Aratisutta — Tikavagga — the eleventh chapter of the Sixes, continuing the Second Fifty
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
This chapter's shared template, applied to a fresh triad of practical faults
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
The pairing of rejoicing, harmlessness, and principled conduct as antidotes recurs widely across the Chinese Āgamas' practical ethical instruction; this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and formulaic, distinct content from every discourse in this chapter so far
Why this discourse
AN 6.113 names three practical faults — discontent, cruelty, and unprincipled conduct — reversed by rejoicing, harmlessness, and principled conduct, distinct content from every discourse in this chapter before it, checked term by term against AN 6.107–112's several triads.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
To give up discontent, cruelty, and unprincipled conduct, one should develop rejoicing, harmlessness, and principled conduct, each antidote matched to its corresponding fault.
Harmlessness recurring, in a new pairing
Avihiṁsā, harmlessness, already appeared as an antidote to cruel thought at AN 6.75 and 6.109–111; here it is paired specifically against cruelty (vihiṁsā) named as a standalone item, rather than against a cruel thought, perception, or element.
Rejoicing, a term new to this chapter's antidotes
Pāmojja, “rejoicing,” opens this discourse's antidote triad as a term not yet used elsewhere in Tikavagga's several lists so far, matched specifically against discontent (arati), the discourse's own title term.
Principled and unprincipled conduct, a general closing pair
The discourse's third pairing — dhammikatā against adhammacariyā, principled against unprincipled conduct — functions as a general closing term covering whatever specific misconduct the first two items do not already name, broader in scope than either discontent or cruelty individually.
Key terms
arati — “discontent” — this discourse's own title term and opening blocking item.
vihiṁsā — “cruelty” — the second blocking item, here named as a standalone fault rather than a form of thought, perception, or element as at AN 6.109–111.
adhammacariyā — “unprincipled conduct” — the third and most general blocking item, covering misconduct beyond the first two named faults.
pāmojja — “rejoicing” — the antidote matched to discontent, a term not yet used in this chapter's antidote lists before this discourse.
dhammikatā — “principled conduct” — the third antidote, the general reversal of unprincipled conduct.
The text
The discourse in full: discontent, cruelty, and unprincipled conduct, and their three matched antidotes. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Three things to give up
§1“Mendicants, there are these three things. What three? Discontent, cruelty, and unprincipled conduct. These are the three things.
Three things to develop against them
§2To give up these three things you should develop three things. What three? You should develop rejoicing to give up discontent, harmlessness to give up cruelty, and principled conduct to give up unprincipled conduct. These are the three things you should develop to give up those three things.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What three things does this discourse name as blocking items?
Correct: B. Distinct content from every earlier discourse in this chapter, checked term by term.
Question 2 of 6
How does this discourse's treatment of cruelty (vihiṁsā) differ from AN 6.109–111's, according to the guide?
Correct: B. The same underlying concept applied yet another way across this chapter.
Question 3 of 6
What antidote is matched specifically to discontent (arati)?
Correct: B. A term new to this chapter's antidote lists at this point.
Question 4 of 6
What does the guide say about the discourse's third pairing, principled versus unprincipled conduct?
Correct: B. A broader, catch-all closing pair rather than a third specific fault.
Question 5 of 6
Is a setting stated for AN 6.113?
Correct: B. A bare formula, matching this chapter's other discourses.
Question 6 of 6
What does dhammikatā mean?
Correct: B. The third antidote, the direct reversal of unprincipled conduct.
