Reading guide
A direct echo of Mudutaravagga's own central term
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own graduated scale uses the identical word “mudutarehi” (“weaker than that”) that this project's own SN 48.12-14 built an entire vagga's name around — a genuine cross-vagga echo, not a claim this project asserts beyond what both discourses' own text plainly shares.
A far longer scale than SN 48.12-14's own six levels
Confirmed by direct comparison, SN 48.12-14 (this project's own earlier work) graduated the five faculties across six levels, ending at the five non-returner sub-types. This discourse continues far past that point, through the once-returner, one-seeder, family-to-family, seven-times-at-most (stream-enterer proper), follower of teachings, and follower by faith — the full classic hierarchy of noble persons in a single unbroken graduated list.
A title drawn from the middle of the scale, not either extreme
This project's own honest observation: this discourse's own title, Ekabījī (“one-seeder”), names neither the highest attainment (arahant) nor the lowest (follower by faith) in its own list, but a specific stream-enterer sub-type partway down — this project declines to guess why that particular term was chosen as the discourse's own name.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. These are the five faculties. Someone who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is a perfected one. If they are weaker than that, they’re one who is extinguished between one life and the next … one who is extinguished upon landing … one who is extinguished without extra effort … one who is extinguished with extra effort … one who heads upstream, going to the Akaniṭṭha realm … a once-returner … a one-seeder … one who goes from family to family … one who has seven rebirths at most … a follower of teachings … a follower by faith.”
Self-check quiz
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