Paṭhamasekhasutta — Theravagga — the ninth 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
two paired five-item lists, returning to this chapter's opening structure
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, and returns to a familiar structure
Why this discourse
The chapter's focus narrows from senior mendicants (thera) to trainees (sekha) — those still training on the path, not yet fully liberated. Four ordinary activities, relished rather than merely done, and one omitted internal check together name what leads a trainee toward decline.
Reading guide
From senior mendicants to trainees
After three single-list discourses (AN 5.86–88), this discourse returns to the chapter's opening paired-list structure, and shifts its subject entirely: not a senior mendicant's standing among companions, but a trainee's own risk of decline.
Four relishings, one omission
Kammārāmatā, bhassārāmatā, niddārāmatā, saṅgaṇikārāmatā — relishing work, talk, sleep, and company — are named as four decline factors, alongside a fifth of a different kind: not reviewing the extent of one's own mind's freedom (yathāvimuttaṁ cittaṁ na paccavekkhati).
What 'relish' means here
Ārāmatā, literally ‘delighting in’, doesn't condemn work, talk, sleep, or company as such — every trainee needs some of each. What is named as a decline factor is treating them as a source of pleasure that displaces practice, not simply engaging in them as necessary.
The fifth factor, reviewing freedom
Unlike the first four, this factor names not an activity to avoid but an internal check a progressing trainee is expected to perform — periodically reviewing how far one's own mind has actually been freed, rather than assuming progress without examining it.
The mirrored positive
As throughout this chapter, the non-decline list simply negates all five terms: not relishing work, talk, sleep, or company, and reviewing the extent of one's mind's freedom.
A short pair before a longer companion
AN 5.90 immediately follows with the same ‘decline of a trainee’ framing, expanded into a much longer, more detailed five-factor list, closing this chapter.
Key terms
sekha — “a trainee” — one still training on the path, not yet fully liberated; this discourse's subject, distinct from thera.
kammārāmatā — “relishing work” — the first decline factor.
bhassārāmatā — “relishing talk” — the second.
saṅgaṇikārāmatā — “relishing company” — the fourth.
yathāvimuttaṁ cittaṁ paccavekkhati — “reviewing the extent of one's mind's freedom” — the fifth factor, an internal check rather than an activity to avoid.
The text
The discourse in full: four relished activities and one omitted review as causes of decline, then their absence. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
What leads to decline
§1“These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five? They relish work, talk, sleep, and company. And they don’t review the extent of their mind’s freedom. These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
What does not lead to decline
§2These five things don’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five? They don’t relish work, talk, sleep, and company. And they review the extent of their mind’s freedom. These five things don’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.”
· · ·
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 does 'sekha' mean?
Correct: B. Distinct from thera, this chapter's other central term.
Question 2 of 10
Name one of the four things a declining trainee is said to relish.
Correct: A. Kammārāmatā — relishing work, one of four.
Question 3 of 10
What is the fifth decline factor, distinct in kind from the other four?
Correct: B. An internal check, not an activity to avoid.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'ārāmatā' literally suggest?
Correct: B. The activities themselves aren't condemned — treating them as a source of pleasure is.
Question 5 of 10
Is the fifth factor an activity to avoid, or an internal check to perform?
Correct: B. Reviewing one's own mind's freedom, distinct in kind.
Question 6 of 10
How is the 'non-decline' list constructed relative to the decline list?
Correct: B. Matching this chapter's running pattern.
Question 7 of 10
What broader shift happens between AN 5.88 and AN 5.89?
Correct: B. From thera to sekha.
Question 8 of 10
What does AN 5.90 do with this same 'decline of a trainee' framing?
Correct: B. This chapter's closing discourse.
Question 9 of 10
Is 'sekha' the same as 'thera', the chapter's title term?
Correct: B. Sekha names a trainee; thera names a senior mendicant.
Question 10 of 10
What term describes a monk not yet fully liberated, still training?
