Untitled in the source — Rāgapeyyāla — the twenty-third and final chapter of the Tens, closing the entire nipāta
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
Ten perceptions to be developed for insight into greed
Length
under 1 minute to read
Chapter's namesake
This chapter, Rāgapeyyāla, “the peyyāla beginning with greed,” is this project's final chapter, closing not only chapter 23 but the entire Book of the Tens
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — simple in itself, but the opening move of a 510-discourse structure worth understanding clearly
Why this discourse
Opening this project's final chapter, this discourse gives the first of three complete ten-item lists that will be multiplied, across the next 509 discourses, against ten verbs and seventeen defilements — a structure checked directly against bilara-data before writing, confirmed to differ from AN9's own closing peyyāla rather than assumed identical to it.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
For insight into greed, ten things should be developed: the perceptions of ugliness, death, the repulsiveness of food, dissatisfaction with the whole world, impermanence, suffering in impermanence, not-self in suffering, giving up, fading away, and cessation.
The confirmed structure of this project's final chapter
Checked against bilara-data before writing rather than assumed from AN9's own precedent, this chapter multiplies seventeen defilements (greed itself, given its own discourses here, plus the sixteen further defilements already met at AN9.113–432) against ten verbs (insight, complete understanding, complete ending, giving up, ending, vanishing, fading away, cessation, giving away, letting go) and three distinct ten-item lists — 17 × 10 × 3 = 510 discourses, matching the range AN 10.237 through AN 10.746 exactly.
The first of three ten-item lists, given here in full
This discourse states the first of the three lists that will recur throughout the entire chapter: a set of ten perceptions moving from the specifically repulsive (ugliness, death, food) through progressively wider-reaching insight (dissatisfaction with the whole world, impermanence, suffering, not-self) to the process of release itself (giving up, fading away, cessation).
Abhiññā, the first of ten verbs, spelled out only here
Abhiññā, insight or direct knowledge, is the first of the chapter's ten verbs, and the only one given its own three full, unabbreviated discourses (AN 10.237–239) before the remaining nine verbs are compressed into the merged range AN 10.240–266.
Key terms
rāga — “greed” or lust — the first and namesake defilement of this entire chapter, Rāgapeyyāla.
abhiññā — “insight” or direct knowledge — the first of this chapter's ten verbs, given its own three full discourses before compression begins.
asubhasaññā, maraṇasaññā, āhāre paṭikūlasaññā — “the perceptions of ugliness, death, the repulsiveness of food” — the first three items of this discourse's own ten-item list, the first of three such lists in this chapter.
sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā — “the perception of dissatisfaction with the whole world” — the fourth item, widening from specific objects of repulsion to a global orientation.
pahānasaññā, virāgasaññā, nirodhasaññā — “the perceptions of giving up, fading away, cessation” — the final three items, closing this discourse's list on the process of release itself.
The text
The discourse in full: the first of three ten-item lists developed for insight into greed. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Ten perceptions, for insight into greed
§1“For insight into greed, ten things should be developed. What ten? The perceptions of ugliness, death, repulsiveness of food, dissatisfaction with the whole world, impermanence, suffering in impermanence, and not-self in suffering, giving up, fading away, and cessation. For insight into greed, these ten things should be developed.”
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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 list as things to be developed for insight into greed?
Correct: B. The first of three ten-item lists this chapter's entire structure is built from.
Question 2 of 6
According to the guide, what is this chapter's confirmed structure, checked against bilara-data before writing?
Correct: B. Confirmed directly from the source rather than assumed from precedent.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, why is this discourse and its two immediate siblings (AN 10.238–239) given in full, unlike most of the chapter?
Correct: B. The base content that the entire remaining 507 discourses reference through peyyāla ellipses.
Question 4 of 6
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given for this discourse.
Question 5 of 6
What chapter of AN10 does this discourse open, and what is its significance for this project?
Correct: B. The twenty-third and final chapter of the Tens.
Question 6 of 6
Does this discourse have its own distinct title?
Correct: B. Marked only by number and content, as at several other compact discourses across this nipāta.
