Saṁyojanasutta — Nāthavagga — the second chapter of the Tens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single bare list, no narrative and no similes
Length
~30 seconds to read
Ten by union, not by a new list
This discourse simply combines the two five-item fetter lists already met separately in AN 9, without adding new content
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the briefest and simplest discourse in this chapter so far
Why this discourse
The ten fetters are the five lower fetters — substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances, sensual desire, and ill will — and the five higher fetters — desire for rebirth in the realm of luminous form, desire for rebirth in the formless realm, conceit, restlessness, and ignorance.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
The ten fetters are the five lower fetters (substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances, sensual desire, ill will) and the five higher fetters (desire for form-realm rebirth, desire for formless-realm rebirth, conceit, restlessness, ignorance).
Nothing new, simply combined
This discourse introduces no content this project hasn't already met: both five-item lists appeared separately at AN 9.67 (lower fetters) and AN 9.70 (higher fetters), each there paired with the four kinds of mindfulness meditation as their remedy. Here the two lists are simply placed side by side to reach this chapter's own tens.
A milestone this project has tracked repeatedly
Ending the five lower fetters marks non-return; ending all ten marks arahantship — the same graduated milestone traced with far more granularity at AN 9.12's nine-fold classification of non-returners, and named again as the goal of AN 9.35's gradualist cow simile.
A bare list, deliberately unadorned
Unlike most discourses so far in this chapter, this one offers no simile, no narrative, and no explanation of why each fetter binds — simply the complete inventory, trusting readers already familiar with both halves from elsewhere in this project to recognize the whole.
Key terms
dasa saṁyojanāni — “ten fetters” — this discourse's own title term, the union of the two five-item lists already met separately.
pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni — “the five lower fetters” — identical to the list given in full at AN 9.67.
pañcuddhambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni — “the five higher fetters” — identical to the list given in full at AN 9.70.
sakkāyadiṭṭhi — “substantialist view” — the first of the five lower fetters, opening the complete tenfold list.
avijjā — “ignorance” — the tenth and final fetter, closing the complete list.
The text
The discourse in full: the ten fetters, combining the two five-item lists already met separately. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Ten fetters
§1“Mendicants, there are ten fetters. What ten? The five lower fetters and the five higher fetters. What are the five lower fetters? Substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances, sensual desire, and ill will. These are the five lower fetters. What are the five higher fetters? Desire for rebirth in the realm of luminous form, desire for rebirth in the formless realm, conceit, restlessness, and ignorance. These are the five higher fetters. These are the ten fetters.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What ten fetters does this discourse name?
Correct: B. A simple combination of two familiar lists, not new content.
Question 2 of 6
Where has this project already met the five lower fetters and five higher fetters separately?
Correct: B. Both halves already given in full detail earlier in this project.
Question 3 of 6
What milestone does ending all ten fetters mark?
Correct: C. Ending the five lower fetters alone marks non-return; all ten together marks full liberation.
Question 4 of 6
How does this discourse present its content, unlike most others so far in this chapter?
Correct: B. The briefest and simplest treatment in this chapter so far.
Question 5 of 6
What is the tenth and final fetter named?
Correct: C. Closing the complete tenfold list.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare formula, the briefest in this chapter so far.
