The Buddha describes the four individuals.

AN 4.66 Greedy

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro? Sarāgo, sadoso, samoho, samāno

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasminti.

Sārattā rajanīyesu,
Piyarūpābhinandino;
Mohena āvutā sattā,
Baddhā vaḍḍhenti bandhanaṁ.

Rāgajaṁ dosajañcāpi,
mohajaṁ cāpaviddasū;
Karontākusalaṁ kammaṁ,
savighātaṁ dukhudrayaṁ.

Avijjānivutā posā,
andhabhūtā acakkhukā;
Yathā dhammā tathā santā,
na tassevanti maññare”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ.

“Mendicants, these four individuals are found in the world.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Sarāgo, sadoso, samoho, samāno

The greedy, the hateful, the delusional, and the conceited.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasminti.

These are the four individuals found in the world.

Sārattā rajanīyesu,

Full of desire for desirable things,

Piyarūpābhinandino;

enjoying things that seem pleasant,

Mohena āvutā sattā,

beings veiled by delusion

Baddhā vaḍḍhenti bandhanaṁ.

only tighten their bonds.

Rāgajaṁ dosajañcāpi,

Born of greed, born of hate,

mohajaṁ cāpaviddasū;

born of delusion: the ignorant

Karontākusalaṁ kammaṁ,

do unskillful deeds

savighātaṁ dukhudrayaṁ.

that afflict and produce pain.

Avijjānivutā posā,

If you act out of these qualities, that’s what you become.

andhabhūtā acakkhukā;

But men shrouded by ignorance,

Yathā dhammā tathā santā,

are blind, with no eyes to see,

na tassevanti maññare”ti.

and they never imagine that this could be so.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Aversion

Aversion

A rejecting mental quality rooted in perception, where one instinctively turns away from or resists unpleasant experiences or objects; it manifests as a tendency to push away discomfort, obstructing patience and acceptance.

Also known as: animosity, hate, hostility, fault-finding mindset, upset
Pāli: dosa, paṭighasaññā, vera
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Delusion

Delusion

A fundamental distortion of reality that sustains confusion, clouds discernment, and fuels further doubt.

Also known as: illusion, hallucination, misapprehension, distorted view
Pāli: moha, micchāñāṇa
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Desire

Desire

A wholesome motivation, interest, or objective that acts as the starting point for effort and application of will.

Also known as: aspiration, interest, wish, having an objective, intention, impulse
Pāli: chanda
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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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Ignorance

Ignorance

A fundamental blindness to the true nature of reality. It is not merely a lack of information, but an active misperception that views the transient as permanent and the unsatisfactory as a source of happiness, thereby fueling the cycle of suffering.

Also known as: illusion of knowing, fundamental unawareness of the true nature of reality, misunderstanding of how things have come to be, not knowing the four noble truths
Pāli: avijjā
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Suffering

Suffering

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026