Untitled in the source — Rāgapeyyāla — the eleventh and final chapter of the Eights, continued
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
Nine verbs of ending crossed against the three eightfold lists (path, mastery, liberation) established at AN 8.118-120, compressed into a single peyyāla page standing for 27 individually numbered discourses
Length
~1 minute to read the compressed text; the full 27-discourse expansion would take much longer
A familiar multiplication, seen four times before
Nine verbs crossed against a small set of eightfold lists is the same compression pattern already met at AN 4.277-303, AN 6.143-169, and AN 7.618-644
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — the compressed text is brief; understanding what it stands for requires holding the multiplication in mind
Why this discourse
AN 8.121–147 takes the three eightfold lists established at AN 8.118–120 — the noble eightfold path, the eight dimensions of mastery, and the eight liberations — and multiplies each against nine verbs of ending — complete understanding, complete ending, giving up, ending, vanishing, fading away, cessation, giving away, and letting go — compressing what would be 27 individually numbered discourses into a single page.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Each of the three eightfold lists already established for insight into greed — the noble eightfold path, the eight dimensions of mastery, the eight liberations — should also be developed for greed's complete understanding, complete ending, giving up, ending, vanishing, fading away, cessation, giving away, and letting go, nine further framings of the same underlying eightfold practice.
Nine verbs, one shared structure
The nine verbs move from cognitive grasp (complete understanding) through active relinquishment (giving up, giving away, letting go) to descriptions of the process itself unfolding (ending, vanishing, fading away, cessation) — nine angles on what amounts to the same underlying transformation, each treated as worth stating in the source's own accounting even though the practice prescribed (the same three eightfold lists) never changes.
Three lists times nine verbs equals twenty-seven
The arithmetic is straightforward and exact: three eightfold lists (path, mastery, liberation), each crossed against nine verbs, produces exactly 27 — matching the discourse range AN 8.121 through AN 8.147 this single page stands for, the same multiplication logic already met at AN 4.277-303, AN 6.143-169, and AN 7.618-644 in this project's earlier work.
A familiar closing mechanism, not a new discovery
By this point in the project, this compression pattern is well established: a small number of foundational lists, crossed against a fixed set of verbs, standing in for a large range of individually numbered but substantively identical discourses. This page follows that established mechanism exactly, without introducing anything structurally new.
Key terms
rāgassa pariññāya — “for the complete understanding of greed” — the first of the nine verbs, opening the compressed sequence.
pahānāya — “giving up” — one of the nine verbs, naming active relinquishment rather than passive ending.
nirodhāya — “cessation” — one of the nine verbs, echoing the same term used for the third noble truth.
cāgāya, paṭinissaggāya — “giving away, letting go” — the eighth and ninth verbs, closing the sequence with two further framings of relinquishment.
aṭṭha dhammā bhāvetabbā — “eight things should be developed” — the shared closing formula, repeated for each of the nine verbs crossed against each of the three eightfold lists.
The text
The discourse in full: nine verbs of ending, each crossed against the three eightfold lists established at AN 8.118-120. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Nine verbs, compressed
§1“For the complete understanding of greed … complete ending … giving up … ending … vanishing … fading away … cessation … giving away … letting go … these eight things should be developed.”
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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 does this compressed page stand for?
Correct: B. Three lists times nine verbs equals exactly 27, matching the AN 8.121-147 range.
Question 2 of 6
What three eightfold lists does this page cross against the nine verbs?
Correct: B. The three lists established immediately before this compressed page.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, what do the nine verbs collectively describe?
Correct: B. Different framings of essentially the same shift, not nine distinct processes.
Question 4 of 6
How does this compression pattern relate to earlier work in this project?
Correct: B. A familiar, well-established closing mechanism, not a new discovery.
Question 5 of 6
What is the first of the nine verbs?
Correct: B. Opening the compressed sequence with cognitive grasp before the verbs shift toward active relinquishment.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare formula, matching the three discourses immediately preceding this compressed page.
