Dhammassavanasutta — Kimilavagga — the twenty-first chapter of the Fives
Setting
None stated; the discourse continues from AN 5.1, whose setting at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove is understood to hold
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
single five-item list, no positive/negative mirror
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, precisely itemized
Why this discourse
A short but precisely structured discourse: five genuinely distinct benefits of listening to the teaching, moving from new information through clarification and doubt-resolution to a corrected view and, finally, confidence itself.
Reading guide
Five distinct benefits, not one restated
Learning something not yet heard; clarifying what's already been heard; getting over uncertainty; correcting one's views; and inspiring confidence in the mind — five genuinely separate effects, not five ways of saying the same thing.
A progression from information to disposition
Read in order, the five benefits move from the purely informational (new content, clarified content) through the epistemic (resolving doubt, correcting error) to something more affective: confidence itself, arising last, as a kind of culmination rather than a starting point.
Not all listening is equal
By naming these five as benefits specifically of listening, the discourse implies a contrast — not every act of hearing words produces all five effects; genuine listening does. The list functions as a quiet standard for what listening well should actually deliver.
A brief, standalone statement
Unlike the richer treatments of listening and its failures elsewhere in this collection (AN 5.151–156's concern with listening quality and transmission), this discourse states its point once, without narrative frame or elaboration.
What follows
AN 5.203 shifts entirely, from the benefits of hearing the teaching to a vivid simile: a fine royal thoroughbred, and the five qualities that make a mendicant equally worthy of honor.
Key terms
dhammassavana — “listening to the teaching” — this discourse's title concept and central subject.
assutaṁ suṇāti — “learns something not yet heard” — the first, purely informational benefit.
sutaṁ pariyodāpeti — “clarifies what's been heard” — the second benefit, refining rather than adding content.
kaṅkhaṁ vitarati — “gets over uncertainty” — the third, epistemic benefit.
cittamassa pasīdati — “inspires confidence in the mind” — the fifth and final benefit, an affective culmination.
The text
The discourse in full: five benefits of listening to the teaching. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five benefits of listening to the teaching
§1“Mendicants, there are these five benefits of listening to the teaching. What five? You learn new things, clarify what you’ve learned, get over uncertainty, correct your views, and inspire confidence in your mind. These are the five benefits of listening to the teaching.”
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What five benefits of listening to the teaching does this discourse name?
Correct: A. Five genuinely distinct effects of listening well.
Question 2 of 10
What does 'assutaṁ suṇāti' mean?
Correct: A. The first, purely informational benefit.
Question 3 of 10
How do the five benefits progress, read in order?
Correct: A. Confidence arises last, as a kind of culmination.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'kaṅkhaṁ vitarati' mean?
Correct: A. The third, epistemic benefit named.
Question 5 of 10
What does this discourse's naming of these five as benefits of listening imply?
Correct: A. A quiet standard for what listening well should deliver.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'cittamassa pasīdati' mean?
Correct: A. The fifth and final benefit, an affective culmination.
Question 7 of 10
How does this discourse's treatment compare to AN 5.151-156's concern with listening?
Correct: A. A concise five-item list, not an extended treatment.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'sutaṁ pariyodāpeti' mean?
Correct: A. Refining rather than adding new content.
Question 9 of 10
What discourse follows, shifting to a vivid animal simile?
Correct: A. Five qualities of a fine royal horse, applied to a mendicant.
Question 10 of 10
What structural form does this discourse take?
Correct: A. One of this nipāta's briefer, more direct discourses.
