Niddhamanīyasutta — Samaṇasaññāvagga — the eleventh chapter of the Tens, opening the Third Fifty
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
The same ten-factor formula, with no simile or narrative frame at all
Length
~1 minute to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the plainest of this chapter's eight repetitions
Why this discourse
Closing this chapter's long run of reframed repetitions, this discourse strips away every remaining image — no seed, no washing, no medicine — and simply states that the ten wrong qualities should be blown away, as bare and direct as the teaching gets.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Ten qualities should be blown away: for each right factor from view to freedom, its wrong counterpart is blown away, the bad qualities that counterpart produced are blown away, and skillful qualities are fully developed — the identical threefold formula met throughout this chapter, given here without any surrounding image at all.
The bare formula, stripped of its costume
Where AN 10.106 through 10.109 each wrapped the same ten-factor formula in an extended simile — wearing away, washing, purging, vomiting, each with its own explanatory frame — this discourse drops the frame entirely, opening directly with “these ten qualities should be blown away” and proceeding straight into the formula itself.
Closing an eight-discourse run on a note of pure repetition
As the eighth and final discourse in the run beginning at AN 10.103, this one makes the chapter's underlying point almost too plainly to miss: after seven variations each dressed differently, the content itself is finally presented with no dressing at all, confirming that the images were always secondary to the ten factors themselves.
Wind as the final, briefest image
Even in its title, this discourse retains the barest trace of an image — something “blown away” by wind — but unlike every other discourse in this run, it never develops that image into an actual simile or narrative, leaving only a single word's worth of metaphor before the plain formula takes over.
Key terms
niddhamanīya — “should be blown away” — this discourse's own title, the barest of this chapter's eight framing images.
dasa dhammā niddhamanīyā — “ten qualities that should be blown away” — the discourse's own opening and closing summary, with no further elaboration of the image.
sammādiṭṭhissa micchādiṭṭhi niddhantā hoti — “for one of right view, wrong view is blown away” — the recurring formula's opening clause under this discourse's minimal framing.
bhāvanāpāripūriṁ gacchanti — “fully developed” — the formula's closing clause, identical across all eight discourses of this run regardless of the surrounding image.
sammāvimutti — “right freedom” — the tenth and final factor, closing this discourse's list exactly as it closed AN 10.103's original statement.
The text
The discourse in full: the ten qualities to be blown away, with no surrounding simile. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Ten qualities, blown away
§1“Mendicants, these ten qualities should be blown away. What ten? For one of right view, wrong view is blown away. And the many bad, unskillful qualities produced by wrong view are blown away. And because of right view, many skillful qualities are fully developed. For one of right purpose, wrong purpose is blown away. … For one of right speech, wrong speech is blown away. … For one of right action, wrong action is blown away. … For one of right livelihood, wrong livelihood is blown away. … For one of right effort, wrong effort is blown away. … For one of right mindfulness, wrong mindfulness is blown away. … For one of right immersion, wrong immersion is blown away. … For one of right knowledge, wrong knowledge is blown away. … For one of right freedom, wrong freedom is blown away. And the many bad, unskillful qualities produced by wrong freedom are blown away. And because of right freedom, many skillful qualities are fully developed. These are the ten qualities that should be blown away.”
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Self-check quiz
5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 5
How does this discourse differ from AN 10.106 through 10.109?
Correct: B. The bare formula, stripped of the wearing-away, washing, purging, and vomiting images.
Question 2 of 5
According to the guide, what point does this discourse make almost too plainly to miss, closing an eight-discourse run?
Correct: B. The final confirmation that content, not costume, was always the point.
Question 3 of 5
What trace of an image does even this discourse's title retain?
Correct: B. A single word's worth of metaphor, the barest of the chapter's eight framings.
Question 4 of 5
How does the formula's closing clause compare across all eight discourses in this run, according to the guide?
Correct: B. A stable core beneath eight different costumes.
Question 5 of 5
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given for this discourse.
