Mahantattasutta — Arahattavagga — the eighth chapter of the Sixes, continuing the Second Fifty
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single six-item list stated only positively, like AN 6.78, with no paired negative half
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
The imagery of being 'full of light' as a description of energetic practice recurs widely across the Chinese Āgamas; this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and entirely positive, this chapter's second one-sided list
Why this discourse
AN 6.80 is this chapter's second one-sided list, after AN 6.78: a mendicant who is “full of light, full of practice, full of inspiration, and full of eagerness,” who does not slack off in developing skillful qualities, and who “reaches further,” soon acquires great and abundant good qualities — stated once, with no separate negative list given.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant full of light, practice, inspiration, and eagerness, who does not slack off in developing skillful qualities and reaches further, soon acquires great and abundant good qualities.
Four qualities of fullness, then two of momentum
The list's first four items — full of light (obhāsabahula), practice, inspiration, and eagerness — describe an inward state of energetic readiness, while the closing two — not slacking off, and reaching further — describe sustained forward motion. The list moves from inner condition to outward momentum across its six items.
'Full of light' as figurative energy, not literal vision
Obhāsabahula, “full of light,” is read in this tradition as figurative — a mind bright with energetic clarity — rather than a claim of literally perceiving light, distinguishing it from the specific visual phenomena described in some meditation manuals as arising during concentrated practice.
The chapter's second exception, not a coincidence
That both of this chapter's one-sided discourses, AN 6.78 and AN 6.80, describe positive inward states — joy and delight in one case, energetic brightness in the other — rather than conduct to be corrected, suggests the paired blockage/reversal form is reserved in this chapter for items that can plausibly go wrong, while purely energetic or joyful qualities are simply described without a stated opposite.
Key terms
mahantatta — “greatness” — the discourse's own title, the outcome its six qualities are said to soon produce.
obhāsabahula — “full of light” — the first item, read figuratively as energetic mental clarity rather than a literal visual phenomenon.
ussoḷhībahula — “full of practice,” full of exertion — the second item, naming sustained effort directly.
uttari appaṭivāṇī — “they reach further” — the sixth and closing item, naming outward momentum rather than an inward state.
kusala dhamma — “skillful qualities” — the same general term used at AN 6.79, here described as developed without slacking off rather than merely acquired.
The text
The discourse in full: six qualities of energetic engagement that soon bring great and abundant good qualities. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Six qualities that bring greatness
§1“Mendicants, a mendicant with six qualities soon acquires great and abundant good qualities. What six? It’s when a mendicant is full of light, full of practice, full of inspiration, and full of eagerness. They don’t slack off when it comes to developing skillful qualities. They reach further. A mendicant who possesses these six qualities soon acquires great and abundant good qualities.”
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Self-check quiz
7 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 7
How does AN 6.80's structure compare to AN 6.78's, and to the rest of this chapter?
Correct: B. The chapter's second one-sided discourse, after AN 6.78.
Question 2 of 7
What does obhāsabahula mean, and how is it read according to the guide?
Correct: B. Figurative brightness of mind, distinguished from literal visual experiences described elsewhere in meditation manuals.
Question 3 of 7
How does the guide describe the list's internal movement across its six items?
Correct: B. Inner condition, then forward motion — a directional structure across the list.
Question 4 of 7
What does the guide suggest connects AN 6.78 and AN 6.80 as this chapter's two one-sided discourses?
Correct: B. A plausible pattern: purely joyful or energetic qualities described without a stated opposite.
Question 5 of 7
Is a setting stated for AN 6.80?
Correct: B. A bare formula, matching this chapter's other discourses.
Question 6 of 7
What does the discourse's sixth and final item, 'they reach further,' describe?
Correct: B. The closing item shifts from inward fullness to outward, sustained motion.
Question 7 of 7
What outcome does this discourse's six-item list produce?
Correct: B. The discourse's own stated and immediate outcome.
