{"id":"an4.180","title":"The Four Great References","languageCodes":["en","pi"],"languageNotes":{"en":"Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0","pi":"Mahāsaṅgīti edition · SuttaCentral"},"chapters":[{"id":"an4.180","title":"The Four Great References","units":[{"id":"an4.180:0","sourceIds":["an4.180:0.1","an4.180:0.2","an4.180:0.3"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.180\n18. Sañcetaniyavagga\nMahāpadesasutta","en":"Numbered Discourses 4.180\n18. Intention\nThe Four Great References"}},{"id":"an4.180:1","sourceIds":["an4.180:1.1","an4.180:1.2","an4.180:1.3","an4.180:1.4","an4.180:1.5","an4.180:1.6","an4.180:1.7","an4.180:1.8","an4.180:1.9"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā bhoganagare viharati ānandacetiye.\nTatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:\n“bhikkhavo”ti.\n“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.\nBhagavā etadavoca:\n“cattārome, bhikkhave, mahāpadese desessāmi,\ntaṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.\n“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.\nBhagavā etadavoca:","en":"At one time the Buddha was staying near the Bhoga City, at the Ānanda Shrine.\nThere the Buddha addressed the mendicants,\n“Mendicants!”\n“Venerable sir,” they replied.\nThe Buddha said this:\n“Mendicants, I will teach you the four great references.\nListen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”\n“Yes, sir,” they replied.\nThe Buddha said this:"}},{"id":"an4.180:2","sourceIds":["an4.180:2.1","an4.180:2.2","an4.180:2.3","an4.180:2.4","an4.180:2.5","an4.180:2.6","an4.180:2.7","an4.180:2.8","an4.180:2.9","an4.180:2.10"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"“Katame, bhikkhave, cattāro mahāpadesā?\nIdha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘sammukhā metaṁ, āvuso, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni na ceva sutte otaranti na vinaye sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ na ceva tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\nimassa ca bhikkhuno duggahitan’ti.\nIti hetaṁ, bhikkhave, chaḍḍeyyātha.","en":"“Mendicants, what are the four great references?\nTake a mendicant who says:\n‘Reverend, I have heard and learned this in the presence of the Buddha:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they do not fit in the discourse and are not exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is not the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been incorrectly memorized by that mendicant.’\nAnd so you should discard it."}},{"id":"an4.180:3","sourceIds":["an4.180:3.1","an4.180:3.2","an4.180:3.3","an4.180:3.4","an4.180:3.5","an4.180:3.6","an4.180:3.7","an4.180:3.8","an4.180:3.9"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘sammukhā metaṁ, āvuso, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni sutte ceva otaranti vinaye ca sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\nimassa ca bhikkhuno suggahitan’ti.\nIdaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamaṁ mahāpadesaṁ dhāreyyātha.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘Reverend, I have heard and learned this in the presence of the Buddha:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been correctly memorized by that mendicant.’\nYou should remember it. This is the first great reference."}},{"id":"an4.180:4","sourceIds":["an4.180:4.1","an4.180:4.2","an4.180:4.3","an4.180:4.4","an4.180:4.5","an4.180:4.6","an4.180:4.7","an4.180:4.8","an4.180:4.9","an4.180:4.10"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asukasmiṁ nāma āvāse saṅgho viharati sathero sapāmokkho.\nTassa me saṅghassa sammukhā sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni na ceva sutte otaranti na vinaye sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ na ceva tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\ntassa ca saṅghassa duggahitan’ti.\nIti hetaṁ, bhikkhave, chaḍḍeyyātha.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘In such-and-such monastery lives a Saṅgha with seniors and leaders.\nI’ve heard and learned this in the presence of that Saṅgha:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they do not fit in the discourse and are not exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is not the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been incorrectly memorized by that Saṅgha.’\nAnd so you should discard it."}},{"id":"an4.180:5","sourceIds":["an4.180:5.1","an4.180:5.2","an4.180:5.3","an4.180:5.4","an4.180:5.5","an4.180:5.6","an4.180:5.7","an4.180:5.8","an4.180:5.9","an4.180:5.10"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asukasmiṁ nāma āvāse saṅgho viharati sathero sapāmokkho.\nTassa me saṅghassa sammukhā sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni, vinaye sandassiyamānāni sutte ceva otaranti vinaye ca sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\ntassa ca saṅghassa suggahitan’ti.\nIdaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyaṁ mahāpadesaṁ dhāreyyātha.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘In such-and-such monastery lives a Saṅgha with seniors and leaders.\nI’ve heard and learned this in the presence of that Saṅgha:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been correctly memorized by that Saṅgha.’\nYou should remember it. This is the second great reference."}},{"id":"an4.180:6","sourceIds":["an4.180:6.1","an4.180:6.2","an4.180:6.3","an4.180:6.4","an4.180:6.5","an4.180:6.6","an4.180:6.7","an4.180:6.8","an4.180:6.9","an4.180:6.10"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asukasmiṁ nāma āvāse sambahulā therā bhikkhū viharanti bahussutā āgatāgamā dhammadharā vinayadharā mātikādharā.\nTesaṁ me therānaṁ sammukhā sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni na ceva sutte otaranti na vinaye sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ na ceva tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\ntesañca therānaṁ duggahitan’ti.\nIti hetaṁ, bhikkhave, chaḍḍeyyātha.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘In such-and-such monastery there are several senior mendicants who are very learned, inheritors of the heritage, who remember the teachings, the monastic law, and the outlines.\nI’ve heard and learned this in the presence of those senior mendicants:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they do not fit in the discourse and are not exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is not the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been incorrectly memorized by those senior mendicants.’\nAnd so you should discard it."}},{"id":"an4.180:7","sourceIds":["an4.180:7.1","an4.180:7.2","an4.180:7.3","an4.180:7.4","an4.180:7.5","an4.180:7.6","an4.180:7.7","an4.180:7.8","an4.180:7.9","an4.180:7.10"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asukasmiṁ nāma āvāse sambahulā therā bhikkhū viharanti bahussutā āgatāgamā dhammadharā vinayadharā mātikādharā.\nTesaṁ me therānaṁ sammukhā sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni sutte ceva otaranti vinaye ca sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\ntesañca therānaṁ suggahitan’ti.\nIdaṁ, bhikkhave, tatiyaṁ mahāpadesaṁ dhāreyyātha.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘In such-and-such monastery there are several senior mendicants who are very learned, inheritors of the heritage, who remember the teachings, the monastic law, and the outlines.\nI’ve heard and learned this in the presence of those senior mendicants:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been correctly memorized by those senior mendicants.’\nYou should remember it. This is the third great reference."}},{"id":"an4.180:8","sourceIds":["an4.180:8.1","an4.180:8.2","an4.180:8.3","an4.180:8.4","an4.180:8.5","an4.180:8.6","an4.180:8.7","an4.180:8.8","an4.180:8.9","an4.180:8.10"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asukasmiṁ nāma āvāse eko thero bhikkhu viharati bahussuto āgatāgamo dhammadharo vinayadharo mātikādharo.\nTassa me therassa sammukhā sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni na ceva sutte otaranti na vinaye sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ na ceva tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\ntassa ca therassa duggahitan’ti.\nIti hetaṁ, bhikkhave, chaḍḍeyyātha.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘In such-and-such monastery there is a single senior mendicant who is very learned, an inheritor of the heritage, who has memorized the teachings, the monastic law, and the outlines.\nI’ve heard and learned this in the presence of that senior mendicant:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they do not fit in the discourse and are not exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is not the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been incorrectly memorized by that senior mendicant.’\nAnd so you should discard it."}},{"id":"an4.180:9","sourceIds":["an4.180:9.1","an4.180:9.2","an4.180:9.3","an4.180:9.4","an4.180:9.5","an4.180:9.6","an4.180:9.7","an4.180:9.8","an4.180:9.9","an4.180:9.10","an4.180:9.11","an4.180:9.12","an4.180:9.13"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asukasmiṁ nāma āvāse eko thero bhikkhu viharati bahussuto āgatāgamo dhammadharo vinayadharo mātikādharo.\nTassa me therassa sammukhā sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ—\nayaṁ dhammo, ayaṁ vinayo, idaṁ satthusāsanan’ti.\nTassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.\nAnabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā tāni padabyañjanāni sādhukaṁ uggahetvā sutte otāretabbāni, vinaye sandassetabbāni.\nTāni ce sutte otāriyamānāni vinaye sandassiyamānāni sutte ceva otaranti vinaye ca sandissanti, niṭṭhamettha gantabbaṁ:\n‘addhā idaṁ tassa bhagavato vacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa;\ntassa ca therassa suggahitan’ti.\nIdaṁ, bhikkhave, catutthaṁ mahāpadesaṁ dhāreyyātha.\nIme kho, bhikkhave, cattāro mahāpadesā”ti.\nDasamaṁ.\nSañcetaniyavaggo tatiyo.","en":"Take another mendicant who says:\n‘In such-and-such monastery there is a single senior mendicant who is very learned, an inheritor of the heritage, who has memorized the teachings, the monastic law, and the outlines.\nI’ve heard and learned this in the presence of that senior mendicant:\nthis is the teaching, this is the training, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’\nYou should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement.\nInstead, having carefully memorized those words and phrases, you should make sure they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training.\nIf they fit in the discourse and are exhibited in the training, you should draw the conclusion:\n‘Clearly this is the word of the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.\nIt has been correctly memorized by that senior mendicant.’\nYou should remember it. This is the fourth great reference.\nThese are the four great references.”"}},{"id":"an4.180:10","sourceIds":["an4.180:10.0","an4.180:10.1","an4.180:10.2","an4.180:10.3","an4.180:10.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tassuddānaṁ\nCetanā vibhatti koṭṭhiko,\nĀnando upavāṇapañcamaṁ;\nĀyācana rāhula jambālī,\nNibbānaṁ mahāpadesenāti."}}]}],"sourceRevision":"afdafa92450cfe7573b280da50382888323666d2","sourceUrl":"https://suttacentral.net/an4.180/en/sujato","licence":"CC0 1.0","licenceUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","editionNote":"Full supplied source file; inherited abbreviations are preserved. Not a reconstructed expansion of every repetition. No Malay or Mandarin translation is implied."}