4.
The Discourse to Subhūti
14.
Then the Venerable Subhūti together with the monk Saddha approached the Blessed One;
having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side.
To the Venerable Subhūti seated to one side, the Blessed One said this:
"What is this monk's name, Subhūti?"
"This monk is named Saddha, venerable sir, the son of the lay follower Sudatta, who with faith has gone forth from home into homelessness."
"But does this monk Saddha, Subhūti, the son of the lay follower Sudatta, who with faith has gone forth from home into homelessness, appear in the characteristics of one with faith?" "This is the time, Blessed One; this is the time, Fortunate One, that the Blessed One would speak on the characteristics of one with faith. Now I shall know whether this monk appears in the characteristics of one with faith or not."
"Well then, Subhūti, listen, pay close attention; I will speak." "Yes, venerable sir," the Venerable Subhūti assented to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
"Here, Subhūti, a monk is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, accomplished in good conduct and lawful resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, having accepted the training rules he trains in them. That, Subhūti, a monk is virtuous, etc. having accepted the training rules he trains in them, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk is very learned, remembering what has been learnt, having great accumulation of learning; whatever teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, that reveal the holy life that is complete in its entirety and pure - such teachings are very learned by him, retained, practised in speech, contemplated in mind, thoroughly penetrated by view. That, Subhūti, a monk is very learned, etc. thoroughly penetrated by view, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk has good friends, good companions, good associates. That, Subhūti, a monk has good friends, good companions, good associates, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk is easy to admonish, endowed with qualities that make for being easy to admonish, patient, receiving instruction respectfully. That, Subhūti, a monk is easy to admonish, endowed with qualities that make for being easy to admonish, patient, receiving instruction respectfully, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk, regarding whatever high and low duties there are to be done for his fellows in the holy life, therein he is skilled, not lazy, endowed with investigation into the means for that, able to do and able to arrange. That, Subhūti, a monk, regarding whatever high and low duties there are to be done for his fellows in the holy life, therein he is skilled, not lazy, endowed with investigation into the means for that, able to do and able to arrange, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk is a lover of the Teaching, of amiable conversation, having great gladness in the higher teaching and higher discipline. That, Subhūti, a monk is a lover of the Teaching, of amiable conversation, having great gladness in the higher teaching and higher discipline, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk dwells putting forth strenuous energy for the abandoning of unwholesome mental states and for the acquisition of wholesome mental states, steadfast, of firm effort, not shirking the responsibility regarding wholesome mental states. That, Subhūti, a monk dwells putting forth strenuous energy for the abandoning of unwholesome mental states and for the acquisition of wholesome mental states, steadfast, of firm effort, not shirking the responsibility regarding wholesome mental states, this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk is one who obtains at will, obtains without difficulty, obtains without trouble, the four meditative absorptions pertaining to the higher mind, which are pleasant abidings in the present life. That, Subhūti, a monk is one who obtains at will, obtains without difficulty, obtains without trouble, the four meditative absorptions pertaining to the higher mind, which are pleasant abidings in the present life - this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk recollects manifold past lives, as follows - one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many cosmic cycles of universe-contraction, many cosmic cycles of universe-expansion, many cosmic cycles of universe-contraction and expansion - 'There I was, having such a name, such a clan, such beauty, such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a life span; passing away from there, I arose there. There too I was, having such a name, such a clan, such beauty, such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a life span; passing away from there, I arose here.' Thus with aspects and terms he recollects manifold past lives. That, Subhūti, a monk recollects manifold past lives, as follows, one birth, two births, etc. thus with aspects and terms he recollects manifold past lives. This too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk with the divine eye, which is pure and surpasses the human, sees beings passing away and arising, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands beings according to their actions - 'These beings indeed, sirs, endowed with bodily misconduct, endowed with verbal misconduct, endowed with mental misconduct, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views, upon the body's collapse at death, they have arisen in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell. But these beings, sirs, endowed with bodily good conduct, endowed with verbal good conduct, endowed with mental good conduct, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right views, undertaking actions based on right views, upon the body's collapse at death, they have arisen in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, which is pure and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and arising, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands beings according to their actions. That, Subhūti, a monk with the divine eye, which is pure, etc. he understands beings according to their actions - this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith.
"Furthermore, Subhūti, a monk, with the elimination of the mental corruptions, in this very life, having realised by direct knowledge himself, having attained, dwells in the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom that are without mental corruptions. That, Subhūti, a monk, with the elimination of the mental corruptions, etc. having realised, having attained, dwells - this too, Subhūti, is a characteristic of one with faith."
When this was said, the Venerable Subhūti said this to the Blessed One - "These characteristics of one with faith, venerable sir, that have been spoken by the Blessed One, those exist in this monk, and this monk is seen in them.
"This monk, venerable sir, is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, accomplished in good conduct and lawful resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, having accepted the training rules he trains in them.
"This monk, venerable sir, is very learned, remembering what has been learnt, having great accumulation of learning; whatever teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, that reveal the holy life that is complete in its entirety and pure - such teachings are very learned by him, retained, practised in speech, contemplated in mind, thoroughly penetrated by view.
"This monk, venerable sir, has good friends, good companions, good associates.
"This monk, venerable sir, is easy to admonish, etc. instruction.
"This monk, venerable sir, regarding whatever high and low duties there are to be done for his fellows in the holy life, therein he is skilled, not lazy, endowed with investigation into the means for that, able to do and able to arrange.
"This monk, venerable sir, is a lover of the Teaching, of amiable conversation, having great gladness in the higher teaching and higher discipline.
"This monk, venerable sir, dwells putting forth strenuous energy, etc. steadfast, of firm effort, not shirking the responsibility regarding wholesome mental states.
"This monk, venerable sir, is one who obtains at will, obtains without difficulty, obtains without trouble, the four meditative absorptions pertaining to the higher mind, which are pleasant abidings in the present life.
"This monk, venerable sir, recollects manifold past lives, as follows - one birth, two births, etc. thus with aspects and terms he recollects manifold past lives.
"This monk, venerable sir, with the divine eye, which is pure and surpasses the human, etc. he understands beings according to their actions.
"This monk, venerable sir, with the elimination of the mental corruptions, etc. having realised, having attained, dwells. These characteristics of one with faith that have been spoken by the Blessed One, venerable sir, those exist in this monk, and this monk is seen in them."
"Good, good, Subhūti! Well then, Subhūti, you should dwell together with this monk with faith. And whenever you, Subhūti, should wish to see the Truth-finder, you should approach together with this monk with faith to see the Truth-finder." The fourth.