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

AN 10.88 An Abuser

“Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosakaparibhāsako ariyūpavādī sabrahmacārīnaṁ ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so dasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyya. Katamesaṁ dasannaṁ? Anadhigataṁ nādhigacchati, adhigatā parihāyati, saddhammassa na vodāyanti, saddhammesu adhimāniko hoti anabhirato brahmacariyaṁ carati, aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati, gāḷhaṁ rogātaṅkaṁ phusati, ummādaṁ pāpuṇāti cittakkhepaṁ, sammūḷho kālaṁ karoti, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosakaparibhāsako ariyūpavādī sabrahmacārīnaṁ, ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so imesaṁ dasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyyā”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosakaparibhāsako ariyūpavādī sabrahmacārīnaṁ ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so dasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyya.

“Mendicants, any mendicant who abuses and insults their spiritual companions, denouncing the noble ones, will, without a doubt, fall into one or other of these ten disasters.

Katamesaṁ dasannaṁ?

What ten?

Anadhigataṁ nādhigacchati, adhigatā parihāyati, saddhammassa na vodāyanti, saddhammesu adhimāniko hoti anabhirato brahmacariyaṁ carati, aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati, gāḷhaṁ rogātaṅkaṁ phusati, ummādaṁ pāpuṇāti cittakkhepaṁ, sammūḷho kālaṁ karoti, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati.

They don’t achieve the unachieved. What they have achieved falls away. They don’t refine their good qualities. They overestimate their good qualities, or lead the spiritual life dissatisfied, or commit a corrupt offense, or contract a severe illness, or go mad and lose their mind. They feel lost when they die. And when their body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosakaparibhāsako ariyūpavādī sabrahmacārīnaṁ, ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so imesaṁ dasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyyā”ti.

Any mendicant who abuses and insults their spiritual companions, denouncing the noble ones, will, without a doubt, fall into one or other of these ten disasters.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Doubt

Doubt

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

Also known as: confusion, indecisiveness, uncertainty, wavering, perplexity
Pāli: vicikiccha, kaṅkhā, vimati
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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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Spiritual life

Spiritual life

A life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures

Also known as: abstinence, celibacy, chastity, holy life, sexual restraint
Pāli: brahmacariya
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Wholesome

Wholesome

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

Also known as: blameless, skillful, beneficial, good, useful, healthy, nourishing, sustaining
Pāli: kusala
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Last updated on July 27, 2026