Numbered Discourses 9.28
- Abodes of Sentient Beings
Fears and Enmities (2nd)
“Mendicants, when a noble disciple has quelled five fears and enmities, and possesses the four factors of stream-entry, they may, if they wish, declare of themselves:
‘I’ve finished with rebirth in hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. I’ve finished with all places of loss, bad places, the underworld. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be reborn in the underworld, and am assured, destined for awakening.’
What are the five fears and enmities they have quelled?
Anyone who kills living creatures brims with fear and enmity both in this life and in lives to come, and experiences mental pain and sadness. Anyone who refrains from killing living creatures does not brim with fear and enmity either in this life or in lives to come, and doesn’t experience mental pain and sadness.
So that fear and enmity is quelled for anyone who refrains from killing living creatures.
Anyone who steals … commits sexual misconduct … lies …
Anyone who consumes beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants brims with fear and enmity both in this life and in lives to come, and experiences mental pain and sadness. Anyone who refrains from consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants does not brim with fear and enmity either in this life or in lives to come, and doesn’t experience mental pain and sadness.
So that fear and enmity is quelled for anyone who refrains from consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants.
These are the five fears and enmities they have quelled.
What are the four factors of stream-entry that they possess?
When a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha …
the teaching …
the Saṅgha …
And a noble disciple’s ethical conduct is loved by the noble ones, unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion.
These are the four factors of stream-entry that they possess.
When a noble disciple has quelled these five fears and enmities, and possesses these four factors of stream-entry, they may, if they wish, declare of themselves:
‘I’ve finished with rebirth in hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. I’ve finished with all places of loss, bad places, the underworld. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be reborn in the underworld, and am assured, destined for awakening.’”