3.
The Discourse on the Elder Ānanda
1009.
On one occasion the Venerable Ānanda and the Venerable Sāriputta were dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.
Then the Venerable Sāriputta, in the evening, having emerged from seclusion, approached the Venerable Ānanda;
having approached, he exchanged friendly greetings with the Venerable Ānanda.
Having concluded the pleasant and memorable talk, he sat down to one side.
Seated to one side, the Venerable Sāriputta said this to the Venerable Ānanda -
"Because of the abandoning of how many qualities, friend Ānanda, and because of being endowed with how many qualities, has this generation been declared by the Blessed One to be stream-enterers, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment?"
"Because of the abandoning of four qualities, friend, and because of being endowed with four qualities, has this generation been declared by the Blessed One to be stream-enterers, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment."
"Which four? Whatever distrust in the Buddha, friend, possessed of which an ignorant worldling, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell - such distrust in the Buddha is not present in him. And whatever unwavering confidence in the Buddha, friend, possessed of which a learned noble disciple, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world - such unwavering confidence in the Buddha is present in him: 'Thus indeed is the Blessed One, etc. Teacher of gods and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.'
And whatever distrust in the Teaching, friend, possessed of which an ignorant worldling, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell - such distrust in the Teaching is not present in him. And whatever unwavering confidence in the Teaching, friend, possessed of which a learned noble disciple, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world - such unwavering confidence in the Teaching is present in him: 'Well proclaimed by the Blessed One is the Teaching, etc. to be individually experienced by the wise.'
And whatever distrust in the Community, friend, possessed of which an ignorant worldling, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell - such distrust in the Community is not present in him. And whatever unwavering confidence in the Community, friend, possessed of which a learned noble disciple, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world - such unwavering confidence in the Community is present in him: 'The Community of the Blessed One's disciples is practising well, etc. an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.'
And whatever immorality, friend, possessed of which an ignorant worldling, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell - such immorality is not present in him. And whatever morality pleasing to the noble ones, friend, possessed of which a learned noble disciple, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world - such morality pleasing to the noble ones is present in him, unbroken, etc. conducive to concentration. Because of the abandoning of these four qualities, friend, and because of being endowed with these four qualities, has this generation been declared by the Blessed One to be stream-enterers, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment." The third.