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

AN 5.5 Disrobing

“Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme pañca sahadhammikā vādānupātā gārayhā ṭhānā āgacchanti. Katame pañca? Saddhāpi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, hirīpi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, ottappampi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, vīriyampi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, paññāpi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu. Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme ime pañca sahadhammikā vādānupātā gārayhā ṭhānā āgacchanti.

Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sahāpi dukkhena sahāpi domanassena assumukho rudamāno paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme pañca sahadhammikā pāsaṁsā ṭhānā āgacchanti. Katame pañca? Saddhāpi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, hirīpi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, ottappampi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, vīriyampi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, paññāpi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu. Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sahāpi dukkhena sahāpi domanassena assumukho rudamāno paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme ime pañca sahadhammikā pāsaṁsā ṭhānā āgacchantī”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme pañca sahadhammikā vādānupātā gārayhā ṭhānā āgacchanti.

“Mendicants, any monk or nun who disavows the training and returns to a lesser life deserves rebuttal and criticism on five legitimate grounds in this very life.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Saddhāpi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, hirīpi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, ottappampi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, vīriyampi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu, paññāpi nāma te nāhosi kusalesu dhammesu.

‘You had no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, or wisdom regarding skillful qualities.’

Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme ime pañca sahadhammikā vādānupātā gārayhā ṭhānā āgacchanti.

Any monk or nun who disavows the training and returns to a lesser life deserves rebuttal and criticism on these five legitimate grounds in this very life.

Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sahāpi dukkhena sahāpi domanassena assumukho rudamāno paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme pañca sahadhammikā pāsaṁsā ṭhānā āgacchanti.

Any monk or nun who lives the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful face, deserves praise on five legitimate grounds in this very life.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Saddhāpi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, hirīpi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, ottappampi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, vīriyampi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu, paññāpi nāma te ahosi kusalesu dhammesu.

‘You had faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom regarding skillful qualities.’

Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu bhikkhunī sahāpi dukkhena sahāpi domanassena assumukho rudamāno paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carati, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme ime pañca sahadhammikā pāsaṁsā ṭhānā āgacchantī”ti.

Any monk or nun who lives the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful face, deserves praise on these five legitimate grounds in this very life.”

Pañcamaṁ.

Qualities:

Conscience

Conscience

An inner moral sensitivity that shrinks from wrongdoing out of self-respect and personal integrity. It is the voice within that knows what is beneath one's dignity, guarding conduct through an inward standard of honor.

Also known as: with sense of right and wrong, sense of shame, modesty, (comm) originating from inside
Pāli: hirī
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Displeasure

Displeasure

A feeling of mental pain or a disagreeable feeling or unease born of mental contact.

Also known as: mental pain, mental distress, melancholy, sadness
Pāli: domanassa
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Faith

Faith

Confidence in the Buddha's awakening and the efficacy of the path. It brightens and steadies the mind, removing doubt and inspiring energy toward wholesome practice. True faith rests on clarity and direct experience rather than mere belief.

Also known as: confidence, trust, belief, conviction, self-assurance
Pāli: saddha, pasanna
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Spiritual life

Spiritual life

A life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures

Also known as: abstinence, celibacy, chastity, holy life, sexual restraint
Pāli: brahmacariya
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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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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