The Buddha teaches on hard-heartedness, presenting a ninefold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 9.71 Hard-heartedness -

“Pañcime, bhikkhave, cetokhilā. Katame pañca? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satthari kaṅkhati vicikicchati nādhimuccati na sampasīdati. Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satthari kaṅkhati vicikicchati nādhimuccati na sampasīdati, tassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya. Yassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya, ayaṁ paṭhamo cetokhilo.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dhamme kaṅkhati …pe… saṅghe kaṅkhatisikkhāya kaṅkhatisabrahmacārīsu kupito hoti anattamano āhatacitto khilajāto. Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sabrahmacārīsu kupito hoti anattamano āhatacitto khilajāto, tassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya. Yassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya, ayaṁ pañcamo cetokhilo.

Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ cetokhilānaṁ pahānāya …pe… ime cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvetabbā”ti.

Navamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Pañcime, bhikkhave, cetokhilā.

“Mendicants, there are five kinds of hard-heartedness.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satthari kaṅkhati vicikicchati nādhimuccati na sampasīdati.

Firstly, a mendicant has doubts about the Teacher. They’re uncertain, undecided, and lacking confidence.

Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satthari kaṅkhati vicikicchati nādhimuccati na sampasīdati, tassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya.

This being so, their mind doesn’t incline toward keenness, commitment, persistence, and striving.

Yassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya, ayaṁ paṭhamo cetokhilo.

This is the first kind of hard-heartedness.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dhamme kaṅkhati …pe…

Furthermore, a mendicant has doubts about the teaching …

saṅghe kaṅkhati

the Saṅgha …

sikkhāya kaṅkhati

the training …

sabrahmacārīsu kupito hoti anattamano āhatacitto khilajāto.

A mendicant is angry and upset with their spiritual companions, resentful and closed off.

Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sabrahmacārīsu kupito hoti anattamano āhatacitto khilajāto, tassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya.

This being so, their mind doesn’t incline toward keenness, commitment, persistence, and striving.

Yassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya, ayaṁ pañcamo cetokhilo.

This is the fifth kind of hard-heartedness.

Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ cetokhilānaṁ pahānāya …pe… ime cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvetabbā”ti.

To give up these five kinds of hard-heartedness you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. …”

Navamaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Aversion

Aversion

A rejecting mental quality rooted in perception, where one instinctively turns away from or resists unpleasant experiences or objects; it manifests as a tendency to push away discomfort, obstructing patience and acceptance.

Also known as: animosity, hate, hostility, fault-finding mindset, upset
Pāli: dosa, paṭighasaññā, vera
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Cultivation

Cultivation

The active practice of 'bringing into being' wholesome states. It is the deliberate nurturing of the bright state of mind.

Also known as: development, improvement, meditation, nurturing, growth
Pāli: bhāvanā
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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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Jhana

Jhana

An abiding with a steady, collected awareness that is attained through seclusion from the five hindrances and unwholesome mental states. When supported by right view, a jhāna can be a basis for the wearing away of taints and directing the mind toward the vision of Nibbāna.

Also known as: meditation, undistracted awareness, absorption, mental absorption
Pāli: jhāna, samāhita, susamāhita, sammāsamādhi
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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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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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Last updated on July 27, 2026