The Buddha teaches on ethics, presenting a fivefold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 5.168 Ethics

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:

“dussīlassa, āvuso, sīlavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti sammāsamādhi; sammāsamādhimhi asati sammāsamādhivipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; yathābhūtañāṇadassane asati yathābhūtañāṇadassanavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti nibbidāvirāgo; nibbidāvirāge asati nibbidāvirāgavipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, rukkho sākhāpalāsavipanno. Tassa papaṭikāpi na pāripūriṁ gacchati, tacopi pheggupi sāropi na pāripūriṁ gacchati.

Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, dussīlassa sīlavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti sammāsamādhi; sammāsamādhimhi asati sammāsamādhivipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; yathābhūtañāṇadassane asati yathābhūtañāṇadassanavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti nibbidāvirāgo; nibbidāvirāge asati nibbidāvirāgavipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

Sīlavato, āvuso, sīlasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti sammāsamādhi; sammāsamādhimhi sati sammāsamādhisampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; yathābhūtañāṇadassane sati yathābhūtañāṇadassanasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti nibbidāvirāgo; nibbidāvirāge sati nibbidāvirāgasampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, rukkho, sākhāpalāsasampanno. Tassa papaṭikāpi pāripūriṁ gacchati, tacopi pheggupi sāropi pāripūriṁ gacchati. Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, sīlavato sīlasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti sammāsamādhi;

sammāsamādhimhi sati sammāsamādhisampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ; yathābhūtañāṇadassane sati yathābhūtañāṇadassanasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti nibbidāvirāgo; nibbidāvirāge sati nibbidāvirāgasampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanan”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:

There Venerable Sāriputta addressed the mendicants:

“dussīlassa, āvuso, sīlavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti sammāsamādhi;

“Reverends, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for right immersion.

sammāsamādhimhi asati sammāsamādhivipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ;

When there is no right immersion, one who lacks right immersion has destroyed a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.

yathābhūtañāṇadassane asati yathābhūtañāṇadassanavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti nibbidāvirāgo;

When there is no true knowledge and vision, one who lacks true knowledge and vision has destroyed a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.

nibbidāvirāge asati nibbidāvirāgavipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

When there is no disillusionment and dispassion, one who lacks disillusionment and dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, rukkho sākhāpalāsavipanno.

Suppose there was a tree that lacked branches and foliage.

Tassa papaṭikāpi na pāripūriṁ gacchati, tacopi pheggupi sāropi na pāripūriṁ gacchati.

Its shoots, bark, softwood, and heartwood would not grow to fullness.

Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, dussīlassa sīlavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti sammāsamādhi;

In the same way, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for right immersion.

sammāsamādhimhi asati sammāsamādhivipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ;

When there is no right immersion, one who lacks right immersion has destroyed a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.

yathābhūtañāṇadassane asati yathābhūtañāṇadassanavipannassa hatūpaniso hoti nibbidāvirāgo;

When there is no true knowledge and vision, one who lacks true knowledge and vision has destroyed a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.

nibbidāvirāge asati nibbidāvirāgavipannassa hatūpanisaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

When there is no disillusionment and dispassion, one who lacks disillusionment and dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.

Sīlavato, āvuso, sīlasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti sammāsamādhi;

An ethical person, who has fulfilled ethics, has fulfilled a vital condition for right immersion.

sammāsamādhimhi sati sammāsamādhisampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ;

When there is right immersion, one who has fulfilled right immersion has fulfilled a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.

yathābhūtañāṇadassane sati yathābhūtañāṇadassanasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti nibbidāvirāgo;

When there is true knowledge and vision, one who has fulfilled true knowledge and vision has fulfilled a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.

nibbidāvirāge sati nibbidāvirāgasampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ.

When there is disillusionment and dispassion, one who has fulfilled disillusionment and dispassion has fulfilled a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, rukkho, sākhāpalāsasampanno. Tassa papaṭikāpi pāripūriṁ gacchati, tacopi pheggupi sāropi pāripūriṁ gacchati.

Suppose there was a tree that was complete with branches and foliage. Its shoots, bark, softwood, and heartwood would grow to fullness.

Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, sīlavato sīlasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti sammāsamādhi;

In the same way, an ethical person, who has fulfilled ethics, has fulfilled a vital condition for right immersion.

sammāsamādhimhi sati sammāsamādhisampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ;

When there is right immersion, one who has fulfilled right immersion has fulfilled a vital condition for true knowledge and vision.

yathābhūtañāṇadassane sati yathābhūtañāṇadassanasampannassa upanisasampanno hoti nibbidāvirāgo;

When there is true knowledge and vision, one who has fulfilled true knowledge and vision has fulfilled a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion.

nibbidāvirāge sati nibbidāvirāgasampannassa upanisasampannaṁ hoti vimuttiñāṇadassanan”ti.

When there is disillusionment and dispassion, one who has fulfilled disillusionment and dispassion has fulfilled a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Dispassion

Dispassion

The fading of desire and attraction toward conditioned things. It arises through seeing the impermanent and unsatisfactory nature of experience. It is the natural fragrance of understanding and the forerunner of release.

Also known as: detachment, disinterest, fading of desire, disentanglement
Pāli: virāga, visaṁyutta
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Ethical conduct

Ethical conduct

A disciplined way of living grounded in harmlessness and integrity. Ethical conduct restrains the body and speech from harm, purifies behavior, and forms the foundation for collectedness and wisdom.

Also known as: moral integrity, right action, virtue
Pāli: sīla, sammākammanta
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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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Quenching

Quenching

An experiential state of being “cooled,” where the burning fever of craving has subsided and the mind dwells in a peace free from the anxiety of needing to become something else.

Also known as: being cooled, desirelessness, free from hope, fulfilled, fully satiated, having attained emancipation
Pāli: nibbuta, nirāsa, parinibbāyati
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True knowledge

True knowledge

A direct experiential knowing that cuts through ignorance and sees phenomena in line with reality. It is not secondhand belief or mere conceptual understanding, but a truth realized for oneself.

Also known as: direct realization of truth
Pāli: vijjā
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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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Last updated on July 27, 2026