Nissayasutta — Upālivagga — the fourth chapter of the Tens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
Venerable Upāli questioning the Buddha
Form
A single question, a single ten-item answer, identical to AN 10.34's
Length
~1 minute to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a straightforward repeat, once AN 10.34 is known
Why this discourse
Upāli asks a closely related but distinct question: not who may ordain, but who may take a junior mendicant into ongoing nissaya, dependence on a senior mentor after ordination. The Buddha's answer is the identical ten-item list from AN 10.34, with the first two items elided in the source as an explicit repeat.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
The same ten qualities that qualify a mendicant to give ordination (AN 10.34) also qualify them to give dependence: ethical restraint, learning, mastery of both codes, and the sevenfold pastoral ability to care for the sick, settle dissatisfaction, dispel remorse, dissuade misconceptions, and guide the three higher trainings.
Ordination and dependence, two distinct roles
Full ordination (upasampadā) and dependence (nissaya) are related but separate monastic institutions: the preceptor performs the ordination ceremony itself, while a mentor giving dependence takes ongoing responsibility for a junior mendicant's training — in practice, the same person often fills both roles, which is presumably why the Buddha answers with the identical list.
The source's own elision
Rather than writing out the first two qualities again, the source text itself abbreviates them with an ellipsis — “It's when a mendicant is ethical …” and “They're learned …” — a standard convention throughout this canon for signaling an exact repeat rather than fresh content.
Third appearance of a pattern
This is the second of what will become three consecutive discourses (AN 10.34, 10.35, 10.36) sharing this exact seven-item pastoral tail, each attached to a different question about who may take on a different kind of responsibility for a junior mendicant.
Key terms
nissaya — “dependence” — the formal relationship in which a newly ordained or otherwise unestablished mendicant relies on a senior mentor, this discourse's own title.
nissayaṁ dātuṁ — “to give dependence” — the act a qualified senior performs, taking a junior mendicant under their guidance.
pe — the standard Pāli abbreviation mark (rendered here as an ellipsis in translation) indicating text repeated exactly from an earlier passage, without being written out again.
bahussuta — “very learned” — the same threshold of learning carried over unchanged from AN 10.33 and 10.34.
gilānaṁ upaṭṭhātuṁ — “to care for the sick” — the first of the seven pastoral duties shared identically by AN 10.34, 10.35, and 10.36.
The text
The discourse in full: Upāli's question, and the Buddha's ten qualities, elided at the start where identical to AN 10.34. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Upāli's question
§1“Sir, how many qualities should a mendicant have to give dependence?” “Upāli, a mendicant should have ten qualities to give dependence. What ten?
Ten qualities, repeated from AN 10.34
§2It’s when a mendicant is ethical … They’re learned … Both monastic codes have been passed down to them in detail, well analyzed, well mastered, well evaluated in both the rules and accompanying material. They’re able to care for the sick or get someone else to do so. They’re able to settle dissatisfaction or get someone else to do so. They’re able to dispel remorse when it has come up. They’re able to rationally dissuade someone from misconceptions that come up. They’re able to encourage someone in the higher ethics, the higher mind, and the higher wisdom. A mendicant should possess these ten qualities to give dependence.”
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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 Upāli ask about in this discourse?
Correct: A. A distinct but related question to AN 10.34's, about the mentoring relationship of dependence.
Question 2 of 6
How does the Buddha's answer compare to AN 10.34's?
Correct: B. Word-for-word the same list as the preceding discourse on ordination.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, how are ordination and dependence related as institutions?
Correct: B. Distinct roles that in practice frequently overlap in the same senior mendicant.
Question 4 of 6
How does the source text itself signal the repeated opening qualities?
Correct: B. The Pāli abbreviation convention, rendered as ellipsis in translation.
Question 5 of 6
What pattern does this discourse continue, according to the guide?
Correct: B. AN 10.36 will repeat the same list once more, for a novice's attendance.
Question 6 of 6
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given, as throughout this chapter.
