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

AN 5.272 A Meal Assigner

“Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako na sammannitabbo. Katamehi pañcahi? Chandāgatiṁ gacchati, dosāgatiṁ gacchati, mohāgatiṁ gacchati, bhayāgatiṁ gacchati, uddiṭṭhānuddiṭṭhaṁ na jānāti. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako na sammannitabbo.

Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako sammannitabbo. Katamehi pañcahi? Na chandāgatiṁ gacchati, na dosāgatiṁ gacchati, na mohāgatiṁ gacchati, na bhayāgatiṁ gacchati, uddiṭṭhānuddiṭṭhaṁ jānāti. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako sammannitabboti.

Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako sammato na pesetabbo …pe… sammato pesetabbobālo veditabbopaṇḍito veditabbokhataṁ upahataṁ attānaṁ pariharatiakkhataṁ anupahataṁ attānaṁ pariharatiyathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ nirayeyathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ sagge. Katamehi pañcahi? Na chandāgatiṁ gacchati, na dosāgatiṁ gacchati, na mohāgatiṁ gacchati, na bhayāgatiṁ gacchati, uddiṭṭhānuddiṭṭhaṁ jānāti. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako yathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ sagge”ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako na sammannitabbo.

“Mendicants, someone with five qualities should not be appointed as meal assigner.

Katamehi pañcahi?

What five?

Chandāgatiṁ gacchati, dosāgatiṁ gacchati, mohāgatiṁ gacchati, bhayāgatiṁ gacchati, uddiṭṭhānuddiṭṭhaṁ na jānāti.

They make decisions prejudiced by favoritism, hostility, stupidity, and cowardice. And they don’t know if a meal has been assigned or not.

Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako na sammannitabbo.

Someone with these five qualities should not be appointed as meal assigner.

Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako sammannitabbo.

Someone with five qualities should be appointed as meal assigner.

Katamehi pañcahi?

What five?

Na chandāgatiṁ gacchati, na dosāgatiṁ gacchati, na mohāgatiṁ gacchati, na bhayāgatiṁ gacchati, uddiṭṭhānuddiṭṭhaṁ jānāti.

They don’t make decisions prejudiced by favoritism, hostility, stupidity, and cowardice. And they know if a meal has been assigned or not.

Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako sammannitabboti.

Someone with these five qualities should be appointed as meal assigner.

Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako sammato na pesetabbo …pe… sammato pesetabbobālo veditabbopaṇḍito veditabbokhataṁ upahataṁ attānaṁ pariharatiakkhataṁ anupahataṁ attānaṁ pariharatiyathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ nirayeyathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ sagge.

Someone with five qualities who has been appointed as meal assigner should not be called upon … should be called upon … should be known as a fool … should be known as astute … they keep themselves broken and damaged … they keep themselves unbroken and undamaged … is placed in hell as if delivered there … is placed in heaven as if delivered there.

Katamehi pañcahi?

What five?

Na chandāgatiṁ gacchati, na dosāgatiṁ gacchati, na mohāgatiṁ gacchati, na bhayāgatiṁ gacchati, uddiṭṭhānuddiṭṭhaṁ jānāti.

They don’t make decisions prejudiced by favoritism, hostility, stupidity, and cowardice. And they know if a meal has been assigned or not.

Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhattuddesako yathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ sagge”ti.

A meal assigner with these five qualities is placed in heaven as if delivered there.”

Paṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Aggressiveness

Aggressiveness

A pushing, forceful mental stance that seeks to overpower, threaten, or injure—physically or verbally. It often rides on anger and the urge to win, destroying safety and trust for oneself and others.

Also known as: hostility, antagonism, belligerence, combativeness, pugnacity, violence, injury causing behavior
Pāli: sārambha, caṇḍa
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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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Immaturity

Immaturity

A childish lack of discernment that fails to see the results of actions clearly. It delights in surface pleasure and ignores consequence. Immaturity leads to poor choices and association with unwise companions.

Also known as: lacking in discernment, lacking in good sense, child-like in understanding, lack of wisdom, lack of experience, foolishness
Pāli: bāla
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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