Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 55.11

A Saṅgha of a Thousand Nuns

Sahassabhikkhunisaṅghasutta — Rājakārāmavagga

Setting
Sāvatthī, the Royal Monastery
Speaker
The Buddha, addressing a thousand nuns directly
Form
The four factors restated in full, to a specific, large monastic audience
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Significance
★★★ — opens this saṃyutta's own second vagga, confirming the four-factor formula applies equally and is taught directly to a large community of nuns

Why this discourse

Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse opens the Rājakārāmavagga with the Buddha addressing “a Saṅgha of a thousand nuns” directly, restating the identical four factors of stream-entry already given in full at SN 55.2 — confirming this teaching's own audience is not limited to individual disciples or lay villagers, but extends to a large, specifically named monastic community of women.

Reading guide

A specific, large audience named directly

Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own title and opening both specify the audience precisely: “a Saṅgha of a thousand nuns” approaching the Buddha together and standing, rather than sitting, to one side — a scale and formality distinct from this vagga's own more intimate opening discourses in Vagga 1.

The identical formula, unchanged for this audience

This project's own direct comparison: the four factors given here match SN 55.2's own formula exactly, confirming no variation is introduced for this particular audience — the same path to stream-entry applies without modification.

Key terms

sahassa bhikkhunisaṅgha — “a Saṅgha of a thousand nuns” — this discourse's own specifically named, large audience
ekamantaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu — “stood to one side” — the nuns' own posture, distinct from the more common “sat down to one side” used elsewhere in this saṃyutta
aveccappasāda — “experiential confidence” — the shared term for confidence in the Buddha, teaching, and Saṅgha, unchanged from SN 55.2
ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato — “has the ethical conduct loved by the noble ones” — the fourth factor, restated identically here
sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo — “a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening” — this saṃyutta's own recurring closing description

The text

Every genuinely translated fragment given in the consulted English source. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the Royal Monastery. Then a Saṅgha of a thousand nuns went up to the Buddha, bowed, and stood to one side. The Buddha said to them: “Nuns, a noble disciple who has four things is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening. What four? It’s when a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha … the teaching … the Saṅgha … And they have the ethical conduct loved by the noble ones … leading to immersion. A noble disciple who has these four things is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening.”

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Self-check quiz

3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 3
Who is the specific audience for this discourse?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — a large, specifically named monastic community of women.
Question 2 of 3
How does the four-factor formula given here compare to SN 55.2's own?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct comparison — the identical formula, unmodified.
Question 3 of 3
What posture do the nuns take, distinct from other discourses in this saṃyutta?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of this discourse's own specific wording.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0

Further reading

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