Reading guide
A physical sign noticed and asked about
Confirmed by direct reading, Sāriputta's own question is prompted by observation, not report: he notices Anuruddha's own clear faculties and bright complexion before asking what kind of meditation he has been practicing.
The familiar practice, then a rare explicit claim
Confirmed by direct reading, Anuruddha's own answer begins with the same plain satipaṭṭhāna formula already met throughout this vagga, but closes by explicitly applying the classic arahant formula — “perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey... rightly freed through enlightenment” — directly to himself as the one whose mind stays “firmly established” in the four foundations.
A "bull's utterance," confirmed by the root Pāli
Confirmed by direct reading of the root Pāli, Sāriputta's own closing reaction names Anuruddha's statement an “āsabhiṁ vācaṁ” — literally a “bull's utterance,” a recognized technical term in this literature for a confident, formal declaration of one's own spiritual attainment — rendered by the consulted English translation as a “dramatic statement.” Sāriputta's own words — “we're so fortunate... to have heard” it — mark this as a notably rare, direct moment in this vagga.
Key terms
The text
§1At one time the venerables Anuruddha and Sāriputta were staying near Vesālī, in Ambapālī’s Mango Grove. Then in the late afternoon, Sāriputta came out of retreat, went to Anuruddha, and said to him:
§2“Reverend Anuruddha, your faculties are so very clear, and your complexion is pure and bright. What kind of meditation are you usually practicing these days?” “These days, reverend, I usually meditate with my mind firmly established in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. What four? I meditate observing an aspect of the body … feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. These days I usually meditate with my mind firmly established in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation. A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—usually meditates with their mind firmly established in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”
§3“We’re so fortunate, reverend, so very fortunate, to have heard such a dramatic statement in the presence of Venerable Anuruddha.”
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