Mātugāmasutta — Karajakāyavagga — the twenty-first chapter of the Tens, opening the Fifth Fifty
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
The identical ten-and-ten teaching, specified for a female subject
Length
~1 minute to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the third of this chapter's early cluster of closely related discourses
Why this discourse
This discourse applies the identical heaven/hell teaching specifically to mātugāma, a woman, changing nothing about the ten courses of action themselves — only the grammatical subject shifts, not the ethical content.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A woman with the ten unskillful courses of action is placed in hell as if delivered there; a woman with the ten skillful courses of action is placed in heaven as if delivered there.
The same standard, applied without alteration
Every one of the ten items and their descriptions remains identical to AN 10.211 and 10.212, simply regendered from a generic “certain person” to mātugāma; the ethical standard itself shows no adjustment whatsoever between subjects.
Mātugāma, a term with a wider reach in this canon
Mātugāma, literally “mother-folk,” is this canon's most common general term for women or females collectively, appearing across many contexts far beyond this discourse; here it simply names who the ten-item ethical standard applies to, with no further elaboration.
The first of three discourses narrowing to women
This discourse opens a short run of three consecutive discourses (AN 10.213–215) all specifying a female subject with increasing specificity — first a woman in general, then a laywoman specifically, then a laywoman's own self-assurance — before the chapter returns to gender-unspecified teachings at AN 10.216.
Key terms
mātugāma — literally “mother-folk,” this canon's most common general term for women or females collectively — this discourse's own title and subject.
nikkhittā evaṁ niraye — “placed in hell as if delivered there,” the feminine grammatical form of the same recurring phrase already met at AN 10.211.
pāṇaṁ hanati — “she kills living creatures” — the opening item, grammatically feminine but ethically identical to the male-subject version.
adinnaṁ ādiyati — “she steals” — the second item, likewise unchanged in content from the earlier discourses.
micchādiṭṭhikā hoti — “she has wrong view” — the tenth and final item, closing the list.
The text
The discourse in full: the ten courses of action leading to hell and heaven, applied to a woman. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Hell, for a woman
§1“A lady with ten qualities is placed in hell as if delivered there. What ten? She kills living creatures. … She steals. … She commits sexual misconduct. … She lies. … She backbites. … She speaks harshly. … She indulges in talking nonsense. … She’s covetous. … She has cruel intentions. … She has wrong view. … A lady with these ten qualities is placed in hell as if delivered there.
Heaven, for a woman
§2A lady with ten qualities is placed in heaven as if delivered there. What ten? She doesn’t kill living creatures. … She doesn’t steal. … She doesn’t commit sexual misconduct. … She doesn’t lie. … She doesn’t backbite. … She doesn’t speak harshly. … She doesn’t indulge in talking nonsense. … She’s content. … She’s kind hearted. … She has right view. … A lady with these ten qualities is placed in heaven as if delivered there.”
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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 does this discourse specify about the ten-and-ten teaching already met at AN 10.211–212?
Correct: B. Only the grammatical subject shifts; the ethical content shows no adjustment.
Question 2 of 6
According to the guide, what does "mātugāma" literally mean, and how is it used elsewhere?
Correct: B. A general term, here simply naming who the standard applies to.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, what short run of discourses does this one open?
Correct: B. Before the chapter returns to gender-unspecified teachings at AN 10.216.
Question 4 of 6
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given for this discourse.
Question 5 of 6
How many items make up the ten unskillful courses of action in this discourse?
Correct: B. The same standard ten-item list already met throughout this nipāta.
Question 6 of 6
What chapter of AN10 does this discourse belong to?
Correct: B. The twenty-first chapter, opening the Fifth Fifty.
