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Aṅguttara Nikāya · Discourse 7.58

Nothing to Hide

Arakkheyyasutta — Abyākatavagga — the sixth chapter of the Sevens, opening its Second Fifty

Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A first-person doctrinal statement in two parts, four items then three, together making this chapter's seven
Length
~3 minutes to read
Wider canon
The three grounds of irreproachability given here overlap with the Buddha's four kinds of self-confidence (vesārajja) described at greater length in MN 12, though this discourse's specific fourfold-plus-threefold structure is its own
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — a confident, first-person statement, unusually direct even by this book's standards

Why this discourse

AN 7.58 has the Buddha speak about himself directly: four areas — bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, and livelihood — where he has nothing to hide from anyone, and three further grounds — his teaching, his path to extinguishment, and his hundreds of accomplished disciples — on which he declares himself irreproachable by anyone in the world.

Reading guide

The teaching in one sentence

The Buddha states plainly that in four areas of his own conduct he has nothing to hide, thinking ‘don't let others find this out about me,’ and that on three further grounds no one — ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, or the Divinity — has any legitimate basis to scold him.

Four areas, the same formula repeated

Bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, and livelihood: each is named pure, and each is followed by the identical claim that the Buddha has no misconduct in that area to hide, with the same imagined anxious thought — ‘don't let others find this out about me’ — explicitly absent.

Three further grounds, argued rather than merely asserted

The three grounds of irreproachability are not simple assertions: each is followed by the Buddha's own reasoning for why no legitimate scolding is possible — his teaching is well explained, the practice he has described for his disciples genuinely leads to extinguishment as demonstrated by their own realization, and many hundreds of his disciples have in fact realized the undefiled freedom of heart and wisdom. Each ground closes with the same declaration: seeing no such reason for reproach, he lives secure, fearless, and self-assured.

A first-person register, unusual even for this book

Most of this book's discourses report what the Buddha taught others; this one has him describe his own standing directly, in the first person, without a questioner prompting it. The claim is not modest, but it is also not merely asserted — each of the seven items comes with its own stated reason, open in principle to challenge from “anyone else in the world.”

Key terms

arakkheyya — “nothing to hide”, or more literally “not needing to be guarded” — this discourse's own title, naming the four areas of conduct requiring no concealment.
kāyasamācāro, vacīsamācāro, manosamācāro, ājīvo — “bodily behavior, verbal behavior, mental behavior, livelihood” — the four areas of purity, each given the identical “nothing to hide” formula in turn.
anupavajja — “irreproachable” — the second half of this discourse's own title-pair, describing the three further grounds on which no legitimate scolding is possible.
khemappatto, abhaya, vesārajjappatto — “secure, fearless, self-assured” — the phrase closing each of the three grounds of irreproachability.
samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā devo vā māro vā brahmā vā koci vā lokasmiṁ — “any ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, or the Divinity, or anyone else in the world” — the exhaustive list of who might legitimately scold the Buddha, and by this discourse's claim, cannot.

The text

The discourse in full: the four areas of nothing-to-hide conduct, and the three grounds of irreproachability. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

Four areas where the Realized One has nothing to hide

§1“Mendicants, there are four areas where the Realized One has nothing to hide, and three ways he is irreproachable. What are the four areas where the Realized One has nothing to hide? His bodily behavior is pure. So the Realized One has no bodily misconduct to hide, thinking: ‘Don’t let others find this out about me!’ His verbal behavior is pure. So the Realized One has no verbal misconduct to hide, thinking: ‘Don’t let others find this out about me!’ His mental behavior is pure. So the Realized One has no mental misconduct to hide, thinking: ‘Don’t let others find this out about me!’ His livelihood is pure. So the Realized One has no wrong livelihood to hide, thinking: ‘Don’t let others find this out about me!’ These are the four areas where the Realized One has nothing to hide.

The first ground: the teaching well explained

§2What are the three ways the Realized One is irreproachable? The Realized One has explained the teaching well. I see no reason for anyone—whether ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, or the Divinity, or anyone else in the world—to legitimately scold me, saying: ‘For such and such reasons you haven’t explained the teaching well.’ Since I see no such reason, I live secure, fearless, and self-assured.

The second ground: a practice that genuinely leads to extinguishment

§3I have clearly described the practice that leads to extinguishment for my disciples. Practicing in accordance with this, my disciples realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. I see no reason for anyone—whether ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, or the Divinity, or anyone else in the world—to legitimately scold me, saying: ‘For such and such reasons you haven’t clearly described the practice that leads to extinguishment for your disciples.’ Since I see no such reason, I live secure, fearless, and self-assured.

The third ground: many hundreds of accomplished disciples

§4Many hundreds in my assembly of disciples have realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. I see no reason for anyone—whether ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, or the Divinity, or anyone else in the world—to legitimately scold me, saying: ‘For such and such reasons you don’t have many hundreds of disciples in your following who have realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and who live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.’ Since I see no such reason, I live secure, fearless, and self-assured. These are the three ways the Realized One is irreproachable. These are the four areas where the Realized One has nothing to hide, and the three ways he is irreproachable.”

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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 formula is repeated for each of the four areas of conduct in this discourse's first half?
Correct: B. The identical formula, applied to body, speech, mind, and livelihood in turn.
Question 2 of 6
What is the first of the three grounds of irreproachability?
Correct: B. A claim about the teaching itself, argued rather than merely asserted.
Question 3 of 6
What is the third ground of irreproachability?
Correct: B. Evidence in the form of his disciples' own realization, not merely a claim about himself.
Question 4 of 6
According to the guide, what makes this discourse's register unusual for this book?
Correct: B. A first-person self-description, distinct from most of this book's reported teachings to others.
Question 5 of 6
Who does this discourse name as unable to legitimately scold the Buddha?
Correct: B. An exhaustive list, spanning human and divine critics alike.
Question 6 of 6
What phrase closes each of the three grounds of irreproachability?
Correct: B. The same closing declaration, repeated identically for all three grounds.
Answered 0 of 6 · Correct 0

Further reading

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