{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an7.42/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an7.42","id":"suttacentral_an7.42","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an7.42/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"Then Venerable S\u0101riputta robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered S\u0101vatth\u012b for alms. Then it occurred to him, \u201cIt\u2019s too early to wander for alms in S\u0101vatth\u012b. Why don\u2019t I visit the monastery for the wanderers of other religions?\u201d Then he went to the monastery for the wanderers of other religions and exchanged greetings with the wanderers there. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side. Now at that time while those wanderers of other religions were sitting together this discussion came up among them, \u201cReverends, anyone who lives the full and pure spiritual life for twelve years is qualified to be called a \u2018graduate mendicant\u2019.\u201d S\u0101riputta neither approved nor rejected that statement of the wanderers of other religions. He rose from his seat, thinking, \u201cI will learn the meaning of this statement from the Buddha himself.\u201d Then S\u0101riputta wandered for alms in S\u0101vatth\u012b. After the meal, on his return from almsround, he went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened, adding: \u201cSir, in this teaching and training can we describe a mendicant as a \u2018graduate\u2019 solely because they have completed a certain number of years?\u201d \u201cNo, S\u0101riputta, we cannot. I make known these seven qualifications for graduation after realizing them with my own insight. What seven? It\u2019s when a mendicant has a keen enthusiasm to undertake the training \u2026 to examine the teachings \u2026 to get rid of desires \u2026 for retreat \u2026 to rouse up energy \u2026 for mindfulness and alertness \u2026 to penetrate theoretically. And they don\u2019t lose these desires in the future. These are the seven qualifications for graduation that I make known after realizing them with my own insight. A mendicant who has these seven qualifications for graduation is qualified to be called a \u2018graduate mendicant\u2019. This is so whether they have lived the full and pure spiritual life for twelve years, twenty-four years, thirty-six years, or forty-eight years.\u201d","title":"Graduation (1st)","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":333}