The Buddha teaches on the decline of the true teaching (1st), presenting a fivefold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 5.154 The Decline of the True Teaching (1st)

“Pañcime, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṁvattanti. Katame pañca? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhū na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ suṇanti, na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhārenti, na sakkaccaṁ dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhanti, na sakkaccaṁ atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammaṁ paṭipajjanti. Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṁvattanti.

Pañcime, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa ṭhitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṁvattanti. Katame pañca? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ suṇanti, sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhārenti, sakkaccaṁ dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhanti, sakkaccaṁ atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammaṁ paṭipajjanti. Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca dhammā saddhammassa ṭhitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṁvattantī”ti.

Catutthaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Pañcime, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṁvattanti.

“Mendicants, these five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhū na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ suṇanti, na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, na sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhārenti, na sakkaccaṁ dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhanti, na sakkaccaṁ atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammaṁ paṭipajjanti.

It’s when mendicants don’t carefully listen to the teachings, memorize them, and remember them. They don’t carefully examine the meaning of teachings that they remember. And they don’t carefully practice in line with the meaning and the teaching they’ve understood.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṁvattanti.

These five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.

Pañcime, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa ṭhitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṁvattanti.

These five things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ suṇanti, sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, sakkaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhārenti, sakkaccaṁ dhātānaṁ dhammānaṁ atthaṁ upaparikkhanti, sakkaccaṁ atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammaṁ paṭipajjanti.

It’s when mendicants carefully listen to the teachings, memorize them, and remember them. They carefully examine the meaning of teachings that they remember. And they carefully practice in line with the meaning and the teaching they’ve understood.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca dhammā saddhammassa ṭhitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṁvattantī”ti.

These five things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.”

Catutthaṁ.

Qualities:

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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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026