Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A noble disciple who has quelled the five fears and enmities that come from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants, and who possesses experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, the Saṅgha, and their own unbroken ethical conduct, may rightly declare themselves a stream-enterer, finished with any further rebirth in a bad place.
Five fears, quelled by the five precepts
Each of the five fears follows an identical logic: anyone who kills, steals, commits sexual misconduct, lies, or drinks intoxicants brims with fear and enmity, both now and in future lives, and suffers mental pain; anyone who refrains does not. The familiar five precepts are reframed here not as external rules but as the direct removal of a specific, nameable fear.
Four factors, naming what a stream-enterer trusts
The four factors of stream-entry name experiential confidence, not mere belief, in the Buddha (recited through his standard qualities), the teaching (well explained, apparent, inviting inspection), and the Saṅgha (practicing well, worthy of offerings), plus a noble disciple's own ethical conduct, described as loved by the noble ones and leading to immersion.
Nine total, and a personal address
Five quelled fears plus four factors of confidence gives exactly the nine this chapter is named for — but unlike most nine-item formulas in this nipāta, this discourse is addressed to a specific, named individual, Anāthapiṇḍika, the Buddha's most famous lay donor, rather than to the mendicants in general as at AN 9.28, its near-identical twin.
Key terms
The text
A declaration, addressed to Anāthapiṇḍika
§1Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him: “Householder, when a noble disciple has quelled five fears and enmities, and possesses the four factors of stream-entry, they may, if they wish, declare of themselves: ‘I’ve finished with rebirth in hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. I’ve finished with all places of loss, bad places, the underworld. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be reborn in the underworld, and am assured, destined for awakening.’
Five fears, quelled
§2What are the five fears and enmities they have quelled? Anyone who kills living creatures brims with fear and enmity both in this life and in lives to come, and experiences mental pain and sadness. Anyone who refrains from killing living creatures does not brim with fear and enmity either in this life or in lives to come, and doesn’t experience mental pain and sadness. So that fear and enmity is quelled for anyone who refrains from killing living creatures. Anyone who steals … Anyone who commits sexual misconduct … Anyone who lies … Anyone who consumes beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants brims with fear and enmity both in this life and in lives to come, and experiences mental pain and sadness. Anyone who refrains from consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants does not brim with fear and enmity either in this life or in lives to come, and doesn’t experience mental pain and sadness. So that fear and enmity is quelled for anyone who refrains from consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants. These are the five fears and enmities they have quelled.
Four factors of confidence
§3What are the four factors of stream-entry that they possess? It’s when a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ They have experiential confidence in the teaching: ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha—apparent in the present life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’ They have experiential confidence in the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, direct, systematic, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individual persons. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’ And a noble disciple’s ethical conduct is loved by the noble ones, unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion. These are the four factors of stream-entry that they possess. When a noble disciple has quelled these five fears and enmities, and possesses these four factors of stream-entry, they may, if they wish, declare of themselves: ‘I’ve finished with rebirth in hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. I’ve finished with all places of loss, bad places, the underworld. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be reborn in the underworld, and am assured, destined for awakening.’”
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