Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Each link in the familiar ten-link chain is a ‘vital condition’ (upanisā) for the next: lacking ethics destroys the condition for freedom from regret, and so on up to the knowledge and vision of freedom, exactly as lacking branches and foliage prevents a tree's shoots and heartwood from growing to fullness.
A third framing of the same chain
This is the third discourse running to use this project's now-familiar ten-link chain: AN 11.1 questioned it, AN 11.2 called it natural, and this discourse recasts it as strict causal dependency, using the technical term upanisā — vital condition, proximate cause — that also names the Upanisā Sutta pattern met earlier in this project at AN 7.65.
The branchless tree
The simile is symmetrical and vivid: a tree lacking branches and foliage cannot grow its shoots, bark, softwood, or heartwood to fullness, just as an unethical person cannot fulfill any of the ten downstream conditions; a tree complete with branches and foliage grows fully, just as an ethical person fulfills every condition in turn.
Destruction and fulfillment as mirror structures
The discourse states the negative chain first in full (ten destroyed conditions), then abbreviates its own tree simile with an ellipsis before restating the positive chain in full and abbreviating the second tree simile the same way — a deliberately symmetrical construction that this chapter's next two discourses will repeat nearly verbatim, spoken by different speakers.
Key terms
The text
Destroyed, like a branchless tree
§1“Mendicants, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for having no regrets. When there are regrets, one who has regrets has destroyed a vital condition for joy. When there is no joy, one who lacks joy has destroyed a vital condition for rapture. When there is no rapture, one who lacks rapture has destroyed a vital condition for tranquility. When there is no tranquility, one who lacks tranquility has destroyed a vital condition for bliss. When there is no bliss, one who lacks bliss has destroyed a vital condition for right immersion. When there is no right immersion, one who lacks right immersion has destroyed a vital condition for true knowledge and vision. When there is no true knowledge and vision, one who lacks true knowledge and vision has destroyed a vital condition for disillusionment. When there is no disillusionment, one who lacks disillusionment has destroyed a vital condition for dispassion. When there is no dispassion, one who lacks dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom. Suppose there was a tree that lacked branches and foliage. Its shoots, bark, softwood, and heartwood would not grow to fullness. In the same way, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for having no regrets. When there are regrets, one who has regrets has destroyed a vital condition for joy. … When there is no dispassion, one who lacks dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.
Fulfilled, like a tree in full leaf
§2An ethical person, who has fulfilled ethics, has fulfilled a vital condition for not having regrets. When there are no regrets, one who has no regrets has fulfilled a vital condition for joy. When there is joy, one who has fulfilled joy has fulfilled a vital condition for rapture. When there is rapture, one who has fulfilled rapture has fulfilled a vital condition for tranquility. When there is tranquility, one who has fulfilled tranquility has fulfilled a vital condition for bliss. When there is bliss, one who has fulfilled bliss has fulfilled a vital condition for right immersion. When there is right immersion, one who has fulfilled right immersion has fulfilled a vital condition for true knowledge and vision. When there is true knowledge and vision, one who has fulfilled true knowledge and vision has fulfilled a vital condition for disillusionment. When there is disillusionment, one who has fulfilled disillusionment has fulfilled a vital condition for dispassion. When there is dispassion, one who has fulfilled dispassion has fulfilled a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom. Suppose there was a tree that was complete with branches and foliage. Its shoots, bark, softwood, and heartwood would grow to fullness. In the same way, an ethical person, who has fulfilled ethics, has fulfilled a vital condition for not having regrets. When there are no regrets, one who has no regrets has fulfilled a vital condition for joy. … When there is dispassion, one who has fulfilled dispassion has fulfilled a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.”
Self-check quiz
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