Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant lacking faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom, who has no wish to listen, does not memorize the teachings, does not examine their meaning, does not practice accordingly, and is negligent, can expect only decline, like the waning moon; one with all ten qualities can expect only growth, like the waxing moon.
The same scene, told again
Every detail of AN 10.67's narrative opening recurs here nearly verbatim: the sore back, the request to Sāriputta, the lion's posture, the address to the silent assembly — establishing this as a genuine companion piece rather than an unrelated discourse that merely shares a location.
Five qualities become ten factors, compressed
Where AN 10.67 kept its five-item quality (faith/conscience/prudence/energy/wisdom) and its two ten-item lists of individual types separate, this discourse folds five more items — wanting to listen, memorizing teachings, examining their meaning, practicing accordingly, and diligence — directly into a single ten-part condition, then drops the separate individual-type lists entirely.
A shorter, denser retelling
The overall effect is a more compressed cousin of AN 10.67: the same moon simile, the same delegation-then-confirmation structure, but a single expanded condition in place of two distinct five-item and ten-item teachings — efficient where AN 10.67 was expansive.
Key terms
The text
The Buddha, tired, hands over to Sāriputta
§1At one time the Buddha stayed near Naḷakapāna in the grove of flame-of-the-forest trees. Now, at that time it was the sabbath, and the Buddha was sitting surrounded by a Saṅgha of monks. The Buddha spent much of the night educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk. Then he looked around the Saṅgha of mendicants, who were so very silent. He addressed Venerable Sāriputta, “Sāriputta, the Saṅgha of mendicants is rid of dullness and drowsiness. Give them some Dhamma talk as you feel inspired. My back is sore, I’ll stretch it.” “Yes, sir,” Sāriputta replied. And then the Buddha spread out his outer robe folded in four and laid down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up. There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!” “Reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:
The waning and waxing moon, ten factors compressed
§2“Reverends, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is not diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is negligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.”
The Buddha rises and confirms it
§3Then the Buddha got up and said to Venerable Sāriputta: “Good, good, Sāriputta! Whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is negligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waning fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only decline. In the same way, whoever has no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t memorize the teachings, examine their meaning, or practice accordingly, and is negligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. Whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night. It’s like the moon in the waxing fortnight. Whether by day or by night, its beauty, roundness, luminosity, and diameter and circumference only grow. In the same way, whoever has faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom; who wants to listen, memorizes the teachings, examines their meaning, and practices accordingly, and is diligent when it comes to skillful qualities can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.”
Self-check quiz
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