Ariyavāsasutta — 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 elaboration
Length
~30 seconds to read
A timeless claim
The discourse names these ten abodes as shared by noble ones of the past, present, and future alike
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and dense, best read alongside AN 10.20's full elaboration
Why this discourse
There are ten abodes of the noble ones, in which the noble ones of the past, present, and future all abide: having given up five factors, being endowed with six factors, having a single guard, four supports, having cast aside idiosyncratic interpretations of the truth, having totally given up searching, having pure intentions, having stilled the physical process, and being well freed in mind and by wisdom.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Ten abodes are shared by every noble one of the past, present, and future: five factors given up, six factors possessed, a single guard, four supports, dogmatic views cast aside, searching abandoned, intentions purified, the physical process stilled, and freedom in both mind and wisdom.
Ten items named, none explained
This discourse simply lists all ten abodes by name, trusting either prior familiarity or its own companion discourse to supply the content behind each phrase — ‘a single guard’ and ‘four supports’ in particular give no hint here of what they actually name.
A timeless claim about all noble ones everywhere
The discourse's opening frame is unusually sweeping: not a description of one mendicant's own progress, but a claim about every noble one across all three times — past, present, and future — abiding in these same ten conditions without exception.
A companion discourse follows immediately
AN 10.20, next, restates this identical ten-item list and explains every single term in full — readers wanting to know what ‘a single guard’ or ‘stilled the physical process’ actually means should read that discourse directly.
Key terms
dasa ariyavāsā — “ten abodes of the noble ones” — this discourse's own title term, naming a timeless dwelling shared across all three times.
pañcaṅgavippahīno — “has given up five factors” — the first abode, left unexplained here.
ekārakkho — “has a single guard” — the third abode, a phrase whose meaning this discourse doesn't supply.
catunissayo — “has four supports” — the fourth abode, likewise unexplained here.
suvimuttacitto, suvimuttapañño — “well freed in mind and well freed by wisdom” — the ninth and tenth abodes, closing the list.
The text
The discourse in full: the ten abodes of the noble ones, named without elaboration. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Ten abodes, named
§1“There are these ten abodes of the noble ones in which the noble ones of the past, present, and future abide. What ten? A mendicant has given up five factors, is endowed with six factors, has a single guard, has four supports, has cast aside idiosyncratic interpretations of the truth, has totally given up searching, has pure intentions, has stilled the physical process, and is well freed in mind and well freed by wisdom. These are the ten abodes of the noble ones in which the noble ones of the past, present, and future abide.”
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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 claim does this discourse make about the ten abodes?
Correct: B. A sweeping, timeless claim spanning all three eras.
Question 2 of 6
How does this discourse present its ten items?
Correct: B. Names alone, trusting the reader or a companion discourse to supply the content.
Question 3 of 6
What does ‘a single guard’ refer to, according to this discourse's own text?
Correct: B. Left unexplained, requiring AN 10.20's fuller treatment.
Question 4 of 6
What relationship does this discourse have with AN 10.20?
Correct: B. A companion pair, matching AN 10.17-18's own structure earlier in this chapter.
Question 5 of 6
What are the ninth and tenth abodes?
Correct: B. Closing the list, though their content awaits AN 10.20's explanation.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare, timeless declaration, without narrative frame.
