AN 8.29: Akkhaṇa Sutta – No Opportunity
Translated by Bhante Suddhāso
“Monks, an uneducated commoner says ‘The world must seize the opportunity, the world must seize the opportunity,’ but does not understand what ‘opportunity’ means or what ‘no opportunity’ means.
“Monks, there are eight circumstances in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life. What eight?
“Here, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world – an Arahant, a Rightly Self-Awakened One, one who has perfect knowledge and behavior, a sublime one, a world-knower, an unsurpassed trainer of trainable people, a teacher of both divine and human beings, an Awakened One, a Fortunate One – and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in hell. Monks, this is the first circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn as an animal. Monks, this is the second circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in the domain of ghosts. Monks, this is the third circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn as a divine being with a long lifespan. Monks, this is the fourth circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in a distant country, surrounded by unwise barbarians, where no bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, male lay disciples, or female lay disciples go. Monks, this is the fifth circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in the central country, but they have wrong views and distorted perspectives, such as ‘There is no gift, no offering, no donation; there is no result or consequence of any good or bad deed; this world does not exist, and no other world exists; there is no mother and no father; there are no spontaneously-reborn beings; there are no contemplatives or priests who, by means of the correct path and the correct practice, explain both this world and the other world based on realization through their own higher knowledge.’ Monks, this is the sixth circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in the central country, but they are foolish, stupid, and obtuse, and are incapable of knowing the meaning of good statements and bad statements. Monks, this is the seventh circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Next, monks, a Tathāgata has not appeared in the world… and does not teach the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in the central country, and is wise, intelligent, astute, and capable of knowing the meaning of good statements and bad statements. Monks, this is the eighth circumstance in which there is no opportunity to live the spiritual life.
“Monks, there is only one circumstance in which there is the opportunity to live the spiritual life. What one? Here, monks, a Tathāgata has appeared in the world… and he teaches the Dhamma which leads to peace, to complete enlightenment, to full awakening, which is declared by sublime beings; and this person has been reborn in the central country, and is wise, intelligent, astute, and capable of knowing the meaning of good statements and bad statements. Monks, this is the one and only circumstance in which there is the opportunity to live the spiritual life.”
“There are those who acquire a human life
At a time when the true Dhamma has been taught well
But who do not seize the opportunity
They miss the opportunity.
“It has been said that there are many circumstances
Where there is no opportunity for the path, and many obstacles instead.
It is not often that Tathāgatas appear in the world.
To be in the presence of one is so very rare in this world.
“If one is a human when the true Dhamma is being taught
This is sufficient reason
For those who care about themselves
To put forth sincere effort.
“Try to understand the true Dhamma.
Do not miss the opportunity.
When the opportunity is gone, they sorrow,
Having arrived in hell.
“If one fails at this –
The invariability of the true Dhamma –
Then, like a merchant who fails to make a profit,
One will be tormented for a long time.
“A person who is hindered by ignorance,
Who has transgressed against the true Dhamma,
Will continue to undergo the cycle of birth and death
For a very long time.
“But those who acquire a human life
At a time when the true Dhamma has been taught well
And who have enacted the Teacher’s instructions –
Or will enact them, or are currently enacting them –
They know what an opportunity in the world is:
The unsurpassed spiritual life.
“Those who practice the path taught by the Tathāgata,
Those who are self-restrained and endowed with vision,
Who have been taught by the Kinsman of the Sun,
They are always guarded, mindful, and uncorrupted.
“Having cut off all habits,
They go beyond Māra’s realm;
They have gone beyond the world,
And reached the elimination of all corruptions.”