Having attained ultimate peace So patvā paramaṁ santiṁ,
and witnessed the unshakable, sacchikatvā akuppataṁ;
that novice Sumana has the wish: Sāmaṇero sa sumano,
‘May no-one find me out!’” mā maṁ jaññāti icchatī”ti.
What is the literal word-for-word translation?
How would you explain the meaning of the text more fully, using a whole little paragraph instead of just one line? Is there commentary that explains it?
What is the soteriological meaning, or the implied instruction or lesson for us – why is the novice’s having that wish identified as praiseworthy?
Is it – it doesn’t seem to be – the same message as the Vajirāsutta? I don’t understand how it fits the context, “having attained ultimate peace”.
I think the context needed is the entire quote, from
my teacher declared:
"“Sāriputta, see this young boy…
Here’s an alternative translation of the last verse:
That novice Sumana has attained the highest peace. He is an enlightened one. But he doesn’t want others to know that he is. https://suttafriends.org/sutta/thag6-10/
If he’s still a novice, at 7 years old already attained to arahanthood, he got 13 years more as a novice before he could gain higher ordination. So by the rules of seniority, he should bow down even to an unenlightened Bhikkhu even ordained at that day.
Imagine the embarrassment to the other monks when a known arahant novice bows down to them.
I brought water for my mentor
from the great lake Anotatta.
As a novice, he’s serving the seniors, so it’s another embarrassment for the unenlightened bhikkhus to see an arahant, one who is worthy of being served to serve them instead.
Imagine if he’s found out as an arahant. The lay followers would wanna learn from this 7 year old instead of say a Mahathera who’s still unenlightened teaching the Dhamma.
Overall, I think his wish is for the sake of harmony in the sangha.
Another point is that arahants don’t announce themselves (to the public). That’s the main takeaway we can get.
So those who claimed arahanthood, we can be certain that they are not actually one. (Eg. Daniel Ingram).
