Adhikaraṇasamathasutta — Vinayavagga — the eighth chapter of the Sevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single bare list of seven named procedures, with no explanation of any one of them
Length
under 1 minute to read
Among the most cited formulas in the Vinaya
These seven principles are recited at the close of every Pātimokkha ceremony and appear throughout the Vinaya Piṭaka's own procedural chapters in far greater detail than this bare list gives
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — brief in this telling, but each named principle names an entire elaborate legal procedure documented at length elsewhere
Why this discourse
AN 7.84 closes this chapter with seven named principles for settling any disciplinary issue that might arise — from face-to-face verdicts and majority decisions to the deliberately informal “covering over as if with grass” — a bare list that names, without explaining, some of the most consequential procedural machinery in the entire monastic legal system.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Seven principles exist for settling any disciplinary issue that arises in the monastic community, ranging from a straightforward face-to-face verdict through majority decision to a final option that deliberately closes off further investigation of a dispute too tangled to resolve any other way.
Seven named procedures, listed without elaboration
A face-to-face resolution to be applied; a resolution through recollection to be granted, for an accused mendicant whose memory of innocence is trusted; a resolution because of past insanity to be granted, excusing conduct during a period of genuine unsoundness of mind; acting according to what has been admitted, resolving a case by the accused's own confession; majority decision, when a formal vote settles what discussion alone cannot; further penalty, an additional measure imposed on a particularly obstinate offender; and covering over as if with grass, a final resort for disputes so tangled and divisive that formal investigation would do more harm than leaving them covered over and closed.
From individual verdicts to community-wide amnesty
The seven move from procedures addressing a single accused individual's specific case toward the final principle, which operates differently: “covering over as if with grass” is used for disputes that have divided an entire community so deeply that continuing to investigate would cause more harm than closing the matter without a definitive verdict at all, a recognition that not every dispute is best served by pursuing it to a final, provable conclusion.
A bare list naming an elaborate legal system
This discourse gives no procedure for how any of the seven is actually to be carried out; each one names an entire elaborate procedure documented at length in the Vinaya Piṭaka's own chapters, where the specific steps, conditions, and safeguards for applying each principle are worked out in far more technical detail than a single Numbered Discourse could hold.
Key terms
adhikaraṇasamatha — “settlement of disciplinary issues” — this discourse's own title, and the general category all seven named principles serve.
sammukhāvinaya — “resolution face-to-face” — the first principle, a verdict reached with the accused party present.
sativinaya, amūḷhavinaya — “resolution through recollection”, “resolution because of past insanity” — the second and third principles, each granted rather than simply applied.
paṭiññātakaraṇa, yebhuyyasikā, tassapāpiyasikā — “acting according to what has been admitted”, “majority decision”, “further penalty” — the fourth through sixth principles.
tiṇavatthāraka — “covering over as if with grass” — the seventh and final principle, a deliberate closing of a dispute too divisive to pursue to a definitive verdict.
The text
The discourse in full, a single bare list closing this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Seven principles for settling any disciplinary issue
§1“Mendicants, there are these seven principles for the settlement of any disciplinary issues that might arise. What seven? Resolution face-to-face to be applied. Resolution through recollection to be granted. Resolution because of past insanity to be granted. Acting according to what has been admitted. Majority decision. Further penalty. Covering over as if with grass. These are the seven principles for the settlement of any disciplinary issues that might arise.”
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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
How does this discourse present its seven principles?
Correct: B. A bare naming — the Vinaya Piṭaka's own chapters supply the procedural detail.
Question 2 of 6
What is the fourth principle, resolving a case by the accused's own confession?
Correct: B. Paṭiññātakaraṇa, settling a case on the accused's own admission.
Question 3 of 6
What does the seventh and final principle, "covering over as if with grass," address?
Correct: B. A deliberate closing of especially divisive disputes, not a routine procedure.
Question 4 of 6
According to the guide, how does the sequence of seven principles move?
Correct: B. A movement from individual verdicts to community-wide resolution.
Question 5 of 6
According to the guide, how often are these seven principles recited in monastic practice?
Correct: B. A recurring, standard part of the regular monastic recitation.
Question 6 of 6
What does "resolution because of past insanity" excuse?
Correct: B. A specific, bounded excuse tied to a documented period of genuine mental unsoundness.
