Reading guide
AN 5.89's short pair, expanded
This discourse keeps the same ‘decline of a trainee’ framing as AN 5.89, now giving each of five factors its own full statement, closing with the identical refrain seen before at AN 5.73–74: neglecting retreat, and not being committed to internal serenity of heart.
Overloaded with duties, and trivial work
The first factor names a trainee with many responsibilities and competence in many tasks — itself, ironically, a decline factor when it crowds out retreat. The second names wasting the day on minor, trivial work.
Inappropriate mixing, and wrong-time almsround
The third factor names mixing closely with laypeople and renunciates, ‘socializing like a layperson’ — echoing AN 5.80's concern about improper closeness, now applied to a trainee's general social conduct rather than one specific relationship. The fourth names entering the village at the wrong time and returning too late.
Missing out on self-effacement talk
The fifth factor names a trainee who doesn't get to take part, freely and easily, in talk on self-effacement (ābhisallekhikā kathā) — a named cluster of ten topics: fewness of wishes, contentment, seclusion, aloofness, arousing energy, ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. Simply lacking access to this kind of talk, when wanted, is itself named as a cause of decline.
The mirrored positive
As throughout this chapter, the non-decline list negates all five factors exactly, each retaining the same retreat-and-serenity refrain in its positive form.
The chapter's close
The colophon ‘Dasamaṁ. Theravaggo catuttho’ — the tenth discourse, the fourth Theravagga by the traditional count across the whole collection — follows the same mechanism explained in full at AN 5.10, and is not repeated here. The chapter's mnemonic verse follows, left, as elsewhere in this collection, untranslated in the source.
Key terms
The text
Five things that lead to decline
§1“These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five? Firstly, a mendicant trainee has many duties and responsibilities, and is competent in many tasks. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the first thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§2Furthermore, a mendicant trainee spends too much time doing trivial work. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the second thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§3Furthermore, a mendicant trainee mixes closely with laypeople and renunciates, socializing inappropriately like a layperson. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the third thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§4Furthermore, a mendicant trainee enters the town at the wrong time, and returns too late in the day. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fourth thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§5Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn’t get to take part in talk about self-effacement that helps open the heart, when they want, without trouble or difficulty. That is, talk about fewness of wishes, contentment, seclusion, aloofness, arousing energy, ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. They neglect retreat, and are not committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fifth thing that leads to the decline of a mendicant trainee. These five things lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
Five things that do not
§6These five things don’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. What five? Firstly, a mendicant trainee doesn’t have many duties and responsibilities, even though they are competent in many tasks. They don’t neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the first thing that doesn’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§7Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn’t waste their day doing trivial work. They don’t neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the second thing that doesn’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§8Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn’t mix closely with laypeople and renunciates, socializing inappropriately like a layperson. They don’t neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the third thing that doesn’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§9Furthermore, a mendicant trainee doesn’t enter the village too early or return too late in the day. They don’t neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fourth thing that doesn’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.
§10Furthermore, a mendicant trainee gets to take part in talk about self-effacement that helps open the heart, when they want, without trouble or difficulty. That is, talk about fewness of wishes, contentment, seclusion, aloofness, arousing energy, ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. They don’t neglect retreat, and are committed to internal serenity of heart. This is the fifth thing that doesn’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee. These five things don’t lead to the decline of a mendicant trainee.”
Self-check quiz
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