AN 6.34 You don't have to be Buddhist, and "You May Already Be a (stream) Winner!"

 

Those of you who are older may remember the days of physical mail and often receiving this junk mail with the bold headline, 

“You May Already Be a Winner!”

I'm not recommending anyone take time to read this, but this link explains what that raffle lottery thing was:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30981/you-may-already-be-winner-story-publishers-clearing-house

AN 6.34 has an ambiguous reading that suggests: You don't have to be Buddhist, and "You May Already Be a (stream) Winner!" 

This is a derived Sujato Translation, B. Bodhi's has the same ambiguity, the problem is in the pāḷi itself, and the problem arises when the translator went too literal. Their translation is correct, but the result is ambiguous.

One of the features of the oral tradition, it will often say a clause, and then state a second clause that is in some fashion opposite or different in meaning from the first, but simply using the same words of the first clause and  negating some of  the words (in order to make sutta memorization easier and not use specific bullet proof lawyerese fluent precision). 

For example, 

1. if one pays un-wise attention to attractive-nimitta, that fuels lust.

2. if one pays wise attention un-attractive nimitta, then that starves lust.

AN 6.34 Mahāmoggallāna: With Mahāmoggallāna

34. Mahāmoggallānasutta	34. With Mahāmoggallāna
Ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.	At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Atha kho āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṃ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:	Then as Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was in private retreat this thought came to his mind:
“katamesānaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti:	“Which gods know that they are
‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?	stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening?”
Tena kho pana samayena tisso nāma bhikkhu adhunākālaṅkato aññataraṃ brahmalokaṃ upapanno hoti.	Now, at that time a monk called Tissa had recently passed away and been reborn in a Brahmā realm.
Tatrapi naṃ evaṃ jānanti:	There they knew that
“tisso brahmā mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.	Tissa the Brahmā was very mighty and powerful.
Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṃ vā bāhaṃ pasāreyya pasāritaṃ vā bāhaṃ samiñjeyya; evamevaṃ—jetavane antarahito tasmiṃ brahmaloke pāturahosi.	And then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, vanished from Jeta’s Grove and reappeared in that Brahmā realm.
Addasā kho tisso brahmā āyasmantaṃ mahāmoggallānaṃ dūratova āgacchantaṃ.	Tissa saw Moggallāna coming off in the distance,
Disvāna āyasmantaṃ mahāmoggallānaṃ etadavoca:	and said to him:
“ehi kho, mārisa moggallāna; svāgataṃ, mārisa moggallāna;	“Come, my good Moggallāna! Welcome, my good Moggallāna!
cirassaṃ kho, mārisa moggallāna; imaṃ pariyāyamakāsi, yadidaṃ idhāgamanāya.	It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here.
Nisīda, mārisa moggallāna, idamāsanaṃ paññattan”ti.	Sit, my good Moggallāna, this seat is for you.”
Nisīdi kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno paññatte āsane.	Moggallāna sat down on the seat spread out.
Tissopi kho brahmā āyasmantaṃ mahāmoggallānaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ nisīdi.	Then Tissa bowed to Moggallāna and sat to one side.
Ekamantaṃ nisinnaṃ kho tissaṃ brahmānaṃ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:	Moggallāna said to him:
“Katamesānaṃ kho, tissa, devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?	“Tissa, which gods know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening?”
“Cātumahārājikānaṃ kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.	“The gods of the Four Great Kings know this.”
“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, cātumahārājikānaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?	“But do all of them know this?”
“Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṃ cātumahārājikānaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.	“No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them.
Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā na tesaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.	Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.
Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā, tesaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.	But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”
“Cātumahārājikānaññeva nu kho, tissa, devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti udāhu tāvatiṃsānampi devānaṃ … pe …	“But Tissa, is it only the gods of the Four Great Kings who know that they are stream-enterers, or do the gods of the Thirty Three …
yāmānampi devānaṃ …	the Gods of Yama …
tusitānampi devānaṃ …	the Joyful Gods …
nimmānaratīnampi devānaṃ …	the Gods Who Love to Create …
paranimmitavasavattīnampi devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?	and the Gods Who Control the Creations of Others know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening?”
“Paranimmitavasavattīnampi kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.	“The gods of these various classes know this.”
“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, paranimmitavasavattīnaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?	“But do all of them know this?”
“Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṃ paranimmitavasavattīnaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.	“No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them.
Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā, na tesaṃ devānaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.	Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.
Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā tesaṃ evaṃ ñāṇaṃ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.	But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”
Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno tissassa brahmuno bhāsitaṃ abhinanditvā anumoditvā: “seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṃ vā bāhaṃ pasāreyya, pasāritaṃ vā bāhaṃ samiñjeyya; evamevaṃ: ‘brahmaloke antarahito jetavane pāturahosī’”ti.	Moggallāna approved and agreed with what Tissa the Brahmā said. Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from that Brahmā realm and reappeared in Jeta’s Grove.

What's the fix?

Don't be so literal in the translation in the highlighted portions by simply translation the negation of a word from the first clause. 

Instead of

 Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.

Something like this

 Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, it is not possible for them to be stream-enterers.

This begs the question...

what about the case when you're such a stream winner and you don't even know it?

 What happens to stream enterers who die, are reborn in their next life and don't remember anything about their previous life where they attained stream entry? Can they become a catholic? What if there is no Buddha Dharma Sangha where they're reborn? Do they just waste one of their 6 remaining lives and hope to get lucky in the remaining 5?