The Buddha teaches on supported, presenting a ninefold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 9.2 Supported

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“‘nissayasampanno nissayasampanno’ti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhu nissayasampanno hotī”ti?

“Saddhañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya akusalaṁ pajahati kusalaṁ bhāveti, pahīnamevassa taṁ akusalaṁ hoti.

Hiriñce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya …pe…

ottappañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya …pe…

vīriyañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya …pe…

paññañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya akusalaṁ pajahati kusalaṁ bhāveti, pahīnamevassa taṁ akusalaṁ hoti. Taṁ hissa bhikkhuno akusalaṁ pahīnaṁ hoti suppahīnaṁ, yaṁsa ariyāya paññāya disvā pahīnaṁ.

Tena ca pana, bhikkhu, bhikkhunā imesu pañcasu dhammesu patiṭṭhāya cattāro upanissāya vihātabbā. Katame cattāro? Idha, bhikkhu, bhikkhu saṅkhāyekaṁ paṭisevati, saṅkhāyekaṁ adhivāseti, saṅkhāyekaṁ parivajjeti, saṅkhāyekaṁ vinodeti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissayasampanno hotī”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“‘nissayasampanno nissayasampanno’ti, bhante, vuccati.

“Sir, they speak of being ‘supported’.

Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhu nissayasampanno hotī”ti?

How is a mendicant who is supported defined?”

“Saddhañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya akusalaṁ pajahati kusalaṁ bhāveti, pahīnamevassa taṁ akusalaṁ hoti.

“Mendicant, if a mendicant supported by faith gives up the unskillful and develops the skillful, the unskillful is actually given up by them.

Hiriñce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya …pe…

If a mendicant supported by conscience …

ottappañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya …pe…

If a mendicant supported by prudence …

vīriyañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya …pe…

If a mendicant supported by energy …

paññañce, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissāya akusalaṁ pajahati kusalaṁ bhāveti, pahīnamevassa taṁ akusalaṁ hoti.

If a mendicant supported by wisdom gives up the unskillful and develops the skillful, the unskillful is actually given up by them.

Taṁ hissa bhikkhuno akusalaṁ pahīnaṁ hoti suppahīnaṁ, yaṁsa ariyāya paññāya disvā pahīnaṁ.

What’s been given up is completely given up when it has been given up by seeing with noble wisdom.

Tena ca pana, bhikkhu, bhikkhunā imesu pañcasu dhammesu patiṭṭhāya cattāro upanissāya vihātabbā.

But then, a mendicant grounded on these five things should rely on four things.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Idha, bhikkhu, bhikkhu saṅkhāyekaṁ paṭisevati, saṅkhāyekaṁ adhivāseti, saṅkhāyekaṁ parivajjeti, saṅkhāyekaṁ vinodeti.

After appraisal, a mendicant uses some things, endures some things, avoids some things, and gets rid of some things.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, bhikkhu nissayasampanno hotī”ti.

That’s how a mendicant is supported.”

Dutiyaṁ.

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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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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Unwholesome

Unwholesome

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

Also known as: blameworthy, unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, karmically unprofitable
Pāli: akusala
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Vigour

Vigour

Energetic effort and resilience in practice. It is the refusal to shrink back, the 'uphill' force that initiates and sustains wholesome actions against the gravity of habit.

Also known as: energy, effort, enthusiasm, zeal, application of will, persistence
Pāli: vīriya
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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