The Buddha teaches on a true person, presenting a eightfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 8.38 A True Person

“Sappuriso, bhikkhave, kule jāyamāno bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti mātāpitūnaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, puttadārassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, dāsakammakaraporisassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, mittāmaccānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, pubbapetānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, rañño atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, devatānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahāmegho sabbasassāni sampādento bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, sappuriso kule jāyamāno bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti mātāpitūnaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, puttadārassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, dāsakammakaraporisassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, mittāmaccānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, pubbapetānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, rañño atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, devatānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hotīti.

Bahūnaṁ vata atthāya,
sappañño gharamāvasaṁ;
Mātaraṁ pitaraṁ pubbe,
rattindivamatandito.
Pūjeti sahadhammena,
pubbekatamanussaraṁ;

Anāgāre pabbajite,
apace brahmacārayo.
Niviṭṭhasaddho pūjeti,
ñatvā dhamme ca pesalo;

Rañño hito devahito,
ñātīnaṁ sakhinaṁ hito.

Sabbesaṁ so hito hoti,
saddhamme suppatiṭṭhito;
Vineyya maccheramalaṁ,
sa lokaṁ bhajate sivan”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Sappuriso, bhikkhave, kule jāyamāno bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti

“Mendicants, a true person is born in a family for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of the people.

mātāpitūnaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, puttadārassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, dāsakammakaraporisassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, mittāmaccānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, pubbapetānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, rañño atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, devatānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti.

For the benefit, welfare, and happiness of mother and father; children and partners; bondservants, workers, and staff; friends and colleagues; departed ancestors; the king; the deities; and ascetics and brahmins.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahāmegho sabbasassāni sampādento bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti;

It’s like a great rain cloud, which nourishes all the crops for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of the people.

evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, sappuriso kule jāyamāno bahuno janassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti

In the same way, a true person is born in a family for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of the people. …

mātāpitūnaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, puttadārassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, dāsakammakaraporisassa atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, mittāmaccānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, pubbapetānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, rañño atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, devatānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hoti, samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya hotīti.

Bahūnaṁ vata atthāya,

A wise person living at home

sappañño gharamāvasaṁ;

benefits many people.

Mātaraṁ pitaraṁ pubbe,

Neither by day or at night do they neglect

rattindivamatandito.

their mother, father, and ancestors.

Pūjeti sahadhammena,

They venerate them in accord with the teaching,

pubbekatamanussaraṁ;

remembering what they have done.

Anāgāre pabbajite,

One of settled faith and good nature

apace brahmacārayo.

venerates the homeless renunciates,

Niviṭṭhasaddho pūjeti,

the mendicant spiritual practitioners,

ñatvā dhamme ca pesalo;

knowing their good-hearted qualities.

Rañño hito devahito,

Good for the king, good for the gods,

ñātīnaṁ sakhinaṁ hito.

and good for relatives and comrades.

Sabbesaṁ so hito hoti,

In fact, they’re good for everyone,

saddhamme suppatiṭṭhito;

well grounded in the true teaching.

Vineyya maccheramalaṁ,

Rid of the stain of stinginess,

sa lokaṁ bhajate sivan”ti.

they’ll enjoy a world of grace.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

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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Happiness

Happiness

Bodily ease and comfort; a pleasant feeling experienced with the body. In the third jhāna, one dwells experiencing this pleasure with the body. It is abandoned, along with bodily pain, for the fourth jhāna to arise.

Also known as: pleasant abiding, positive state of mind, sense of ease
Pāli: sukha
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Stinginess

Stinginess

A contracted, possessive refusal to share what one has—whether material goods, knowledge, or status. It clings tightly to what is “mine,” fearing loss and closing the hand against generosity.

Also known as: miserliness, meanness, tight-fistedness
Pāli: macchariya
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Wholesome

Wholesome

Conducive to or suggestive of good health and mental well-being.

Also known as: blameless, skillful, beneficial, good, useful, healthy, nourishing, sustaining
Pāli: kusala
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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