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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

8: The Book of the Eights

VIII. Pairs — AN 8.77: Desires

1There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”

“Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:


2“Reverends, these eight people are found in the world. What eight?

First, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But material possessions don’t come to them. And so they sorrow and pine and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion because they don’t get those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But when possessions don’t come to them, they sorrow and lament. They’ve fallen from the true teaching.

3Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And material possessions do come to them. And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And when possessions come to them, they become intoxicated and negligent. They’ve fallen from the true teaching.

4Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And material possessions don’t come to them. And so they sorrow and pine and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion because they don’t get those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But when possessions don’t come to them, they sorrow and lament. They’ve fallen from the true teaching.

5Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But material possessions do come to them. And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But when possessions come to them, they become intoxicated and negligent. They’ve fallen from the true teaching.

6Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But material possessions don’t come to them. But they don’t sorrow and pine and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion because they don’t get those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But when possessions don’t come to them, they don’t sorrow and lament. They haven’t fallen from the true teaching.

7Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And material possessions do come to them. But they don’t become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But when possessions come to them, they don’t become intoxicated and negligent. They haven’t fallen from the true teaching.

8Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And material possessions don’t come to them. But they don’t sorrow and pine and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion because they don’t get those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And when possessions don’t come to them, they don’t sorrow and lament. They haven’t fallen from the true teaching.


9Next, when a mendicant stays secluded, living independently, a desire arises for material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. But material possessions do come to them. But they don’t become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding those material possessions. This is called a mendicant who lives desiring material possessions. They don’t try hard, strive, and make an effort to get them. And when possessions come to them, they don’t become intoxicated and negligent. They haven’t fallen from the true teaching.

These eight people are found in the world.”

1Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:  "āvuso bhikkhavo"ti.

"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca: 


2"Aṭṭhime, āvuso, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame aṭṭha?

Idhāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So uṭṭhahati, ghaṭati, vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa uṭṭhahato, ghaṭato, vāyamato lābhāya lābho nuppajjati. So tena alābhena socati kilamati paridevati, urattāḷiṁ kandati, sammohaṁ āpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, uṭṭhahati, ghaṭati, vāyamati lābhāya, na ca lābhī, socī ca paridevī ca, cuto ca saddhammā’. (1)

3Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So uṭṭhahati, ghaṭati, vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa uṭṭhahato ghaṭato vāyamato lābhāya lābho uppajjati. So tena lābhena majjati pamajjati pamādamāpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, uṭṭhahati ghaṭati vāyamati lābhāya, lābhī ca, madī ca pamādī ca, cuto ca saddhammā’. (2)

4Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa anuṭṭhahato, aghaṭato, avāyamato lābhāya lābho nuppajjati. So tena alābhena socati kilamati paridevati, urattāḷiṁ kandati, sammohaṁ āpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya, na ca lābhī, socī ca paridevī ca, cuto ca saddhammā’. (3)

5Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa anuṭṭhahato, aghaṭato, avāyamato lābhāya lābho uppajjati. So tena lābhena majjati pamajjati pamādamāpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, na uṭṭhahati na ghaṭati na vāyamati lābhāya, lābhī ca, madī ca pamādī ca, cuto ca saddhammā’. (4)

6Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So uṭṭhahati, ghaṭati, vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa uṭṭhahato, ghaṭato, vāyamato lābhāya, lābho nuppajjati. So tena alābhena na socati na kilamati na paridevati, na urattāḷiṁ kandati, na sammohaṁ āpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, uṭṭhahati ghaṭati vāyamati lābhāya, na ca lābhī, na ca socī na ca paridevī, accuto ca saddhammā’. (5)

7Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So uṭṭhahati, ghaṭati, vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa uṭṭhahato, ghaṭato, vāyamato lābhāya, lābho uppajjati. So tena lābhena na majjati na pamajjati na pamādamāpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, uṭṭhahati, ghaṭati, vāyamati lābhāya, lābhī ca, na ca madī na ca pamādī, accuto ca saddhammā’. (6)

8Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa anuṭṭhahato, aghaṭato, avāyamato lābhāya, lābho nuppajjati. So tena alābhena na socati na kilamati na paridevati, na urattāḷiṁ kandati, na sammohaṁ āpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya, na ca lābhī, na ca socī na ca paridevī, accuto ca saddhammā’. (7)


9Idha panāvuso, bhikkhuno pavivittassa viharato nirāyattavuttino icchā uppajjati lābhāya. So na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya. Tassa anuṭṭhahato, aghaṭato, avāyamato lābhāya, lābho uppajjati. So tena lābhena na majjati na pamajjati na pamādamāpajjati. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ‘bhikkhu iccho viharati lābhāya, na uṭṭhahati, na ghaṭati, na vāyamati lābhāya, lābhī ca, na ca madī na ca pamādī, accuto ca saddhammā’.

Ime kho, āvuso, aṭṭha puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin"ti. (8)

Sattamaṁ.