The Buddha describes a mendicant who is an expert in the monastic law with seven qualities—including mastery of offenses, ethics, immersion, and the ending of defilements.

AN 7.78 An Expert in the Monastic Law (4th)

“Sattahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu vinayadharo hoti. Katamehi sattahi? Āpattiṁ jānāti, anāpattiṁ jānāti, lahukaṁ āpattiṁ jānāti, garukaṁ āpattiṁ jānāti, anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁekampi jātiṁ, dvepi jātiyo …pe… iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati. Dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena yathākammūpage satte pajānāti. Āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, sattahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu vinayadharo hotī”ti.

Catutthaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Sattahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu vinayadharo hoti.

“Mendicants, a mendicant with seven qualities is an expert in the monastic law.

Katamehi sattahi?

What seven?

Āpattiṁ jānāti,

They know what is an offense.

anāpattiṁ jānāti,

They know what is not an offense.

lahukaṁ āpattiṁ jānāti,

They know what is a light offense.

garukaṁ āpattiṁ jānāti,

They know what is a serious offense.

anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁekampi jātiṁ, dvepi jātiyo …pe… iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati.

They recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena yathākammūpage satte pajānāti.

With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds.

Āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.

They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.

Imehi kho, bhikkhave, sattahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu vinayadharo hotī”ti.

A mendicant with these seven qualities is an expert in the monastic law.”

Catutthaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Insight

Insight

Insight is deep, intuitive realization that transforms understanding and guides practice.

Also known as: having insight, with understanding, right knowledge
Pāli: ñāṇa, sammāñāṇa
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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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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