Āghātapaṭivinayasutta — Sattāvāsavagga — the third chapter of the Nines
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
The same three-by-three grid as AN 9.29, each item closed by an identical disarming reflection
Length
~1 minute to read
A direct answer to AN 9.29
Every one of this discourse's nine ways to release resentment corresponds exactly to one of AN 9.29's nine grounds for holding it
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and practical, best read as a pair with AN 9.29
Why this discourse
For each of the same nine grounds named at AN 9.29 — wrong done to oneself, to someone loved, or favor shown to someone disliked, each across past, present, and future — resentment is released by the same disarming reflection: ‘but what can I possibly do?’
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Resentment is released on the same nine grounds named at AN 9.29 — harm done to me, to someone I love, or favor shown to someone I dislike, across past, present, and future — each time by the identical reflection: ‘they harmed me (or are harming, or will harm), but what can I possibly do?’
The same grid, now answered item for item
This discourse doesn't introduce a new structure; it takes AN 9.29's exact three-by-three grid of tenses and targets and answers every single cell with the same short reflection, making the pairing between the two discourses as tight as any in this collection.
One reflection, not nine different techniques
Unlike teachings elsewhere that offer a distinct antidote for each item in a list, this discourse's remedy is strikingly uniform: the identical rhetorical question, ‘but what can I possibly do?’, applied without variation across all nine grounds, suggesting the release of resentment depends less on nine different insights than on repeating one disarming reflection consistently.
Acceptance of limits, not denial of harm
The reflection doesn't deny that harm occurred, or that it might occur again; it simply notes the limits of what can actually be done about it now. This is a pragmatic release of resentment's grip rather than a claim that the resentment was never justified in the first place.
Key terms
āghātassa paṭivinayo — “getting rid of resentment” — the discourse's own title phrase, framing release rather than diagnosis.
kiṁ hi tattha labbhā — “but what can I possibly do?” — the single reflection applied without variation to all nine grounds for resentment.
upahaññi maṁ — “they harmed me” — the first ground answered, matching AN 9.29's opening item exactly.
piyassa me manāpassa upahaññi — “they harmed someone I love” — the fourth ground answered, matching AN 9.29's own fourth item.
appiyassa me amanāpassa atthaṁ acari — “they helped someone I dislike” — the ninth and final ground answered, closing both discourses on the identical structure.
The text
The discourse in full: the same nine grounds as AN 9.29, each answered by the identical disarming reflection. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Nine ways to get rid of resentment
§1“Mendicants, there are these nine ways to get rid of resentment. What nine? Thinking: ‘They harmed me, but what can I possibly do?’ you get rid of resentment. Thinking: ‘They are harming me …’ … ‘They will harm me …’ … ‘They harmed someone I love …’ … ‘They are harming someone I love …’ ‘They will harm someone I love …’ … ‘They helped someone I dislike …’ … ‘They are helping someone I dislike …’ … Thinking: ‘They will help someone I dislike, but what can I possibly do?’ you get rid of resentment. These are the nine ways to get rid of resentment.”
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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's structure relate to AN 9.29's?
Correct: B. As tight a pairing as any two discourses in this collection.
Question 2 of 6
What single reflection does this discourse apply across all nine grounds?
Correct: B. Uniform repetition, not nine distinct antidotes.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, what does this uniformity suggest about releasing resentment?
Correct: B. One reflection, applied consistently across every grievance.
Question 4 of 6
Does the reflection deny that harm occurred?
Correct: B. Pragmatic release, not denial of the original harm.
Question 5 of 6
What is the ninth and final ground this discourse answers?
Correct: B. The pairing between the two discourses holds all the way to the final item.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare practical formula, matching AN 9.29 immediately before it.
