The Buddha teaches on eightfold, presenting a fourfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 4.205 Eightfold

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, micchāsaṅkappo hoti, micchāvāco hoti, micchākammanto hoti, micchāājīvo hoti, micchāvāyāmo hoti, micchāsati hoti, micchāsamādhi hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti; attanā ca micchāsaṅkappo hoti, parañca micchāsaṅkappe samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvāco hoti, parañca micchāvācāya samādapeti; attanā ca micchākammanto hoti, parañca micchākammante samādapeti; attanā ca micchāājīvo hoti, parañca micchāājīve samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvāyāmo hoti, parañca micchāvāyāme samādapeti; attanā ca micchāsati hoti, parañca micchāsatiyā samādapeti; attanā ca micchāsamādhi hoti, parañca micchāsamādhimhi samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, sammāsaṅkappo hoti, sammāvāco hoti, sammākammanto hoti, sammāājīvo hoti, sammāvāyāmo hoti, sammāsati hoti, sammāsamādhi hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti; attanā ca sammāsaṅkappo hoti, parañca sammāsaṅkappe samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvāco hoti, parañca sammāvācāya samādapeti; attanā ca sammākammanto hoti, parañca sammākammante samādapeti; attanā ca sammāājīvo hoti, parañca sammāājīve samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvāyāmo hoti, parañca sammāvāyāme samādapeti; attanā ca sammāsati hoti, parañca sammāsatiyā samādapeti; attanā ca sammāsamādhi hoti, parañca sammāsamādhimhi samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca;

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person,

sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

a true person and an even truer person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso?

And what is an untrue person?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, micchāsaṅkappo hoti, micchāvāco hoti, micchākammanto hoti, micchāājīvo hoti, micchāvāyāmo hoti, micchāsati hoti, micchāsamādhi hoti.

It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong immersion.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

This is called an untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro?

And what is an even more untrue person?

Idha bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti;

It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong immersion. And they encourage others in these same qualities.

attanā ca micchāsaṅkappo hoti, parañca micchāsaṅkappe samādapeti;

attanā ca micchāvāco hoti, parañca micchāvācāya samādapeti;

attanā ca micchākammanto hoti, parañca micchākammante samādapeti;

attanā ca micchāājīvo hoti, parañca micchāājīve samādapeti;

attanā ca micchāvāyāmo hoti, parañca micchāvāyāme samādapeti;

attanā ca micchāsati hoti, parañca micchāsatiyā samādapeti;

attanā ca micchāsamādhi hoti, parañca micchāsamādhimhi samādapeti.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso?

And what is a true person?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, sammāsaṅkappo hoti, sammāvāco hoti, sammākammanto hoti, sammāājīvo hoti, sammāvāyāmo hoti, sammāsati hoti, sammāsamādhi hoti.

It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro?

And what is an even truer person?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti;

It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. And they encourage others in these same qualities.

attanā ca sammāsaṅkappo hoti, parañca sammāsaṅkappe samādapeti;

attanā ca sammāvāco hoti, parañca sammāvācāya samādapeti;

attanā ca sammākammanto hoti, parañca sammākammante samādapeti;

attanā ca sammāājīvo hoti, parañca sammāājīve samādapeti;

attanā ca sammāvāyāmo hoti, parañca sammāvāyāme samādapeti;

attanā ca sammāsati hoti, parañca sammāsatiyā samādapeti;

attanā ca sammāsamādhi hoti, parañca sammāsamādhimhi samādapeti.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

This is called an even truer person.”

Pañcamaṁ.

Qualities:

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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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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Right livelihood

Right livelihood

Means of living that does not cause harm to others or oneself; earning a living ethically without deceit, exploitation, or violence.

Also known as: correct livelihood, right mode of earning a living
Pāli: sammāājīva
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Right speech

Right speech

Speech that is purified by abstaining from falsehood, divisive talk, harsh words, and idle chatter.

Also known as: truthful speech, honest speech, kind speech, beneficial speech, harmonious speech, articulate words, eloquent communication
Pāli: sammāvācā
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Right view

Right view

View that is in line with the Dhamma — teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth.

Also known as: right understanding, right belief, view that is inline with the Dhamma
Pāli: sammādiṭṭhi
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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