With Vaṅgīsa

SN 8.12 · Vaṅgīsasutta

A pale fallen petal beside a small woodland rain puddle.

At one time Venerable Vaṅgīsa was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Now at that time Vaṅgīsa had recently attained perfection. While experiencing the bliss of freedom, on that occasion he recited these verses:

“We used to wander, drunk on poetry, village to village, town to town. Then we saw the Buddha, and faith arose in us.
He taught me Dhamma: the aggregates, sense fields, and elements. When I heard his teaching I went forth to homelessness.
It was truly for the benefit of many that the sage achieved awakening—for the monks and for the nuns who see that they’ve reached certainty.
It was so welcome for me to be in the presence of the Buddha. I’ve attained the three knowledges, and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.
I know my past lives, my clairvoyance is purified, I am master of three knowledges, attained in psychic power, expert in encompassing the minds of others.”

The Linked Discourses with Vaṅgīsa are complete.

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.