DN33.7. Sevens

Saṅgāti Sutta ("Reciting in Concert")

There are teachings grouped by seven that have been rightly explained by the Buddha. You should all recite these in concert. What are the teachings grouped by seven?

Seven kinds of noble wealth: the wealth of faith, ethical conduct, conscience, prudence, learning, generosity, and wisdom.

Seven awakening factors: mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity.

Seven prerequisites for immersion: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, and right mindfulness.

Seven bad qualities: a mendicant is faithless, shameless, imprudent, uneducated, lazy, unmindful, and witless.

Seven good qualities: a mendicant is faithful, conscientious, prudent, learned, energetic, mindful, and wise.

Seven aspects of the teachings of the good persons: a mendicant knows the teachings, knows the meaning, knows themselves, knows moderation, knows the right time, knows assemblies, and knows people.

Seven qualifications for graduation. A mendicant has a keen enthusiasm to undertake the training … to examine the teachings … to get rid of desires … for retreat … to rouse up energy … for mindfulness and alertness … to penetrate theoretically. And they don’t lose these desires in the future.

Seven perceptions: the perception of impermanence, the perception of not-self, the perception of ugliness, the perception of drawbacks, the perception of giving up, the perception of fading away, and the perception of cessation.

Seven powers: faith, energy, conscience, prudence, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.

Seven planes of consciousness. There are sentient beings that are diverse in body and diverse in perception, such as human beings, some gods, and some beings in the underworld. This is the first plane of consciousness.

There are sentient beings that are diverse in body and unified in perception, such as the gods reborn in Brahmā’s Host through the first absorption. This is the second plane of consciousness.

There are sentient beings that are unified in body and diverse in perception, such as the gods of streaming radiance. This is the third plane of consciousness.

There are sentient beings that are unified in body and unified in perception, such as the gods replete with glory. This is the fourth plane of consciousness.

There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond perceptions of form. With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that ‘space is infinite’, they have been reborn in the dimension of infinite space. This is the fifth plane of consciousness.

There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that ‘consciousness is infinite’, they have been reborn in the dimension of infinite consciousness. This is the sixth plane of consciousness.

There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that ‘there is nothing at all’, they have been reborn in the dimension of nothingness. This is the seventh plane of consciousness.

Seven persons worthy of a religious donation: one freed both ways, one freed by wisdom, a personal witness, one attained to view, one freed by faith, a follower of the teachings, and a follower by faith.

Seven underlying tendencies: sensual desire, repulsion, views, doubt, conceit, desire to be reborn, and ignorance.

Seven fetters: attraction, repulsion, views, doubt, conceit, desire to be reborn, and ignorance.

Seven principles for the settlement of any disciplinary issues that might arise. Removal in the presence of those concerned is applicable. Removal by accurate recollection is applicable. Removal due to recovery from madness is applicable. The acknowledgement of the offense is applicable. The decision of a majority is applicable. A verdict of aggravated misconduct is applicable. Covering over with grass is applicable.

These are the teachings grouped by seven that have been rightly explained by the Buddha. You should all recite these in concert.

The second recitation section is finished.



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