A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s3.t1.94

v2.c19.s3.t1.94

IV. The fourth great collection is the Aṅguttaranikāya,¹ "the Collection of sermons arranged in ascending numerical order."² The Suttas, at least 2,308 in number,¹ are here arranged in eleven sections (Nipāta) in such a manner that Section I treats of things of which only one exists, Section II of things of which there are two, Section III of things of which there are three, and so on, to Section XI, treating of things of which there are eleven. Thus, for instance, in the "Section of two," there are Suttas on the two things one must avoid, on two dark and two bright things, two reasons for living in the forest, two kinds of Buddhas, and so on; in the "Section of three"—Suttas on the trinity of deeds, words and thoughts, three kinds of monks (those who have no desires, those who have some, and those who are free from all desire), the three messengers of the gods (old age, disease and death), the three reasons why death rules the world, three kinds of silence, three things which lead women to hell, and so on; in the "Section of four" Suttas on the four things which lead to liberation from existence (virtue, meditation, intuition and deliverance), four things by which man reaches hell, and four things by which he reaches heaven, the four causes (good and bad deeds in a former existence) of some women's being ugly and poor, others ugly and rich, others beautiful and poor, and yet others beautiful and rich and so on; in the "Section of seven" Suttas on seven requirements for meditation, seven miracles, seven kinds of wives, and so on; in the "Section of eight" Suttas on eight things by which the wife binds the husband and the husband the wife, eight kinds of alms, eight qualities which women must possess in order to be reborn as divine beings, eight causes of an earthquake, and so on; in the "Section of ten" Suttas on the ten powers of a Buddha, the ten fundamental questions (a summary of the whole doctrine of Buddha), ten reasons for the institution of the Pāṭimokkha, ten kinds of rich people, etc., etc.