The Buddha describes the five qualities is fit to hold a discussion with their spiritual c—a mendicant is personally accomplished in ethics, and answers questions that come up when discussing accomplishment in ethics, they’re personally accomplished in immersion,, they’re personally accomplished in wisdom,, and they’re personally accomplished in freedom,, and they’re personally accomplished in the knowledge and vision of freedom, and they answer questions that come up when discussing accomplishment in the knowledge and vision of freedom.

AN 5.163 Discussions

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi: “āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

“Pañcahāvuso, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu alaṁ sākaccho sabrahmacārīnaṁ. Katamehi pañcahi?

Idhāvuso, bhikkhu attanā ca sīlasampanno hoti, sīlasampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

attanā ca samādhisampanno hoti, samādhisampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

attanā ca paññāsampanno hoti, paññāsampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

attanā ca vimuttisampanno hoti, vimuttisampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

attanā ca vimuttiñāṇadassanasampanno hoti, vimuttiñāṇadassanasampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti.

Imehi kho, āvuso, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu alaṁ sākaccho sabrahmacārīnan”ti.

Tatiyaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:

There Venerable Sāriputta addressed the mendicants:

“āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Reverends, mendicants!”

“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ.

“Reverend,” they replied.

Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

Sāriputta said this:

“Pañcahāvuso, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu alaṁ sākaccho sabrahmacārīnaṁ.

“A mendicant with five qualities is fit to hold a discussion with their spiritual companions.

Katamehi pañcahi?

What five?

Idhāvuso, bhikkhu attanā ca sīlasampanno hoti, sīlasampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

A mendicant is personally accomplished in ethics, and answers questions that come up when discussing accomplishment in ethics.

attanā ca samādhisampanno hoti, samādhisampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

They’re personally accomplished in immersion, …

attanā ca paññāsampanno hoti, paññāsampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

They’re personally accomplished in wisdom, …

attanā ca vimuttisampanno hoti, vimuttisampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti;

They’re personally accomplished in freedom, …

attanā ca vimuttiñāṇadassanasampanno hoti, vimuttiñāṇadassanasampadākathāya ca āgataṁ pañhaṁ byākattā hoti.

They’re personally accomplished in the knowledge and vision of freedom, and they answer questions that come up when discussing accomplishment in the knowledge and vision of freedom.

Imehi kho, āvuso, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu alaṁ sākaccho sabrahmacārīnan”ti.

A mendicant with these five qualities is fit to hold a discussion with their spiritual companions.”

Tatiyaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Collectedness

Collectedness

A mental quality of composure where awareness is gathered, steady, rather than scattered or tense. In such collectedness, supported by mindfulness and right view, experience is clearly known and can be wisely contemplated.

Also known as: mental composure, stability of mind, stillness of mind, concentration, undistracted awareness
Pāli: samādhi, samāhita, susamāhita, sammāsamādhi
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Liberation

Liberation

Liberation can imply a temporary release of the mind, i.e. liberated from certain unwholesome mental qualities or complete liberation from all unwholesome qualities of the mind, i.e. Nibbāna.

Also known as: freedom, release, emancipation, deliverance
Pāli: vimutti, vimokkha, cetovimutti, paññāvimutti, akuppā cetovimutti
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Vision

Vision

The corrective clarity that clearly sees into the true nature of things as they actually are.

Also known as: knowledge and vision, seeing clearly, seeing things as they are, seeing the truth, seeing the dhamma
Pāli: dassana, ñāṇadassana, yathābhūtañāṇadassana
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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