At one time the venerables Ānanda and Sāriputta were staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Sāriputta came out of retreat, went to Venerable Ānanda, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to him: “Reverend, how many things do people have to give up and how many do they have to possess in order for the Buddha to declare that they’re a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?” “Reverend, people have to give up four things and possess four things in order for the Buddha to declare that they’re a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening.

What four? They don’t have the distrust in the Buddha that causes an unlearned ordinary person to be reborn—when their body breaks up, after death—in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. And they do have the experiential confidence in the Buddha that causes a learned noble disciple to be reborn—when their body breaks up, after death—in a good place, a heavenly realm. ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’