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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

II. Walking — AN 4.13: Effort

1“Mendicants, there are these four right efforts. What four?

A mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen are given up.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities arise.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities that have arisen remain, are not lost, but increase, mature, and are fulfilled by development.

These are the four right efforts.


2By rightly striving, they’ve crushed Māra’s sovereignty;
unattached, they’ve gone beyond the danger of birth and death.
Contented and unstirred, they’ve vanquished Māra and his mount;
now they’ve gone beyond all Namuci’s forces, they’re happy.”

1"Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, sammappadhānāni. Katamāni cattāri?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu anuppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ anuppādāya chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati;

uppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati;

anuppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ uppādāya chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati;

uppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ ṭhitiyā asammosāya bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya bhāvanāya pāripūriyā chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati.

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri sammappadhānānīti.


2Sammappadhānā māradheyyābhibhūtā,
Te asitā jātimaraṇabhayassa pāragū;
Te tusitā jetvā māraṁ savāhiniṁ te anejā,
Sabbaṁ namucibalaṁ upātivattā te sukhitā"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.