Tatiyavinayadharasobhanasutta — 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 7.77 except for one verb
Length
under 1 minute to read
One word changed
Identical to AN 7.77's firmness variant, with sobhati, “shines as”, replacing hoti, “is”
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the shortest variant, restated
Why this discourse
AN 7.81 restates AN 7.77's most compact variant — simply firm and unfaltering in the training — with “shines as” in place of “is”, the third discourse in this chapter's mirrored second set of four.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant who knows the four categories of offense, is firm and unfaltering in the training, 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 7.77, one verb changed
This discourse's fifth item — firm and unfaltering in the training, without further elaboration — matches AN 7.77's exactly, as do the shared four opening items and the closing pair; only the governing verb changes.
The third of four variants, restated
Following AN 7.79's restatement of ethical restraint and AN 7.80's restatement of textual mastery, this discourse restates the firmness variant — the shortest and most compact of the set's four, now appearing a second time.
One variant left to complete the mirror
With this discourse, three of the four content variants have now each appeared twice; only the fourth — past-life recollection paired with clairvoyance, and structurally distinct from the other three — remains to complete this chapter's systematic set of eight at AN 7.82.
Key terms
sobhati — “shines as” — this discourse's governing verb, matching AN 7.79-80's and AN 7.82's.
āpatti, anāpatti, lahukā āpatti, garukā āpatti — “an offense, not an offense, a light offense, a serious offense” — the shared four opening items.
vinaye ṭhito hoti asaṁhīro — “firm and unfaltering in the training” — this discourse's fifth item, identical to AN 7.77'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 firm and unfaltering in the training. 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 this discourse's fifth item?
Correct: B. The same firmness variant as AN 7.77.
Question 2 of 6
What is the only difference between this discourse and AN 7.77?
Correct: B. Word-for-word identical apart from this one verb.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, how many of the four content variants have now appeared twice, once this discourse is included?
Correct: C. Ethical restraint, textual mastery, and firmness — with only the fourth variant remaining.
Question 4 of 6
Which variant remains to complete this chapter's set of eight after this discourse?
Correct: B. The fourth and structurally distinct variant, still to come.
Question 5 of 6
What four items open this discourse, shared across the entire set of eight?
Correct: B. The shared technical foundation across all eight discourses.
Question 6 of 6
What two items close this discourse?
Correct: A. The shared closing pair across this entire set of eight.
