With Godha
Godha Sutta (SN 55:23)
At Kapilavatthu. Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went to Godha the Sakyan and, on arrival, said to him, “Godha, endowed with how many qualities do you understand an individual to be a stream-winner, never again destined for the lower realms, certain, headed for self-awakening?”
“Endowed with three qualities, Mahānāma, I understand an individual to be a stream-winner, never again destined for the lower realms, certain, headed for self-awakening. Which three?
“There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is endowed with verified confidence in the Awakened One: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy & rightly self-awakened, consummate in clear-knowing & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the cosmos, unexcelled trainer of people fit to be tamed, teacher of devas & human beings, awakened, blessed.’
“He is endowed with verified confidence in the Dhamma: ‘The Dhamma is well taught by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting verification, pertinent, to be experienced by the observant for themselves.’
“He is endowed with verified confidence in the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples who have practiced well… who have practiced straight-forwardly… who have practiced methodically… who have practiced masterfully—in other words, the four types of noble disciples when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individual types—they are the Saṅgha 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.’
“Endowed with these three qualities, Mahānāma, I understand an individual to be a stream-winner, never again destined for the lower realms, certain, headed for self-awakening.
“But what about you, Mahānāma? Endowed with how many qualities do you understand an individual to be a stream-winner, never again destined for the lower realms, certain, headed for self-awakening?”
“Endowed with four qualities, Godha, I understand an individual to be a stream-winner, never again destined for the lower realms, certain, headed for self-awakening. Which four?
“There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is endowed with verified confidence in the Awakened One… verified confidence in the Dhamma… verified confidence in the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples who have practiced well… the incomparable field of merit for the world.’
“He is endowed with virtues that are appealing to the noble ones: untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the observant, ungrasped at, leading to concentration.
“Endowed with these four qualities, Godha, I understand an individual to be a stream-winner, never again destined for the lower realms, certain, headed for self-awakening.”
“Wait, Mahānāma. Wait. The Blessed One is the one who would know whether (the stream-winner) is or isn’t endowed with these qualities.”
“Then come, Godha. Let’s go to the Blessed One and, on arrival, inform him of this matter.”
So Mahānāma the Sakyan and Godha the Sakyan went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, bowed down to him and sat to one side. As they were sitting there, Mahānāma the Sakyan said to the Blessed One [and here he recounted the entirety of his conversation with Godha the Sakyan].
“There is the case, lord, where a certain Dhamma issue might arise, with the Blessed One on one side and with the Saṅgha of monks on the other side. Whichever side the Blessed One would be on, that’s the side where I would be. May the Blessed One remember me as one with such confidence.
“There is the case, lord, where a certain Dhamma issue might arise, with the Blessed One on one side and with the Saṅgha of monks & the Saṅgha of nuns on the other side. Whichever side the Blessed One would be on, that’s the side where I would be. May the Blessed One remember me as one with such confidence.
“There is the case, lord, where a certain Dhamma issue might arise, with the Blessed One on one side and with the Saṅgha of monks, the Saṅgha of nuns, & the male lay followers on the other side. Whichever side the Blessed One would be on, that’s the side where I would be. May the Blessed One remember me as one with such confidence.
“There is the case, lord, where a certain Dhamma issue might arise, with the Blessed One on one side and with the Saṅgha of monks, the Saṅgha of nuns, the male lay followers, & the female lay followers on the other side. Whichever side the Blessed One would be on, that’s the side where I would be. May the Blessed One remember me as one with such confidence.
“There is the case, lord, where a certain Dhamma issue might arise, with the Blessed One on one side and with the Saṅgha of monks, the Saṅgha of nuns, the male lay followers, the female lay followers, & the cosmos with its devas, Māras, & Brahmās, its generation with its contemplatives & brahmans, its royalty & commonfolk on the other side. Whichever side the Blessed One would be on, that’s the side where I would be. May the Blessed One remember me as one with such confidence.”
[The Blessed One said:] “When he speaks in this way, Godha, what do you have to say about Mahānāma the Sakyan?”
“When he speaks in this way, lord, I have nothing to say about Mahānāma the Sakyan except that (he is) admirable & skillful.”1
Note
1. Oddly, this sutta does not say how the Buddha would have addressed the original question: Who was right about the qualities of a stream-winner, Mahānāma or Godha? However, a number of other suttas in this saṁyutta, beginning with SN 55:1, would indicate that Mahānāma was right.
See also: MN 56; SN 12:68; AN 6:43; Sn 5:Epilogue
