The Buddha describes the four things—the firmament and the earth. ..., the near and the far shore of the ocean. ..., and where the sun rises and where it sets. ....

AN 4.47 Very Far Apart

“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, suvidūravidūrāni. Katamāni cattāri? Nabhañca, bhikkhave, pathavī ca; idaṁ paṭhamaṁ suvidūravidūre. Orimañca, bhikkhave, tīraṁ samuddassa pārimañca; idaṁ dutiyaṁ suvidūravidūre. Yato ca, bhikkhave, verocano abbhudeti yattha ca atthameti; idaṁ tatiyaṁ suvidūravidūre. Satañca, bhikkhave, dhammo asatañca dhammo; idaṁ catutthaṁ suvidūravidūre. Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri suvidūravidūrānīti.

Nabhañca dūre pathavī ca dūre,
Pāraṁ samuddassa tadāhu dūre;
Yato ca verocano abbhudeti,
Pabhaṅkaro yattha ca atthameti;
Tato have dūrataraṁ vadanti,
Satañca dhammaṁ asatañca dhammaṁ.

Abyāyiko hoti sataṁ samāgamo,
Yāvāpi tiṭṭheyya tatheva hoti;
Khippañhi veti asataṁ samāgamo,
Tasmā sataṁ dhammo asabbhi ārakā”ti.

Sattamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, suvidūravidūrāni.

“Mendicants, these four things are very far apart.

Katamāni cattāri?

What four?

Nabhañca, bhikkhave, pathavī ca;

The firmament and the earth. …

idaṁ paṭhamaṁ suvidūravidūre.

Orimañca, bhikkhave, tīraṁ samuddassa pārimañca;

The near and the far shore of the ocean. …

idaṁ dutiyaṁ suvidūravidūre.

Yato ca, bhikkhave, verocano abbhudeti yattha ca atthameti;

Where the sun rises and where it sets. …

idaṁ tatiyaṁ suvidūravidūre.

Satañca, bhikkhave, dhammo asatañca dhammo;

The teaching of the virtuous and the teaching of the wicked. …

idaṁ catutthaṁ suvidūravidūre.

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri suvidūravidūrānīti.

These are the four things very far apart.

Nabhañca dūre pathavī ca dūre,

The firmament is far from the earth;

Pāraṁ samuddassa tadāhu dūre;

they say the other shore of the ocean is far;

Yato ca verocano abbhudeti,

and where the sun rises is far

Pabhaṅkaro yattha ca atthameti;

from where that beacon sets.

Tato have dūrataraṁ vadanti,

But even further apart than that, they say,

Satañca dhammaṁ asatañca dhammaṁ.

is the teaching of the virtuous from the wicked.

Abyāyiko hoti sataṁ samāgamo,

The company of the virtuous is reliable;

Yāvāpi tiṭṭheyya tatheva hoti;

as long as it remains, it stays the same.

Khippañhi veti asataṁ samāgamo,

But the company of the wicked is fickle,

Tasmā sataṁ dhammo asabbhi ārakā”ti.

and so the teaching of the virtuous is far from the wicked.”

Sattamaṁ.

Qualities:

Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026