Dutiyaabhabbaṭṭhānasutta — Sītivagga — the ninth 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, the second of this tetrad, naming metaphysical and ritual errors rather than AN 6.92's disrespect and rebirth-count
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
The rejection of permanence-view, self-view, and reliance on rites and superstitions recurs widely across the Chinese Āgamas' polemic against wrong view; this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — denser than AN 6.92, naming six distinct metaphysical and ritual errors in sequence
Why this discourse
AN 6.93, checked against AN 6.92, shares only the tetrad's title pattern and closing formula — its actual six items are entirely different: taking conditions to be permanent, taking conditions to be happiness, taking anything to be the self, doing deeds with a fixed result in the next life, falling back on purification through rites, and seeking donees outside the Buddhist community.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
An individual accomplished in view cannot take conditions to be permanent or happiness, cannot take anything to be the self, cannot do deeds with a fixed result in the next life, cannot fall back on ritual purification, and cannot seek worthy recipients of donation outside the Buddhist community.
Two views on conditioned reality, one on the self
The list's first three items form a recognizable trio: mistaking conditioned phenomena (saṅkhāra) for permanent, mistaking them for a source of true happiness, and mistaking anything at all as a fixed self — each a distinct way to misapprehend one of the three characteristics (impermanence, suffering, non-self) this literature treats as fundamental.
A specific rejection of ritual purification
“Falling back on purification through boisterous, superstitious rites” (kotūhalamaṅgala) names a specific practice of seeking purification through auspicious omens and ceremonies — the accomplished individual's incapacity here is not a rejection of ritual as such but of relying on it as a substitute for the path actually walked.
A closing item on where merit is sought
The list's sixth item — being unable to seek those worthy of religious donation outside the Buddhist community — is the only item in this tetrad concerning external, social conduct rather than an internal view or state, closing a otherwise inward-facing list on a practical, communal note.
Key terms
saṅkhāre niccato — “conditions to be permanent” — the first item, mistaking conditioned phenomena for permanent, contrary to this literature's teaching on impermanence.
saṅkhāre sukhato — “conditions to be happiness” — the second item, mistaking conditioned phenomena as a genuine source of happiness.
dhammaṁ attato — “anything to be the self” — the third item, the specific denial of self-view underlying sakkāyadiṭṭhi, already met at AN 6.89.
kotūhalamaṅgala — “boisterous, superstitious rites” — the fifth item, naming reliance on auspicious ceremony as a substitute for the path.
ito bahiddhā dakkhiṇeyyaṁ gavesati — “seek outside of the Buddhist community for those worthy of religious donations” — the sixth and closing item, the tetrad's one item concerning external, communal conduct.
The text
The discourse in full: six metaphysical and ritual errors an accomplished individual cannot fall back on. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Six things that can't be done
§1“Mendicants, these six things can’t be done. What six? An individual accomplished in view can’t take conditions to be permanent. They cannot take conditions to be happiness. They cannot take anything to be the self. They can’t do deeds with fixed result in the next life. They can’t fall back on purification through boisterous, superstitious rites. They can’t seek outside of the Buddhist community for those worthy of religious donations. These are the six things that can’t be done.”
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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 6.93's list compare to AN 6.92's, checked term by term?
Correct: B. A tetrad where each discourse's actual content must be checked individually.
Question 2 of 7
What three characteristics does the guide connect to this discourse's first three items?
Correct: B. Permanence-view, happiness-view, and self-view, each opposing one of this literature's three fundamental characteristics.
Question 3 of 7
What does 'falling back on purification through boisterous, superstitious rites' target, according to the guide?
Correct: B. A specific incapacity: substituting ceremony for practice.
Question 4 of 7
What makes this discourse's sixth item distinct from the other five, according to the guide?
Correct: B. A practical, communal note closing an otherwise inward-facing list.
Question 5 of 7
Is a setting stated for AN 6.93?
Correct: B. A bare formula, matching this tetrad's other discourses.
Question 6 of 7
What does dhammaṁ attato mean, and where else has a related concept appeared in this collection?
Correct: B. A connection to the three fetters discussed three discourses earlier.
Question 7 of 7
Does AN 6.93 include a paired reversal or negative half?
