Taṇhāmūlakasutta — Sattāvāsavagga — the third chapter of the Nines
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single unbroken causal chain of nine links, each giving rise to the next
Length
~1 minute to read
A chain, like AN 9.14, not a parallel list
Each of the nine things gives rise to the next in sequence, the same chain-structure already met at AN 9.14, tracing craving's social and behavioral consequences rather than its subjective ones
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — a compact but socially pointed causal sequence
Why this discourse
Craving gives rise to searching, searching to gaining material things, gaining to evaluation, evaluation to desire and lust, desire and lust to attachment, attachment to ownership, ownership to stinginess, and stinginess to safeguarding — and safeguarding in turn gives rise to violence, quarrels, disputes, accusations, backbiting, and lies.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Nine things rooted in craving unfold in an unbroken chain: craving gives rise to searching, then gaining, evaluation, desire and lust, attachment, ownership, stinginess, and safeguarding — and safeguarding gives rise to taking up the rod and the sword, quarrels, arguments, disputes, accusations, backbiting, and lies.
A second chain, this time social
Like AN 9.14's chain from name and form to freedom from death, this discourse traces an unbroken sequence rather than a parallel list — but where AN 9.14 traced an individual's path toward liberation, this chain traces craving's outward, social consequences: possession, jealousy, and eventually open conflict.
From an inner state to violence between people
The chain's middle links — evaluation, desire and lust, attachment, ownership — stay internal to the person doing the craving. But once ownership produces stinginess and stinginess produces safeguarding, the consequences turn outward and interpersonal: the discourse names the rod and the sword, quarrels, and outright lies as craving's final, fully socialized fruit.
Nine links traced back to one root
Every one of the nine things named here, however far downstream from the original craving, is still described as ‘rooted in craving’ — the discourse's own title and framing insist that even open violence and lying, several links removed, trace back to the same single root the discourse opens with.
Key terms
taṇhā pariyesanaṁ janeti — “craving gives rise to searching” — the chain's opening link.
lābho vinicchayaṁ janeti — “gaining material things gives rise to evaluation” — the third link, where acquisition begins producing judgment and comparison.
ajjhosānaṁ pariggahaṁ janeti — “attachment gives rise to ownership” — the point where an internal state first becomes a claim.
macchariyaṁ ārakkhaṁ janeti — “stinginess gives rise to safeguarding” — the eighth link, where craving's consequences turn outward and defensive.
daṇḍādānasatthādānaṁ — “taking up the rod and the sword” — the first and most severe of safeguarding's own bad, unskillful consequences.
The text
The discourse in full: nine things rooted in craving, traced in an unbroken causal chain. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Nine things, one chain
§1“Mendicants, I will teach you about nine things rooted in craving. And what are the nine things rooted in craving? Craving gives rise to searching. Searching gives rise to gaining material things. Gaining material things gives rise to evaluation. Evaluation gives rise to desire and lust. Desire and lust gives rise to attachment. Attachment gives rise to ownership. Ownership gives rise to stinginess. Stinginess gives rise to safeguarding. Owing to safeguarding, many bad, unskillful things come to be: taking up the rod and the sword, quarrels, arguments, and disputes, accusations, backbiting, and lies. These are the nine things rooted in craving.”
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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 is this discourse structured?
Correct: B. The same chain-structure already met at AN 9.14, applied here to craving's social consequences.
Question 2 of 6
What does craving give rise to first in this chain?
Correct: B. The chain's opening link.
Question 3 of 6
What does ownership give rise to, continuing the chain?
Correct: B. Possessiveness turning into guarding what is owned against others.
Question 4 of 6
What final consequences does safeguarding give rise to?
Correct: B. Craving's fully socialized, interpersonal fruit.
Question 5 of 6
According to the guide, how does this chain compare to AN 9.14's chain?
Correct: B. Same chain-structure, opposite direction and subject matter.
Question 6 of 6
What does the discourse's own title and framing insist about all nine things named?
Correct: B. Even open violence and lying trace back to one root.
