The Buddha teaches which awakening factors to develop and avoid when the mind is sluggish or restless, using similes of kindling or extinguishing a fire, and declares that mindfulness is always useful.

SN 46.8 With Upavāṇa

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca upavāno āyasmā ca sāriputto kosambiyaṁ viharanti ghositārāme. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā upavāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā upavānena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ upavānaṁ etadavoca:

“Jāneyya nu kho, āvuso upavāna, bhikkhu ‘paccattaṁ yonisomanasikārā evaṁ susamāraddhā me satta bojjhaṅgā phāsuvihārāya saṁvattantī’”ti?

“Jāneyya kho, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu ‘paccattaṁ yonisomanasikārā evaṁ susamāraddhā me satta bojjhaṅgā phāsuvihārāya saṁvattantī’”ti.

“Satisambojjhaṅgaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhu ārabbhamāno pajānāti ‘cittañca me suvimuttaṁ, thinamiddhañca me susamūhataṁ, uddhaccakukkuccañca me suppaṭivinītaṁ, āraddhañca me vīriyaṁ, aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi karomi, no ca līnan’ti …pe…

upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ āvuso, bhikkhu ārabbhamāno pajānāti ‘cittañca me suvimuttaṁ, thinamiddhañca me susamūhataṁ, uddhaccakukkuccañca me suppaṭivinītaṁ, āraddhañca me vīriyaṁ, aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi karomi, no ca līnan’”ti.

“Evaṁ kho, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu jāneyya ‘paccattaṁ yonisomanasikārā evaṁ susamāraddhā me satta bojjhaṅgā phāsuvihārāya saṁvattantī’”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca upavāno āyasmā ca sāriputto kosambiyaṁ viharanti ghositārāme.

At one time the venerables Upavāṇa and Sāriputta were staying near Kosambī, in Ghosita’s Monastery.

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā upavāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā upavānena saddhiṁ sammodi.

Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Sāriputta came out of retreat, went to Venerable Upavāṇa and exchanged greetings with him.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ upavānaṁ etadavoca:

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Upavāṇa:

“Jāneyya nu kho, āvuso upavāna, bhikkhu ‘paccattaṁ yonisomanasikārā evaṁ susamāraddhā me satta bojjhaṅgā phāsuvihārāya saṁvattantī’”ti?

“Reverend Upavāṇa, can a mendicant know that by investigating inside themselves, the seven awakening factors have been properly implemented so that they lead to living at ease?”

“Jāneyya kho, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu ‘paccattaṁ yonisomanasikārā evaṁ susamāraddhā me satta bojjhaṅgā phāsuvihārāya saṁvattantī’”ti.

“They can, Reverend Sāriputta.

“Satisambojjhaṅgaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhu ārabbhamāno pajānāti ‘cittañca me suvimuttaṁ, thinamiddhañca me susamūhataṁ, uddhaccakukkuccañca me suppaṭivinītaṁ, āraddhañca me vīriyaṁ, aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi karomi, no ca līnan’ti …pe…

As a mendicant rouses up the awakening factor of mindfulness, they understand: ‘My mind is well freed. I’ve eradicated dullness and drowsiness, and eliminated restlessness and remorse. My energy is roused up, and my mind is sharply focused, not sluggish.’ …

upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ āvuso, bhikkhu ārabbhamāno pajānāti ‘cittañca me suvimuttaṁ, thinamiddhañca me susamūhataṁ, uddhaccakukkuccañca me suppaṭivinītaṁ, āraddhañca me vīriyaṁ, aṭṭhiṁ katvā manasi karomi, no ca līnan’”ti.

As they rouse up the awakening factor of equanimity, they understand: ‘My mind is well freed. I’ve eradicated dullness and drowsiness, and eliminated restlessness and remorse. My energy is roused up, and my mind is sharply focused, not sluggish.’

“Evaṁ kho, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu jāneyya ‘paccattaṁ yonisomanasikārā evaṁ susamāraddhā me satta bojjhaṅgā phāsuvihārāya saṁvattantī’”ti.

That’s how a mendicant can know that by investigating inside themselves, the seven awakening factors are properly implemented so that they lead to living at ease.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Anxiety

Anxiety

A fluttering, unsettled state of mind, worried about past or future and unsure what is right to do. It keeps the mind circling around concerns without resolution, weakening confidence and obscuring calm discernment.

Also known as: agitation, confusion about what is right and wrong, distress, fickleness, fidgetiness, edginess, restlessness, wavering, worry
Pāli: kukkucca, uddhacca, darathaja
View all discourses →
Drowsiness

Drowsiness

A heaviness or stiffness of the mind that leads to sleepiness. It shrouds clarity like a fog, making the mind unwieldy and prone to drifting away from its object.

Also known as: sleepiness, torpor, feeling lethargic, lit. stiffness (of mind/body due to tiredness)
Pāli: middha
View all discourses →
Dullness

Dullness

Mental stagnation and lack of driving power. It is an inertia where the mind feels thick and incapable of active engagement or investigation.

Also known as: lack of mental clarity or alertness, inertia, mental sluggishness, inattentiveness or lack of sharpness
Pāli: thina
View all discourses →
Equanimity

Equanimity

A state of mental poise and balance, characterized by non-reactivity and composure in the face of agreeable or disagreeable experiences.

Also known as: mental poise, mental balance, equipose, non-reactivity, composure
Pāli: upekkha
View all discourses →
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
View all discourses →
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
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026