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

AN 10.52 With Sāriputta

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi: “āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

“No ce, āvuso, bhikkhu paracittapariyāyakusalo hoti, atha ‘sacittapariyāyakusalo bhavissāmī’ti evañhi vo, āvuso, sikkhitabbaṁ.

Kathañcāvuso, bhikkhu sacittapariyāyakusalo hoti? Seyyathāpi, āvuso, itthī puriso daharo yuvā maṇḍanakajātiko ādāse parisuddhe pariyodāte acche udapatte sakaṁ mukhanimittaṁ paccavekkhamāno sace tattha passati rajaṁ aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tasseva rajassa aṅgaṇassa pahānāya vāyamati. No ce tattha passati rajaṁ aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tenevattamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo: ‘lābhā vata me, parisuddhaṁ vata me’ti.

Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno paccavekkhaṇā bahukārā hoti kusalesu dhammesu: ‘abhijjhālu nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, anabhijjhālu nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, byāpannacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, abyāpannacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, vigatathinamiddho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, uddhato nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, anuddhato nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, vicikiccho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, tiṇṇavicikiccho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, kodhano nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, akkodhano nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, saṅkiliṭṭhacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asaṅkiliṭṭhacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, sāraddhakāyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asāraddhakāyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, kusīto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, āraddhavīriyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, samāhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asamāhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti.

Sace, āvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti: ‘abhijjhālu bahulaṁ viharāmi …pe… asamāhito bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṁ. Seyyathāpi, āvuso, ādittacelo ādittasīso vā. Tasseva celassa sīsassa nibbāpanāya adhimattaṁ chandañca vāyāmañca ussāhañca ussoḷhiñca appaṭivāniñca satiñca sampajaññañca kareyya. Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, tena bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṁ.

Sace panāvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti: ‘anabhijjhālu bahulaṁ viharāmi …pe… samāhito bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesuyeva kusalesu dhammesu patiṭṭhāya uttari āsavānaṁ khayāya yogo karaṇīyo”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:

There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants:

“āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Reverends, mendicants!”

“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ.

“Reverend,” they replied.

Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

Sāriputta said this:

“No ce, āvuso, bhikkhu paracittapariyāyakusalo hoti, atha ‘sacittapariyāyakusalo bhavissāmī’ti

“Reverends, if a mendicant isn’t skilled in encompassing another’s mind, then they should train themselves: ‘I will be skilled in encompassing my own mind.’

evañhi vo, āvuso, sikkhitabbaṁ.

Kathañcāvuso, bhikkhu sacittapariyāyakusalo hoti?

And how is a mendicant skilled in encompassing their own mind?

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, itthī puriso daharo yuvā maṇḍanakajātiko ādāse parisuddhe pariyodāte acche udapatte sakaṁ mukhanimittaṁ paccavekkhamāno sace tattha passati rajaṁ aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tasseva rajassa aṅgaṇassa pahānāya vāyamati.

Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. If they see any dirt or blemish there, they’d try to remove it.

No ce tattha passati rajaṁ aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tenevattamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo:

But if they don’t see any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy with that, as they’ve got all they wished for:

‘lābhā vata me, parisuddhaṁ vata me’ti.

‘How fortunate that I’m clean!’

Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno paccavekkhaṇā bahukārā hoti kusalesu dhammesu:

In the same way, checking is very helpful for a mendicant’s skillful qualities.

‘abhijjhālu nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, anabhijjhālu nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, byāpannacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, abyāpannacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, vigatathinamiddho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, uddhato nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, anuddhato nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, vicikiccho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, tiṇṇavicikiccho nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, kodhano nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, akkodhano nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, saṅkiliṭṭhacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asaṅkiliṭṭhacitto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, sāraddhakāyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asāraddhakāyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, kusīto nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, āraddhavīriyo nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, samāhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmi, asamāhito nu kho bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti.

‘Am I often covetous or not? Am I often malicious or not? Am I often overcome with dullness and drowsiness or not? Am I often restless or not? Am I often doubtful or not? Am I often irritable or not? Am I often corrupted in mind or not? Am I often disturbed in body or not? Am I often energetic or not? Am I often immersed in samādhi or not?’

Sace, āvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti:

Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this:

‘abhijjhālu bahulaṁ viharāmi …pe… asamāhito bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṁ.

‘I am often covetous, malicious, overcome with dullness and drowsiness, restless, doubtful, irritable, defiled in mind, disturbed in body, lazy, and not immersed in samādhi.’ In order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, they should apply extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, ādittacelo ādittasīso vā. Tasseva celassa sīsassa nibbāpanāya adhimattaṁ chandañca vāyāmañca ussāhañca ussoḷhiñca appaṭivāniñca satiñca sampajaññañca kareyya.

Suppose your clothes or head were on fire. In order to extinguish it, you’d apply extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness.

Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, tena bhikkhunā tesaṁyeva pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṁ.

In the same way, in order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, that mendicant should apply extraordinary enthusiasm …

Sace panāvuso, bhikkhu paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jānāti:

But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this:

‘anabhijjhālu bahulaṁ viharāmi …pe… samāhito bahulaṁ viharāmī’ti, tenāvuso, bhikkhunā tesuyeva kusalesu dhammesu patiṭṭhāya uttari āsavānaṁ khayāya yogo karaṇīyo”ti.

‘I am often content, kind-hearted, rid of dullness and drowsiness, calm, confident, loving, pure in mind, undisturbed in body, energetic, and immersed in samādhi.’ Grounded on those skillful qualities, they should practice meditation further to end the defilements.”

Dutiyaṁ.

Qualities:

Drowsiness

Drowsiness

A heaviness or stiffness of the mind that leads to sleepiness. It shrouds clarity like a fog, making the mind unwieldy and prone to drifting away from its object.

Also known as: sleepiness, torpor, feeling lethargic, lit. stiffness (of mind/body due to tiredness)
Pāli: middha
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Dullness

Dullness

Mental stagnation and lack of driving power. It is an inertia where the mind feels thick and incapable of active engagement or investigation.

Also known as: lack of mental clarity or alertness, inertia, mental sluggishness, inattentiveness or lack of sharpness
Pāli: thina
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Harm

Harm

Intention or action that causes injury or suffering to oneself or others. It arises from aversion and heedlessness and destroys trust and safety. The opposite of non-harm, it obscures compassion and leads to regret.

Also known as: injury causing behavior, destructiveness, bad, evil
Pāli: pāpaka
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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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Unwholesome

Unwholesome

Conducive to or suggestive of poor health and mental well-being.

Also known as: blameworthy, unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, karmically unprofitable
Pāli: akusala
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Vigour

Vigour

Energetic effort and resilience in practice. It is the refusal to shrink back, the 'uphill' force that initiates and sustains wholesome actions against the gravity of habit.

Also known as: energy, effort, enthusiasm, zeal, application of will, persistence
Pāli: vīriya
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Last updated on July 27, 2026