Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant complete in faith, ethics, learning, teaching ability, assembly attendance, teaching with assurance, training expertise, forest dwelling, direct experience of the formless liberations, and the ending of defilements is ‘impressive all around.’
The identical nine, one substitution
This discourse repeats AN 10.8's first eight qualities and tenth quality without change, substituting only the ninth: where AN 10.8 named the four absorptions, this discourse names the formless liberations, meditative attainments that transcend form altogether.
Absorption and formless liberation, a meaningful pairing
The substitution isn't arbitrary. The four absorptions and the formless liberations represent adjacent territory in this project's own nine progressive attainments — the first four and the next four of that same nine-stage sequence — suggesting this three-discourse set moves through increasingly subtle meditative accomplishments as its shared ninth quality.
A middle term, between absorption and knowledge
Positioned between AN 10.8's absorptions and AN 10.10's three knowledges, this discourse's formless liberations occupy a middle position: subtler than ordinary jhāna, yet still a matter of meditative attainment rather than the cognitive knowledges AN 10.10 will name next.
Key terms
The text
Ten qualities, the ninth now the formless liberations
§1“A mendicant is faithful, but not ethical. … they’re not learned. … they’re not a Dhamma speaker … they don’t frequent assemblies … they don’t teach Dhamma to the assembly with assurance … they’re not an expert in the training … they don’t stay in the wilderness, in remote lodgings … they don’t have direct meditative experience of the peaceful liberations that are formless, transcending form … they don’t realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. So they’re incomplete in that respect, and should fulfill it, thinking: ‘How can I become faithful, ethical, and learned, a Dhamma speaker, one who frequents assemblies, one who teaches Dhamma to the assembly with assurance, an expert in the training, one who lives in the wilderness, in remote lodgings, one who gets the formless liberations, and one who lives having realized the ending of defilements?’ When they’re faithful, ethical, and learned, a Dhamma speaker, one who frequents assemblies, one who teaches Dhamma to the assembly with assurance, an expert in the monastic law, one who lives in the wilderness, in remote lodgings, one who gets the formless liberations, and one who lives having realized the ending of defilements, they’re complete in that respect. A mendicant who possesses these ten qualities is impressive all around, and is complete in every respect.”
Self-check quiz
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