The Buddha teaches on shines as an expert in the monastic law (1st), presenting a sevenfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 7.79 Shines as an Expert in the Monastic Law (1st)

“Sattahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato vinayadharo sobhati. Katamehi sattahi? Āpattiṁ jānāti, anāpattiṁ jānāti, lahukaṁ āpattiṁ jānāti, garukaṁ āpattiṁ jānāti, sīlavā hoti …pe… samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu, catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānaṁ khayā …pe… sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, sattahi dhammehi samannāgato vinayadharo sobhatī”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Sattahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato vinayadharo sobhati.

“Mendicants, a mendicant with seven qualities shines as 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.

sīlavā hoti …pe… samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu,

They’re ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places; seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.

catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī,

They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.

āsavānaṁ khayā …pe… 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 vinayadharo sobhatī”ti.

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

Pañcamaṁ.

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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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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Ill will

Ill will

A mental quality of actively opposing or rejecting others in thought, manifesting as deliberate thoughts or intentions that oppose kindness and compassion; it fuels conflict and obstructs goodwill.

Also known as: actively opposing or rejecting others in thought, thought of malevolence towards another, hostile reflections towards another
Pāli: byāpāda
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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