Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Aṅguttara Nikāya · Discourse 10.82

With Ānanda

Ānandasutta — Theravagga — the ninth chapter of the Tens

Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing Ānanda
Form
Two matched ten-item lists, framed as pure impossibility and pure possibility
Length
~1 minute to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a clean, symmetrical structure

Why this discourse

The Buddha tells Ānanda, in the strongest possible terms, that ten specific qualities make growth in the teaching flatly impossible — not merely difficult or unlikely — and that their ten exact opposites make it possible with equal certainty.

Reading guide

The teaching in one sentence

It is quite impossible for a faithless, unethical, unlearned mendicant who is hard to admonish, has bad friends, is lazy, unmindful, discontented, of corrupt wishes, and of wrong view to grow in this teaching; it is quite possible for a mendicant with the exact ten opposite qualities.

Impossibility, not mere difficulty

The discourse's repeated phrase — “it is quite impossible” (netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati) — is a stronger claim than a simple warning against bad qualities: it asserts a logical impossibility, the same register used elsewhere in the canon for claims like “two Buddhas cannot arise in the same world.”

A perfectly symmetrical pair of lists

Unlike many paired lists elsewhere in this project, where a positive and negative version diverge partway through, this discourse's ten negative and ten positive qualities correspond exactly, one to one, item for item — faithless/faithful, unethical/ethical, and so on down the full list without exception.

Addressed to the Buddha's own attendant

The discourse is spoken directly to Ānanda, the Buddha's own personal attendant and, by tradition, the disciple who heard and remembered more of the Buddha's teaching than anyone else — a fitting recipient for a discourse about what makes growth in the teaching possible or impossible.

Key terms

netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati — “it is quite impossible” — the recurring formula asserting a logical impossibility, not merely a warning.
assaddho — “faithless” — the first of the ten qualities making growth impossible.
dubbaco — “hard to admonish” — the fourth quality on the negative list.
vuddhiṁ virūḷhiṁ vepullaṁ āpajjati — “achieve growth, improvement, or maturity” — the three-part outcome named as impossible or possible depending on the ten qualities.
saddho — “faithful” — the first of the ten exact opposite qualities making growth possible.

The text

The discourse in full: the ten qualities making growth impossible, and their ten exact opposites making it possible. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

Ten qualities that make growth impossible

§1“Ānanda, it is quite impossible for a faithless mendicant to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training. It is quite impossible for a mendicant who is unethical … unlearned … hard to admonish … with bad friends … lazy … unmindful … lacking contentment … of corrupt wishes … of wrong view to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training. It is quite impossible for a mendicant with these ten qualities to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

Ten qualities that make growth possible

§2It is quite possible for a faithful mendicant to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training. It is quite possible for a mendicant who is ethical … a learned memorizer … easy to admonish … with good friends … energetic … mindful … contented … of few desires … of right view to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training. It is quite possible for a mendicant with these ten qualities to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.”

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Self-check quiz

5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 5
What does the Buddha tell Ānanda about a mendicant with ten specific bad qualities?
Correct: B. A claim of logical impossibility, not mere difficulty.
Question 2 of 5
According to the guide, how strong is the claim behind the phrase "it is quite impossible"?
Correct: B. A genuine logical impossibility, not a warning against unlikely outcomes.
Question 3 of 5
How do the two ten-item lists in this discourse relate to each other?
Correct: B. A perfectly symmetrical negative/positive pairing.
Question 4 of 5
Who is this discourse addressed to?
Correct: B. Spoken directly to the disciple traditionally said to have remembered the most teaching.
Question 5 of 5
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given for this discourse.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0

Further reading

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