sn.1.5 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

How Many Must One Cut?

At Savatthi. Standing to one side, that devatā recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“How many must one cut, how many abandon,
And how many further must one develop?
When a bhikkhu has surmounted how many ties
Is he called a crosser of the flood?”

The Blessed One:

“One must cut off five, abandon five,
And must develop a further five.
A bhikkhu who has surmounted five ties
Is called a crosser of the flood.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

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Cut How Many?

At Sāvatthī.
Standing to one side, that deity recited this verse in the Buddha’s presence:
“Cut how many? Drop how many?
How many more should be developed?
How many chains must a mendicant escape
before you call them a flood-crosser?”
“Five to cut, five to drop,
and five more to develop.
A mendicant must escape five chains
before you call them a flood-crosser.”