AN 6.49 - AN 6:49 With Khema | Khema Sutta
Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu
Source: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN6_49.html
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Copyright: Copyright 2014 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Revised edition 2017
License notice: Copyright 2014 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Revised edition 2017 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported. To see a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. “Commercial” shall mean any sale, whether for commercial or non-profit purposes or entities. Questions about this book may be addressed to Metta Forest Monastery Valley Center, CA 92082-1409 U.S.A. Additional resources More Dhamma talks, books and translations by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu are available to download in digital audio and various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org. Printed copy A paperback copy of this book is available free of charge. To request one, write to: Book Request, Metta Forest Monastery, PO Box 1409, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA.
Attribution: From Handful of Leaves, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu; https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/SuttaPitaka_251113.epub. Copyright 2014 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Revised edition 2017 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported. To see a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. “Commercial” shall mean any sale, whether for commercial or non-profit purposes or entities. Questions about this book may be addressed to Metta Forest Monastery Valley Center, CA 92082-1409 U.S.A. Additional resources More Dhamma talks, books and translations by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu are available to download in digital audio and various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org. Printed copy A paperback copy of this book is available free of charge. To request one, write to: Book Request, Metta Forest Monastery, PO Box 1409, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA.
Publisher references (not part of the sutta): See also: MN 102; MN 105; AN 4:199; AN 6:55; AN 10:13; Sn 4:5; Sn 4:9–10
Changes: Presentation only: original HTML markup reflowed into plain text; wording, numbering and source repetitions retained. No repetitions expanded.
Completeness: ABBREVIATED. Every source-unit character is preserved, including introductions, notes and verse structure. Thanissaro's collection-level note explicitly states that repetitions were cut: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/about.html. This is evidence about the translation method, not an assertion that every individual unit contains an omission; no repetitions reconstructed.

With Khema
 Khema Sutta (AN 6:49)

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. And at that time Ven. Khema and Ven. Sumana were staying near Sāvatthī in the Grove of the Blind. Then Ven. Khema and Ven. Sumana went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Ven. Khema said to the Blessed One, “When a monk is an arahant, with his effluents ended—one who has reached fulfillment, done the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, totally destroyed the fetter of becoming, and is released through right gnosis—the thought doesn’t occur to him that ‘There is someone better than me,’ or ‘There is someone equal to me,’ or ‘There is someone worse than me.’” That is what Ven. Khema said, and the Teacher approved. Sensing that “The Teacher approves of me,” Ven. Khema got up from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One, circled him—keeping him on his right—and left.

Then Ven. Sumana, not long after Ven. Khema had left, said to the Blessed One, “When a monk is an arahant, with his effluents ended—one who has reached fulfillment, done the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, totally destroyed the fetter of becoming, and is released through right gnosis—the thought doesn’t occur to him that ‘There is no one better than me,’ or ‘There is no one equal to me,’ or ‘There is no one worse than me.’” That is what Ven. Sumana said, and the Teacher approved. Sensing that “The Teacher approves of me,” Ven. Sumana got up from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One, circled him—keeping him on his right—and left.

Then the Blessed One, not long after Ven. Khema & Ven. Sumana had left, said to the monks, “Monks, this is how clansmen declare gnosis. The meaning (of gnosis) is stated, but without mention of self. Yet there are some worthless people who declare gnosis as if in jest. They will fall into trouble afterwards.

“Not as higher, lower, nor equal
do they refer to themselves.
With birth ended,
the holy life fulfilled
they go about
totally freed from fetters.”