The Buddha teaches on disasters, presenting a elevenfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 11.6 Disasters

“Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyya. Katamesaṁ ekādasannaṁ?

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

yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so imesaṁ ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyya.

Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, aṭṭhānametaṁ anavakāso yaṁ so ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ na nigaccheyya. Katamesaṁ ekādasannaṁ?

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

yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, aṭṭhānametaṁ anavakāso yaṁ so imesaṁ ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ na nigaccheyyā”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so ekādasannaṁ 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 eleven disasters.

Katamesaṁ ekādasannaṁ?

What eleven?

Anadhigataṁ nādhigacchati,

They don’t achieve the unachieved.

adhigatā parihāyati,

What they have achieved falls away.

saddhammassa na vodāyanti,

They don’t refine their good qualities.

saddhammesu adhimāniko hoti,

Or they overestimate their good qualities.

anabhirato brahmacariyaṁ carati,

Or they lead the spiritual life dissatisfied.

aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati,

Or they commit a corrupt offense.

sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati,

Or they resign the training and return to a lesser life.

gāḷhaṁ rogātaṅkaṁ phusati,

Or they contract a severe illness.

ummādaṁ pāpuṇāti cittakkhepaṁ vā,

Or they go mad or lose their mind.

sammūḷho kālaṁ karoti,

They feel lost when they die.

kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati

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 akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, ṭhānametaṁ avakāso yaṁ so imesaṁ ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ nigaccheyya.

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

Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, aṭṭhānametaṁ anavakāso yaṁ so ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ na nigaccheyya.

Any mendicant who does not abuse and insult their spiritual companions, denouncing the noble ones, will, without a doubt, not fall into one or other of these eleven disasters.

Katamesaṁ ekādasannaṁ?

What eleven?

Anadhigataṁ nādhigacchati,

They don’t achieve the unachieved.

adhigatā parihāyati,

What they have achieved falls away.

saddhammassa na vodāyanti,

They don’t refine their good qualities.

saddhammesu adhimāniko hoti,

They overestimate their good qualities.

anabhirato brahmacariyaṁ carati,

Or they lead the spiritual life dissatisfied.

aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati,

Or they commit one of the corrupt offenses.

sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati,

Or they resign the training and return to a lesser life.

gāḷhaṁ rogātaṅkaṁ phusati,

Or they contract a severe illness.

ummādaṁ pāpuṇāti cittakkhepaṁ vā,

Or they go mad or lose their mind.

sammūḷho kālaṁ karoti,

They feel lost when they die.

kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati

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 akkosako paribhāsako ariyūpavādo sabrahmacārīnaṁ, aṭṭhānametaṁ anavakāso yaṁ so imesaṁ ekādasannaṁ byasanānaṁ aññataraṁ byasanaṁ na nigaccheyyā”ti.

Any mendicant who does not abuse and insult their spiritual companions, denouncing the noble ones, will, without a doubt, not fall into one or other of these eleven disasters.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Qualities:

Cruelty

Cruelty

The wish to cause pain or the enjoyment of another’s suffering. Rooted in aversion and moral blindness, cruelty hardens the heart and erases compassion.

Also known as: abuse, hurting, fierceness, inhumanity, injuring, viciousness
Pāli: vihiṁsā
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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