{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an4.22/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an4.22","id":"suttacentral_an4.22","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an4.22/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"\u201cMendicants, this one time, when I was first awakened, I was staying in Uruvel\u0101 at the goatherd\u2019s banyan tree on the bank of the Nera\u00f1jar\u0101 River. Then several old brahmins\u2014elderly and senior, who were advanced in years and had reached the final stage of life\u2014came up to me, and exchanged greetings with me. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to me: \u2018Worthy Gotama, we have heard this: \u201cThe ascetic Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.\u201d And this is indeed the case, for the worthy Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat. This is not appropriate, worthy Gotama.\u2019 Then it occurred to me, \u2018These venerables don\u2019t know what a senior is, or what qualities make you a senior.\u2019 Mendicants, suppose you\u2019re eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old. But your speech is untimely, false, meaningless, and against the teaching or training. You say things at the wrong time which are worthless, unreasonable, rambling, and unbeneficial. Then you\u2019ll be reckoned a \u2018childish senior\u2019. Now suppose you\u2019re a youth, young, with pristine black hair, blessed with youth, in the prime of life. But your speech is timely, true, meaningful, and in line with the teaching and training. You say things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial. Then you\u2019ll be reckoned an \u2018astute senior\u2019. There are these four qualities that make a senior. What four? A mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they\u2019ve undertaken. They\u2019re very learned, remembering and keeping what they\u2019ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that\u2019s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically. They get the four absorptions\u2014blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind\u2014when they want, without trouble or difficulty. They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements. These are the four qualities that make a senior. The creature with a restless mind speaks a lot of nonsense. Their thoughts are unsettled, and they don\u2019t like the true teaching. They\u2019re far from seniority, with their bad views and their lack of regard for others. But one accomplished in ethics, learned and eloquent, that attentive one is restrained when experiencing phenomena, discerning the meaning with wisdom. Gone beyond all things, kind, eloquent, they\u2019ve given up birth and death, and have completed the spiritual journey. That\u2019s who I call a senior, who has no defilements. With the ending of defilements, a mendicant is declared a \u2018senior\u2019.\u201d","title":"At Uruvel\u0101 (2nd)","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":537}