Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A mendicant is “supported” when faith, conscience, prudence, energy, or wisdom actually accomplishes the giving up of the unskillful and the development of the skillful, and when, grounded on these five, they use some things, endure some things, avoid some things, and get rid of some things, all after appraisal.
A question about a word
Unlike AN 9.1's rehearsed answer for outsiders, this discourse opens with a mendicant's direct question about terminology: what does it mean for a mendicant to be called “supported”? The Buddha's answer works by showing the term in action rather than defining it abstractly.
Five supports, one shared test
Faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom are each tested the same way: does relying on this quality actually accomplish giving up the unskillful and developing the skillful? What has been given up counts as completely given up only when seen with noble wisdom — the fifth support closes and validates the other four.
Four things, always after appraisal
The four things a supported mendicant relies on — using, enduring, avoiding, and getting rid of — are each qualified by the same phrase, ‘after appraisal.’ This is the same reflective-use logic spelled out at length elsewhere for a mendicant's four requisites, compressed here into a single closing line.
Key terms
The text
A question about a word
§1Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: “Sir, they speak of being ‘supported’. How is a mendicant who is supported defined?”
Five supports
§2“Mendicant, if a mendicant supported by faith gives up the unskillful and develops the skillful, the unskillful is actually given up by them. If a mendicant supported by conscience … If a mendicant supported by prudence … If a mendicant supported by energy … If a mendicant supported by wisdom gives up the unskillful and develops the skillful, the unskillful is actually given up by them. What’s been given up is completely given up when it has been given up by seeing with noble wisdom.
Four things, after appraisal
§3But then, a mendicant grounded on these five things should rely on four things. What four? After appraisal, a mendicant uses some things, endures some things, avoids some things, and gets rid of some things. That’s how a mendicant is supported.”
Self-check quiz
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