The Buddha teaches a repeated formula on eleven things that should be developed for complete understanding, ending, and letting go of unwholesome qualities in this grouped discourse.

AN 11.983-991 Abbreviated Texts Beginning with Greed

“Rāgassa, bhikkhave, pariññāya… parikkhayāya… pahānāya… khayāya… vayāya… virāgāya… nirodhāya… cāgāya… paṭinissaggāya… ime ekādasa dhammā bhāvetabbā”.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Rāgassa, bhikkhave, pariññāya…

“For the complete understanding of greed …

parikkhayāya…

complete ending …

pahānāya…

giving up …

khayāya…

ending …

vayāya…

vanishing …

virāgāya…

fading away …

nirodhāya…

cessation …

cāgāya…

giving away …

paṭinissaggāya…

letting go …

ime ekādasa dhammā bhāvetabbā”.

these eleven things should be developed.”

Topics & Qualities:

Craving

Craving

A driving ‘thirst’ that reaches out toward experiences, identities, or outcomes as the place to find satisfaction—“if only I had that.” It spins stories of lack, binds the mind to becoming, and invariably leads to suffering.

Also known as: wanting, yearning, longing, lit. thirst
Pāli: taṇha, abhijjhā
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Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Giving

Giving

The act of generosity, sharing, or offering to others without expecting anything in return. Giving is considered a foundational virtue in Buddhist practice, fostering selflessness and compassion.

Also known as: generosity, charity, donation, almsgiving, donating, philanthropy, providing with, gift with
Pāli: dāna
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Giving up

Giving up

The mental quality of renunciation and release from attachment. It delights in simplicity and freedom rather than in sensual pleasure. Giving up is not loss but the joyful abandoning of burden, opening the way to peace and insight.

Also known as: renunciation, relinquishment, letting go, abandonment
Pāli: nekkhamma
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Greed

Greed

A grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment

Also known as: acquisitiveness, avarice, covetousness, rapacity, money grabbing, grabbiness
Pāli: lobha, gedha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026