The Buddha teaches Venerable Rādha on the five aggregates regarding liable to fall, guiding him toward insight, dispassion, and liberation.

SN 23.20 Liable to Fall

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā rādho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“‘vayadhammo, vayadhammo’ti, bhante, vuccati. Katamo nu kho, bhante, vayadhammo”ti?

“Rūpaṁ kho, rādha, vayadhammo, vedanā vayadhammo, saññā vayadhammo, saṅkhārā vayadhammo, viññāṇaṁ vayadhammo.

Evaṁ passaṁ …pe… nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānātī”ti.

Dasamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā rādho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Seated to one side, Venerable Rādha said to the Buddha:

“‘vayadhammo, vayadhammo’ti, bhante, vuccati.

“Sir, they speak of a ‘liability to fall’.

Katamo nu kho, bhante, vayadhammo”ti?

What has a liability to fall?”

“Rūpaṁ kho, rādha, vayadhammo, vedanā vayadhammo, saññā vayadhammo, saṅkhārā vayadhammo, viññāṇaṁ vayadhammo.

“Rādha, form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness have a liability to fall.

Evaṁ passaṁ …pe…

Seeing this …

nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānātī”ti.

They understand: ‘… there is nothing further for this place.’”

Dasamaṁ.

Qualities:

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
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026