DiscoverANAN 10AN 10.13

The Buddha teaches on fetters, presenting a tenfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 10.13 Fetters

“Dasayimāni, bhikkhave, saṁyojanāni. Katamāni dasa? Pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni, pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni. Katamāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni? Sakkāyadiṭṭhi, vicikicchā, sīlabbataparāmāso, kāmacchando, byāpādo— imāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni.

Katamāni pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni? Rūparāgo, arūparāgo, māno, uddhaccaṁ, avijjā— imāni pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni. Imāni kho, bhikkhave, dasa saṁyojanānī”ti.

Tatiyaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Dasayimāni, bhikkhave, saṁyojanāni.

“Mendicants, there are ten fetters.

Katamāni dasa?

What ten?

Pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni, pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni.

The five lower fetters and the five higher fetters.

Katamāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni?

What are the five lower fetters?

Sakkāyadiṭṭhi, vicikicchā, sīlabbataparāmāso, kāmacchando, byāpādo—

Substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances, sensual desire, and ill will.

imāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni.

These are the five lower fetters.

Katamāni pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni?

What are the five higher fetters?

Rūparāgo, arūparāgo, māno, uddhaccaṁ, avijjā—

Desire for rebirth in the realm of luminous form, desire for rebirth in the formless realm, conceit, restlessness, and ignorance.

imāni pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni.

These are the five higher fetters.

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, dasa saṁyojanānī”ti.

These are the ten fetters.”

Tatiyaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Conceit

Conceit

☁️ dark quality

Self-view expressed as comparison—seeing oneself as superior, inferior, or equal; the persistent “I am” conceit (asmimāna) that underlies identification and fuels rebirth

Also known as: arrogance, egotism, pride, self-importance, tendency of self-comparison
Pāli: māna, atimāna, unnaḷa
View all discourses →
Desire

Desire

topic
💠 neutral quality

A wholesome motivation, interest, or objective that acts as the starting point for effort and application of will.

Also known as: aspiration, interest, wish, having an objective, intention, impulse
Pāli: chanda
View all discourses →
Doubt

Doubt

☁️ dark quality

Paralyzing indecision about the path or practice. Doubt obstructs confidence and clarity.

Also known as: confusion, indecisiveness, uncertainty, wavering, perplexity
Pāli: vicikiccha, kaṅkhā, vimati
View all discourses →
Formless

Formless

☀️ bright quality

A meditative domain that transcends all perception of material form, progressing through the bases of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither-perception-nor-non-perception. These states represent refined levels of collectedness beyond attachment to physical phenomena.

Also known as: immaterial, surpassing forms
Pāli: arūpa
View all discourses →
Ignorance

Ignorance

☁️ dark quality

A fundamental blindness to the true nature of reality. It is not merely a lack of information, but an active misperception that views the transient as permanent and the unsatisfactory as a source of happiness, thereby fueling the cycle of suffering.

Also known as: illusion of knowing, fundamental unawareness of the true nature of reality, misunderstanding of how things have come to be, not knowing the four noble truths
Pāli: avijjā
View all discourses →
Ill will

Ill will

☁️ dark quality

A mental quality of actively opposing or rejecting others in thought, manifesting as deliberate thoughts or intentions that oppose kindness and compassion; it fuels conflict and obstructs goodwill.

Also known as: actively opposing or rejecting others in thought, thought of malevolence towards another, hostile reflections towards another
Pāli: byāpāda
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026

View Pāli source ↗