Channa — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Seven · Poem 9 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a declaration made after hearing the Dhamma
Speaker
Channa, describing his entry onto the path
Form
One four-line verse
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a direct declaration built from praise of the teacher
Why this text
Channa's verse describes hearing ‘the sweet Dhamma taught by the master, all-knowing, of superb knowledge’, and entering, on the strength of that teaching alone, ‘the path to realize freedom from death’. The verse itself says nothing beyond this moment of hearing and entering.
Reading guide
Praise of the teacher precedes the path itself
Three of this verse's four lines describe the quality of the teaching and the teacher before the fourth line states what Channa did in response — entering the path — a structure that gives more weight to why the teaching moved him than to his own subsequent progress.
A name shared with the subject of a difficult discourse
Channa is also the name of the monk at the center of MN 144, ‘Advice to Channa’, already covered on this site: gravely ill, he ends his own life after receiving counsel from Sāriputta and Mahācunda, and the Buddha subsequently declares him blameless, since he laid down no clinging when he died. Whether this verse's speaker is that same Channa, this reading guide does not assert; it notes only the shared name and reports what that discourse contains, without dwelling further on it.
A path named, not yet walked
The verse describes entering the path, not completing it — unlike several poems elsewhere in this collection that close with a declaration of full liberation, this one ends at the point of setting out, calling the teacher ‘the expert on the road to sanctuary from the yoke’ rather than claiming that sanctuary for himself yet.
Key terms
mahato mahārasaṁ — “the sweet Dhamma taught by the master” — literally ‘of great, great flavor’, describing the teaching Channa heard.
sabbaññuttaññāṇavarena — “of superb, all-knowing knowledge” — the epithet given to the teacher.
amataṁ — “freedom from death” or “the deathless” — what Channa says he entered the path to realize.
yogakkhema — “sanctuary from the yoke” — the goal the teacher is called an expert on the road toward.
Channa — a name shared with the monk at the center of MN 144, “Advice to Channa”, already covered on this site.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Hearing the sweet Dhamma taught by the master, all-knowing, of superb knowledge, I’ve entered the path to realize freedom from death—he is the expert on the road to sanctuary from the yoke.
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What does Channa hear, according to this verse's opening lines?
Correct: D. Praise of the teaching precedes Channa's own response.
Question 2 of 10
What does Channa say he entered, in response to hearing that teaching?
Correct: B. Maggaṁ papajjiṁ amatassa pattiyā.
Question 3 of 10
What does this reading guide say about the Channa of MN 144?
Correct: D. The same cautious treatment applied to other shared names in this chapter.
Question 4 of 10
What happens to the Channa of MN 144, according to that discourse?
Correct: B. A difficult discourse, reported here without further dwelling on it.
Question 5 of 10
How does this verse's ending compare to poems elsewhere in this collection that declare full liberation?
Correct: C. A verse about setting out, not arriving.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'amataṁ' mean?
Correct: A. What Channa says he entered the path to realize.
Question 7 of 10
What title does the verse give the teacher?
Correct: B. Praise closing the verse, directed outward rather than at Channa's own attainment.
Question 8 of 10
How much of this four-line verse describes the teaching and teacher, before turning to Channa's own response?
Correct: A. A structure weighted toward praise before the personal response.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Seven?
Correct: C. Poem 9 of 10.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'yogakkhema' mean?
Correct: A. The goal the teacher is called an expert on the road toward.
