Paṭhamavinayadharasobhanasutta — Vinayavagga — the eighth chapter of the Sevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single-paragraph bare list, word for word identical to AN 7.75 except for one verb
Length
under 1 minute to read
One word changed
This discourse's only difference from AN 7.75 is its verb: sobhati, “shines as”, in place of hoti, “is” — opening this chapter's second set of four otherwise identical discourses
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the simplest possible variation on an already brief discourse
Why this discourse
AN 7.79 restates AN 7.75's ethical-restraint variant word for word, changing only its governing verb from “is” an expert in the monastic law to “shines as” one, opening this chapter's second set of four discourses.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant who knows the four categories of offense, is ethical and restrained in the monastic code, gets the four absorptions at will, and realizes undefiled freedom in this very life shines as an expert in the monastic law.
Identical content to AN 7.75, one verb changed
Every item in this discourse — the four opening categories of offense, ethical restraint as the fifth item, the four absorptions, and undefiled freedom — is word for word identical to AN 7.75. The only change is the closing and opening verb: sobhati, “shines as”, replacing hoti, “is”.
What the shift from “is” to “shines as” suggests
“Is” states a simple fact of classification; “shines as” adds a visible, radiant quality to that same fact — suggesting not just that these seven qualities qualify someone as an expert, but that possessing them makes that expertise outwardly evident, recognizable to others rather than merely true in some private sense.
A second set of four, mirroring the first exactly
This discourse opens AN 7.79-82 as an exact structural mirror of AN 7.75-78: the same four content variants, in the same order, differing from their counterparts by this single verb alone — confirming that this chapter's repetition is deliberate and systematic rather than incidental.
Key terms
sobhati — “shines as” — this discourse's own governing verb, replacing AN 7.75's hoti, “is”.
āpatti, anāpatti, lahukā āpatti, garukā āpatti — “an offense, not an offense, a light offense, a serious offense” — the shared four opening items, identical to AN 7.75.
sīlavā hoti pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto — “ethical, restrained in the monastic code” — this discourse's fifth item, identical to AN 7.75's.
catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ... nikāmalābhī — “gets the four absorptions... when they want” — the shared sixth item.
cetovimutti paññāvimutti — “freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom” — the shared closing attainment.
The text
The discourse in full, a single bare list. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Seven qualities of one who shines as an expert in the monastic law
§1“Mendicants, a mendicant with seven qualities shines as an expert in the monastic law. What seven? They know what is an offense. They know what is not an offense. They know what is a light offense. They know what is a serious offense. They’re ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places; seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken. They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty. They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. A mendicant with these seven qualities shines as an expert in the monastic law.”
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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 is the only difference between this discourse and AN 7.75?
Correct: B. Word-for-word identical content apart from this one verb.
Question 2 of 6
According to the guide, what does the shift from "is" to "shines as" suggest?
Correct: B. A visible, radiant quality added to the same underlying classification.
Question 3 of 6
What is this discourse's fifth item?
Correct: B. The same ethical-restraint variant as AN 7.75.
Question 4 of 6
How does this discourse relate to the structure of AN 7.75-78?
Correct: B. A systematic second pass through the same four variants.
Question 5 of 6
What four items open this discourse?
Correct: B. The shared opening across all eight discourses in this set.
Question 6 of 6
According to the guide, is this chapter's repetition accidental?
Correct: B. A deliberate, systematic structure across all eight discourses.
