Reading guide
The five warriors, restated
Literal warriors first: one falters merely at the sight of a dust cloud; one prevails there but falters at a banner's crest; one prevails past both but falters at the noise of turmoil; one prevails past all three but is killed or wounded when blows are actually struck; one prevails through the whole battle and wins outright, standing as foremost in the field.
Five thresholds, mapped onto five monks
The first monk disrobes on merely hearing that an attractive woman lives in some village — his ‘dust cloud’. The second withstands hearsay but disrobes upon actually seeing her — his ‘banner's crest’. The third withstands seeing her but falters when she approaches and smiles, chats, laughs, and teases him — his ‘turmoil’. The fourth withstands all of that, but when she sits close, lies down near him, or embraces him, he has sex without even formally disrobing first — his ‘blows struck’. The fifth withstands that same physical approach, disentangles himself, and walks away — his ‘victory’.
Naming the frame plainly
This reading guide states directly what the discourse is doing and for whom: it is addressed to celibate male monastics, treats a woman's approach as the advancing force to be resisted, and gives the woman herself no voice or interior life of her own — she exists in the account only as an occasion for the monk's own struggle. This is reported as what the text says and who it is addressed to, not endorsed as a description of women or of desire generally.
What survives independently
One observation here is genuinely transferable beyond its specific historical framing: resilience against temptation is not a single yes-or-no trait. A person can hold firm against a distant, abstract version of a difficulty and still falter against a closer, more immediate one — failure and success can each occur at different thresholds within the same person, tested one at a time.
The fifth monk's victory, unpacked
The discourse doesn't leave ‘victory’ unexplained: the fifth monk withdraws to a secluded lodging, sits cross-legged, gives up the five hindrances, passes through the four absorptions, and applies the four noble truths to both suffering and defilement, arriving at the ending of defilements (āsavakkhaya) and the standard declaration that rebirth is ended. This full formula recurs at many points across this nipāta and is not re-explained here in full.
A companion to come
AN 5.76 immediately follows with the same five-stage structure, but reframes it entirely: not escalating thresholds of temptation, but a single already-arisen crisis, tracked through five different outcomes depending on how the community responds.
Key terms
The text
Five warriors
§1“Mendicants, these five warriors are found in the world. What five? Firstly, one warrior falters and founders at the mere sight of a cloud of dust. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the first warrior found in the world.
§2Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust, but he falters and founders at the mere sight of a banner’s crest. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the second warrior found in the world.
§3Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest, but he falters and founders at the mere sound of turmoil. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the third warrior found in the world.
§4Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil, but he’s killed or injured when blows are struck. Some warriors are like that. This is the fourth warrior found in the world.
§5Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil and being struck. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the fifth warrior found in the world. These are the five warriors found in the world.
Five monks, mapped
§6In the same way, these five individuals similar to warriors are found among the monks. What five?
The first: falters at rumor
§7Firstly, one monk falters and founders at the mere sight of a cloud of dust. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to keep up the spiritual life. Declaring his inability to continue training, he disavows it and returns to a lesser life. What is his ‘cloud of dust’? It’s when a monk hears: ‘In such and such a village or town there’s a women or a girl who is attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty.’ Hearing this, he falters and founders. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to keep up the spiritual life. Declaring his inability to continue training, he disavows it and returns to a lesser life. This is his ‘cloud of dust’.
§8I say that this individual is like the warrior who falters and founders at the mere sight of a cloud of dust. Some individuals are like that. This is the first individual similar to a warrior found among the monks.
The second: falters at the sight of her
§9Furthermore, one monk can prevail over a cloud of dust, but at the mere sight of a banner’s crest he falters and founders. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to keep up the spiritual life. Declaring his inability to continue training, he disavows it and returns to a lesser life. What is his ‘banner’s crest’? It’s when a monk doesn’t hear: ‘In such and such a village or town there’s a women or a girl who is attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty.’ But he sees for himself a women or a girl who is attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty. Seeing her, he falters and founders. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to keep up the spiritual life. Declaring his inability to continue training, he disavows it and returns to a lesser life. This is his ‘banner’s crest’.
§10I say that this individual is like the warrior who can prevail over a cloud of dust, but he falters and founders at the mere sight of a banner’s crest. Some individuals are like that. This is the second individual similar to a warrior found among the monks.
The third: falters when she approaches
§11Furthermore, one monk can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest, but he falters and founders at the mere sound of turmoil. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to keep up the spiritual life. Declaring his inability to continue training, he disavows it and returns to a lesser life. What is his ‘turmoil’? It’s when a mendicant who has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut is approached by a lady. She smiles, chats, laughs, and teases him. He falters and founders. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to keep up the spiritual life. Declaring his inability to continue training, he disavows it and returns to a lesser life. This is his ‘turmoil’.
§12I say that this individual is like the warrior who can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest, but he falters and founders at the mere sound of turmoil. Some individuals are like that. This is the third individual similar to a warrior found among the monks.
The fourth: overcome at her touch
§13Furthermore, one monk can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil, but he’s killed or injured when blows are struck. What is his ‘blows are struck’? It’s when a mendicant who has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut is approached by a lady. She sits right by him, lies down, or embraces him. Without resigning the training and declaring his inability to continue, he indulges in sex. This is his ‘blows are struck’.
§14I say that this individual is like the warrior who can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil, but is killed or injured when blows are struck. Some individuals are like that. This is the fourth individual similar to a warrior found among the monks.
The fifth: victory
§15Furthermore, one monk can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil, and being struck. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle. What is his ‘victory in battle’? It’s when a mendicant who has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut is approached by a lady. She sits right by him, lies down, or embraces him. But he disentangles and frees himself, and goes wherever he wants. He frequents a secluded lodging—a wilderness, the root of a tree, a hill, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest, the open air, a heap of straw.
What victory looks like
§16Gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, he sits down cross-legged, sets his body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present. Giving up covetousness for the world, he meditates with a heart rid of covetousness, cleansing the mind of covetousness. Giving up ill will and malevolence, he meditates with a mind rid of ill will, full of sympathy for all living beings, cleansing the mind of ill will. Giving up dullness and drowsiness, he meditates with a mind rid of dullness and drowsiness, perceiving light, mindful and aware, cleansing the mind of dullness and drowsiness. Giving up restlessness and remorse, he meditates without restlessness, his mind peaceful inside, cleansing the mind of restlessness and remorse. Giving up doubt, he meditates having gone beyond doubt, not undecided about skillful qualities, cleansing the mind of doubt. He gives up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Then, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, he enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.
The realization
§17When his mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—he extends it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. He truly understands: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. He truly understands: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements’. Knowing and seeing like this, his mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When it is freed, he knows it is freed. He understands: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’ This is his ‘victory in battle’.
§18I say that this individual is like the warrior who can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil and being struck. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle. Some individuals are like that. This is the fifth individual similar to a warrior found among the monks. These five individuals similar to warriors are found among the monks.”
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