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AN 6.56 
Phagguṇa Sutta  
“With the Ven. Phagguṇa” 
 
Translated by Bhikkhu Candana 
 
Copyright © Bhikkhu Candana 2022 
 
At one time, the venerable Phagguṇa was gravely ill and the Venerable Ānanda by 
approaching The Blessed One, paid homage to Him and then sat to one side and said:  
“Bhante, the Venerable Phagguṇa is gravely ill. It would be helpful if The Blessed One would go 
to him out of compassion.” The Blessed One accepted the suggestion, in silence.  
Then, when it was evening, The Blessed One having come out of his seclusion, went to see the 
Venerable Phagguṇa. On seeing the Blessed One approaching from the distance, the Venerable 
Phagguṇa quickly tried to get out of bed to show pay his respects to the Lord, but The Blessed 
One urged him:  
“Phagguṇa, it is not necessary. Do not move out from your bed. There are seats prepared here in 
front, I will sit there.”  
And The Blessed One sat on the prepared seat and said to the Venerable Phagguṇa:  
“Phagguṇa, I hope your situation is bearable. I hope you are doing well. Is your pain decreasing 
and not intensifying? Can you tell if the pain is nearing its end or is it still strong and persisting?” 
“Bhante, my situation is unbearable, and I am not doing well at all. My pain is increasing and 
intensifying. The pain is not nearing its end, as it is still strong and persisting. Bhante, the pain I 
am experiencing is so severe that it feels just as if a strong man was cleaving the top of my head 
with the edge of a sharp sword. In the same way, Bhante, my head feels like it is being sliced by 
the dry and violent internal winds. Bhante, I can’t bear the pain. 
“Bhante, my situation is unbearable, and I am not doing well at all. My pain is increasing and 
intensifying. The pain is not nearing its end, as it is still strong and persisting. Bhante, the pain I 
am experiencing is so severe that it feels just as if a strong man was continuously tightening a 
leather strap that’s wrapped around my head. In the same way, Bhante, my head feels like it is 
about to explode by the dry and violent internal winds. Bhante, I can’t bear the pain. 
“Bhante, my situation is unbearable, and I am not doing well at all. My pain is increasing and 
intensifying. The pain is not nearing its end, as it is still strong and persisting. Bhante, the pain I 
am experiencing is so severe that it feels just as if a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to cut 
open my gut with his meat cleaver. In the same way, Bhante, my gut feels like it is being cut 
open by the dry and violent internal winds. Bhante, I can’t bear the pain.

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“Bhante, my situation is unbearable, and I am not doing well at all. My pain is increasing and 
intensifying. The pain is not nearing its end, as it is still strong and persisting. Bhante, the pain I 
am experiencing is so severe that it feels just as if two strong men had grabbed hold of a weaker 
person by his limbs and start roasting and grilling him over a pit of burning charcoal. In the same 
way, Bhante, my body is burning with hot fever. Bhante, I can’t bear the pain.  
“Bhante, my situation is unbearable, and I am not doing well at all. My pain is increasing and 
intensifying. The pain is not nearing its end, as it is still strong and persisting.”  
Then The Blessed One encouragingly spoke, as he inspired, roused, and lightened Venerable 
Phagguṇa’s heart with an enlivening Talk on the Dhamma, and then, He rose from His seat and 
left.  
Soon after The Blessed One had left, the Venerable Phagguṇa died. But, as he was dying, his 
faculties suddenly became bright and clear.  
Then, the Venerable Ānanda approached The Blessed One, and after paying homage to Him, sat 
to one side, and said: 
“Bhante, soon after The Blessed One had left, the Venerable Phagguṇa died. But, as he was 
dying, his faculties suddenly became bright and clear.” 
Ānanda, why shouldn't Phagguṇa Bhikkhu’s faculties not become bright and clear? For even 
though, Phagguṇa Bhikkhu’s mind was not yet released from the five lower fetter that bound him 
to the sensual world, on listening to the Dhamma, right at that moment, his mind was released 
from the lower fetters that bound him to the sensual world.  
“Ānanda, there are these six benefits of listening to the Dhamma at the correct time, while 
investigating its meaning, at the correct time. What are these six? 
“Here, Ānanda the Bhikkhu’s mind is not yet released from the five lower fetters binding him to 
the sensual world. At the time of his death, he gets the opportunity to see the Tathāgata. The 
Tathāgata then teaches him the Dhamma that is beautiful in its beginning, beautiful at its middle, 
and beautiful in its end; full of meaning and balanced in its expression and phrasing, while 
declaring and revealing to him the completeness and purity of the Holy Life. Now, on hearing 
and listening to the Dhamma his mind is released from the five lower fetters binding him to the 
sensual world. Ānanda, this is the first benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the correct time. 
“Again, Ānanda the Bhikkhu’s mind is not yet released from the five lower fetters binding him 
to the sensual world. At the time of his death, he does not get the opportunity to see the 
Tathāgata. But, prior to his death, he does see a Disciple of The Tathāgata, who teaches him the 
Dhamma that is beautiful in its beginning, beautiful at its middle, and beautiful in its end; full of 
meaning and balanced in its expression and phrasing, while declaring and revealing to him the 
completeness and purity of the Holy Life. Now, on hearing and listening to the Dhamma his 
mind is released from the five lower fetters binding him to the sensual world. Ānanda, this is the 
second benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the correct time.

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“Again, Ānanda the Bhikkhu’s mind is not yet released from the five lower fetters binding him 
to the sensual world. At the time of his death, he does not get the opportunity to see the 
Tathāgata, nor does he see a Disciple of The Tathāgata. But he carefully examines, scrutinizes, 
ponders, and investigates whatever he has already heard and learned of the Dhamma. Now, as he 
continues doing so, his mind is released from the five lower fetters binding him to the sensual 
world. Ānanda, this is the third benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the correct time. 
“Further, Ānanda the Bhikkhu’s mind is released from the five lower fetters binding him to the 
sensual world, but not yet released from the underlying defilements in the heart, through the 
unsurpassed destruction of all attachments. But at the time of his death, he gets the opportunity to 
see the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata then teaches him the Dhamma that is beautiful in its beginning, 
beautiful at its middle, and beautiful in its end; full of meaning and balanced in its expression 
and phrasing, while declaring and revealing to him the completeness and purity of the Holy Life. 
Now, on hearing and listening to the Dhamma his mind is released from the underlying 
defilements in the heart, through the destruction of attachments. Ānanda, this is the fourth benefit 
of listening to the Dhamma at the correct time. 
 
“Again, Ānanda the Bhikkhu’s mind is released from the five lower fetters binding him to the 
sensual world, but not yet released from the underlying defilements in the heart, through the 
unsurpassed destruction of all attachments. At the time of his death, he does not get the 
opportunity to see the Tathāgata. But, prior to his death, he does see a Disciple of The Tathāgata, 
who teaches him the Dhamma that is beautiful in its beginning, beautiful at its middle, and 
beautiful in its end; full of meaning and balanced in its expression and phrasing, while declaring 
and revealing to him the completeness and purity of the Holy Life. Now, on hearing and listening 
to the Dhamma his mind is released from the underlying defilements in the heart, through the 
destruction of attachments. Ānanda, this is the fifth benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the 
correct time. 
 
“Again, Ānanda the Bhikkhu’s mind is released from the five lower fetters binding him to the 
sensual world, but not yet released from the underlying defilements in the heart, through the 
unsurpassed destruction of all attachments. At the time of his death, he does not get the 
opportunity to see the Tathāgata, nor does he see a Disciple of The Tathāgata. But he carefully 
examines, scrutinizes, ponders, and investigates whatever he has already heard and learned of the 
Dhamma. Now, as he continues doing so, his mind is released from the underlying defilements in 
the heart, through the destruction of attachments. Ānanda, this is the sixth benefit of listening to 
the Dhamma at the correct time. 
 
“Ānanda, these are the six benefits of listening to the Dhamma at the correct time, while 
investigating its meaning, at the correct time.” 
 
Sādhu 
 
Sādhu 
 
Sādhu
