Corasutta — Sativagga — the ninth chapter of the Eights
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A bare blocking-and-reversal pair, unusually literal in subject matter, with no allegorical mapping stated in the text
Length
under 1 minute to read
No stated spiritual parallel
Unlike most simile-based discourses in this book, which explicitly map their image back onto monastic life (as at AN 8.13's thoroughbred or AN 8.34's field), this discourse never draws such a connection itself — it reads, on its own terms, purely as worldly criminal advice
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — brief and blunt; this reading guide presents its content plainly rather than supplying an interpretation the text doesn't state
Why this discourse
AN 8.84 names eight factors — unprovoked attacks, indiscriminate theft, killing women, raping girls, robbing monks, robbing the royal treasury, working close to home, and poor concealment — that get a master thief quickly executed, and their eight opposites, which let him live a long life, without ever stating an explicit parallel to monastic conduct.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A master thief who attacks unprovoked, steals indiscriminately, kills women, rapes girls, robs monks and the royal treasury, works close to home, and hides his loot poorly is soon executed; the same thief avoiding all eight behaviors lives a long life — stated here as literal criminal advice, with no allegorical reading supplied by the text itself.
A blunt, unusually literal discourse
Where most of this book's blocking-and-reversal pairs concern virtues and vices directly relevant to spiritual practice, this discourse reads as exactly what it says: practical, cynical observations about which criminal behaviors invite swift capital punishment and which allow a thief to survive.
No stated parallel, unlike this book's other similes
This is worth noting explicitly: discourses like AN 8.13's thoroughbred or AN 8.34's field always draw their comparison back to monastic life within the text itself, saying outright “in the same way, a mendicant...” This discourse never does. Whatever cautionary reading a listener might draw about restraint, discretion, or consequence is left for them to construct, not handed to them by the source.
Content presented plainly, not smoothed into allegory
Rather than supplying an unstated spiritual interpretation on the text's behalf, this reading guide presents the discourse's content as it actually stands — a candid, unflinching piece of worldly observation, including its disturbing specifics about violence against women, without either softening it or inventing a monastic moral the source doesn't supply.
Key terms
coro mahānubhāvo — “a master thief” — this discourse's own title-figure, and its literal, unallegorized subject.
asāhasaṁ karoti — “attacks unprovoked” — the first factor, gratuitous violence beyond what theft itself requires.
sabbaharaṁ harati — “steals everything without exception” — the second factor, indiscriminate rather than selective theft.
chatte lambati — part of the description of “working close to home,” one of the eight factors, exposing the thief to easy recognition.
nikhipituṁ na kusalo hoti — “not skilled at hiding his booty” — the eighth factor, the discourse's own closing point about poor concealment leading to swift capture.
The text
The discourse in full: eight factors leading to a thief's swift execution, and their eight opposites. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Eight factors leading to swift execution
§1“Mendicants, a master thief with eight factors is soon executed, and doesn’t have long to live. What eight? He attacks unprovoked. He steals everything without exception. He kills a woman. He rapes a girl. He robs a monk. He robs the royal treasury. He works close to home. He’s not skilled at hiding his booty. A master thief with these eight factors is soon executed, and doesn’t have long to live.
Eight factors that let him live long
§2A master thief with eight factors is not soon executed, and lives long. What eight? He doesn’t attack unprovoked. He doesn’t steal everything without exception. He doesn’t kill a woman. He doesn’t rape a girl. He doesn’t rob a monk. He doesn’t rob the royal treasury. He doesn’t work close to home. He’s skilled at hiding his booty. A master thief with these eight factors is not soon executed, and lives long.”
· · ·
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 discourse name as leading to a master thief's quick execution?
Correct: B. Eight specific factors, stated bluntly and literally.
Question 2 of 6
According to the guide, what makes this discourse unusual compared to most of this book's other similes?
Correct: B. An unusually literal discourse, with no stated allegorical mapping.
Question 3 of 6
How does this reading guide handle the discourse's content?
Correct: B. Candid presentation, neither softened nor allegorized beyond what the text itself supports.
Question 4 of 6
What is the eighth factor named?
Correct: B. The discourse's own closing point about poor concealment.
Question 5 of 6
What contrast does the guide draw with AN 8.13 and AN 8.34?
Correct: B. A genuine structural difference from this book's more typical simile discourses.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare formula, matching several other discourses in this chapter.
