Saṃvejanīya Suttaṃ
(A.ii.120)
Inspiring Places to Visit
“These four inspiring places, monks, should be visited ¹ by the child of a good family ² with faith. What four? The place were the child of a good family with faith can reflect, ‘Here the Tathāgata was born.’ ³ The place were the child of a good family with faith can reflect, ‘Here the Tathāgata awakened to the incomparable perfect enlightenment.’ ⁴ The place were the child of a good family with faith can reflect, ‘Here the Tathāgata set in motion the incomparable wheel of the Dhamma.’ ⁵ The place were the child of a good family with faith can reflect, ‘Here the Tathāgata passed away attaining the element of nibbāna without any remainder.’ ⁶ These four inspiring places, monks, should be visited by the child of a good family with faith.”
Notes:
1. Dassanīya, lit., should be seen. In case you cannot visit, photographs can be seen below.
2. The child of a good family (kulaputta). These places can be visited by monks and nuns, and lay people. This discourse is repeated in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta.
3. Lumbinī, Nepal. © Creative Commons. Author: Bibek Raj Pandeya. A pillar discovered in 1896 (and erected thereafter at Rummindei) is believed to mark the spot of Asoka's visit to Lumbini.
4. Bodhgaya, India. © Creative Commons. Author: Bpilgrim
5. Sarnath, India. © Creative Commons. Yusuke Kawasaki
6. Kushinagar, India. Buddha image inside Mahaparinirvana Temple © Creative Commons.
