theravada-buddhism/
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