Reading guide
Three great disciples, one setting
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own opening names all three venerables together — Sāriputta and Moggallāna coming out of retreat in the late afternoon specifically to visit Anuruddha, a rare gathering this project has not yet met in this exact combination.
A question about the trainee's own practice
Confirmed by direct reading, Sāriputta's own question is specific: not what the arahant Anuruddha himself has attained, but what a “trainee mendicant” (sekha) — someone still on the path, not yet fully awakened — should “enter and remain in.”
The same plain formula, now for the trainee specifically
This project's own comparison: Anuruddha's own answer uses the same plain satipaṭṭhāna formula already met at SN 52.2-3, now explicitly framed as advice for the trainee rather than a report of his own personal attainment.
Key terms
The text
§1At one time the venerables Anuruddha, Sāriputta, and Mahāmoggallāna were staying near Sāketa, in the Thorny Wood. Then in the late afternoon, Sāriputta and Mahāmoggallāna came out of retreat, went to Anuruddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side. Sāriputta said to Anuruddha: “Reverend Anuruddha, what things should a trainee mendicant enter and remain in?”
§2“Reverend Sāriputta, a trainee mendicant should enter and remain in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. What four? It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. They meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. A trainee mendicant should enter and remain in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”
Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.