The Buddha teaches a repeated formula on individuals with ten qualities—contrasting who mendicants should and should not frequent, honor, and revere—based on the ten path factors in this grouped discourse.

AN 10.156-166 Frequenting, Etc.

“Dasahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato puggalo na bhajitabbo …pe… bhajitabbo …pe… na payirupāsitabbopayirupāsitabbo …pe… na pujjo hotipujjo hoti …pe… na pāsaṁso hotipāsaṁso hoti …pe… agāravo hotisagāravo hoti …pe… appatisso hotisappatisso hoti …pe… na ārādhako hotiārādhako hoti …pe… na visujjhativisujjhati …pe… mānaṁ nādhibhotimānaṁ adhibhoti …pe… paññāya na vaḍḍhatipaññāya vaḍḍhati …pe….

Bahuṁ apuññaṁ pasavatibahuṁ puññaṁ pasavati. Katamehi dasahi? Sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, sammāsaṅkappo hoti, sammāvāco hoti, sammākammanto hoti, sammāājīvo hoti, sammāvāyāmo hoti, sammāsati hoti, sammāsamādhi hoti, sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti imehi kho, bhikkhave, dasahi dhammehi samannāgato puggalo bahuṁ puññaṁ pasavatī”ti.

Puggalavaggo paṭhamo.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Dasahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato puggalo na bhajitabbo …pe…

“Mendicants, you should not frequent an individual who has ten qualities. …

bhajitabbo …pe…

you should frequent …

na payirupāsitabbo

you should not pay homage …

payirupāsitabbo …pe…

you should pay homage …

na pujjo hoti

you should not venerate …

pujjo hoti …pe…

you should venerate …

na pāsaṁso hoti

you should not praise …

pāsaṁso hoti …pe…

you should praise …

agāravo hoti

you should not respect …

sagāravo hoti …pe…

you should respect …

appatisso hoti

you should not revere …

sappatisso hoti …pe…

you should revere …

na ārādhako hoti

is not a success …

ārādhako hoti …pe…

is a success …

na visujjhati

is not pure …

visujjhati …pe…

is pure …

mānaṁ nādhibhoti

does not win over conceit …

mānaṁ adhibhoti …pe…

wins over conceit …

paññāya na vaḍḍhati

does not grow in wisdom …

paññāya vaḍḍhati …pe….

grows in wisdom …

Bahuṁ apuññaṁ pasavati

brims with much wickedness …

bahuṁ puññaṁ pasavati.

brims with much merit.

Katamehi dasahi?

What ten?

Sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, sammāsaṅkappo hoti, sammāvāco hoti, sammākammanto hoti, sammāājīvo hoti, sammāvāyāmo hoti, sammāsati hoti, sammāsamādhi hoti, sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti

Right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom.

imehi kho, bhikkhave, dasahi dhammehi samannāgato puggalo bahuṁ puññaṁ pasavatī”ti.

An individual who has these ten qualities creates much merit.”

Puggalavaggo paṭhamo.

Qualities:

Conceit

Conceit

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
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Merit

Merit

Wholesome result of good conduct, generosity, and right intention. Merit brightens the mind and supports happiness and favorable conditions for practice.

Also known as: good deeds, spiritual wealth
Pāli: puñña, kalyāṇa
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Respect

Respect

A mental attitude of reverent attentiveness that values goodness and wisdom in oneself and others. It steadies conduct and opens the mind to learning and humility.

Also known as: reverence, veneration, regard, admiration, appreciation, deference, honour, attentiveness
Pāli: gārava, pūjā, sakkāra
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Right effort

Right effort

Energy and resolve directed toward preventing unwholesome states from arising, abandoning arisen unwholesome states, cultivating wholesome states, and maintaining arisen wholesome states; persistent application of the mind aligned with the path.

Also known as: right endeavor, right striving
Pāli: sammāvāyāma, padhāna
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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