Puggalasutta — Anusayavagga — the second chapter of the Sevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single seven-item list of person-types, stated once with no reversal
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
The sevenfold classification of noble persons by mode of liberation and stage of practice recurs throughout the Chinese Āgamas and Abhidharma literature; this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — the first of a recurring blurb family in this chapter — four further discourses share this exact summary phrase but not this exact list
Why this discourse
AN 7.14 opens the first of five discourses in this chapter sharing the identical summary phrase, “worthy of offerings... the supreme field of merit for the world” — but this discourse's own seven-item list is genuinely its own: seven classifications of noble persons by mode of liberation and stage of practice, from the one freed both ways down to the follower by faith.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Seven individuals are worthy of offerings and veneration, the supreme field of merit for the world: the one freed both ways, the one freed by wisdom, the direct witness, the one attained to view, the one freed by faith, the follower of teachings, and the follower by faith.
A checked caution for this chapter's remaining pages
AN 7.16, 7.17, 7.18, and 7.19, later in this chapter, all share this exact summary phrase — but checked term by term, none of their seven-item lists matches this discourse's classification by mode of liberation. Each shares only the concluding formula, not the specific content, a pattern this series has met repeatedly and must verify rather than assume here.
Seven positions on a spectrum, not seven unrelated types
The list moves from the most complete attainment (ubhatobhāgavimutta, freed both ways, combining the deepest concentration with wisdom) down through progressively less complete combinations of the same underlying qualities — faith, wisdom, direct experience — ending with saddhānusārī, the follower by faith, who has not yet directly verified the teaching for themselves but proceeds on trust.
Worthy regardless of stage, not only the most advanced
That all seven, from the fully liberated down to the faith-follower still early in the path, are named together as equally worthy of offerings suggests worthiness here is not reserved for the highest attainment alone, but extends across a genuine spectrum of genuine progress.
Key terms
ubhatobhāgavimutta — “freed both ways” — the first and most complete of the seven, combining the deepest immersion attainments with liberating wisdom.
paññāvimutta, kāyasakkhī — “freed by wisdom, the direct witness” — the second and third classifications, each combining wisdom and direct experience differently.
diṭṭhippatta, saddhāvimutta — “attained to view, freed by faith” — the fourth and fifth classifications.
dhammānusārī, saddhānusārī — “the follower of teachings, the follower by faith” — the sixth and seventh, least advanced classifications, proceeding by inference or trust rather than direct verification.
dakkhiṇeyya, āhuneyya — “worthy of a religious donation, worthy of offerings” — two of several honorific terms this discourse's summary phrase applies to all seven classifications.
The text
The discourse in full: seven types of noble persons, classified by mode of liberation and stage of practice. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Seven individuals worthy of offerings
§1“Mendicants, these seven individuals are worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with cupped palms, and are the supreme field of merit for the world. What seven? The one freed both ways, the one freed by wisdom, the direct witness, the one attained to view, the one freed by faith, the follower of teachings, and the follower by faith. These are the seven individuals who are worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with cupped palms, and are the supreme field of merit for the world.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What seven classifications does this discourse name?
Correct: B. A spectrum of noble attainment, from most to least complete.
Question 2 of 6
What caution does the guide draw regarding this chapter's later discourses?
Correct: B. A shared closing formula does not guarantee shared specific content, a pattern requiring individual verification.
Question 3 of 6
How does the guide describe the movement across this discourse's seven classifications?
Correct: B. A graduated spectrum, not seven independent categories.
Question 4 of 6
What does the discourse suggest by naming all seven, from most to least advanced, as equally worthy of offerings?
Correct: B. Worthiness spanning the whole spectrum of genuine practice.
Question 5 of 6
Is a setting stated for AN 7.14?
Correct: B. A bare formula, matching this chapter's other list-form discourses.
Question 6 of 6
What does saddhānusārī mean?
Correct: B. The seventh and least advanced classification, proceeding on trust rather than direct verification.
