Khemasutta — Khemavagga — the sixth chapter of the Nines
Setting
Not restated; understood to continue from the chapter's opening
Speakers
Venerable Udāyī questioning Venerable Ānanda
Form
The same qualified-versus-definitive template met throughout ch.5, opening a new ten-discourse run
Length
~1 minute to read
Chapter's namesake, opening a new run of five paired terms
This discourse names the chapter and opens five pairs of terms — safe/reaching safety, deathless/reaching it, fearless/reaching it, tranquility/progressive, cessation/progressive
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, opening a chapter that continues ch.5's method almost without a break
Why this discourse
Udāyī asks in what way the Buddha spoke of ‘a safe place,’ and Ānanda answers with the now-familiar nine-stage formula: each of the first eight attainments offers a safe place in a qualified sense, and only the ninth, the cessation of perception and feeling, in a definitive sense.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Reaching any of the nine progressive attainments is what the Buddha meant by ‘a safe place’ — in a qualified sense at each of the first eight stages, and in a definitive sense only upon reaching the cessation of perception and feeling.
Continuing ch.5's method without a break
This discourse opens a new chapter, but not a new method: the identical Udāyī-to-Ānanda question-and-answer structure, the identical nine-stage grid, and the identical qualified-versus-definitive language carry straight over from Sāmaññavagga, now applied to a fresh cluster of terms grouped around safety.
A chapter's namesake, and a new run of five pairs
This discourse's own term, khema, “a safe place,” names Khemavagga itself. It also opens a structured run of five term-pairs that will occupy this chapter's first ten discourses: safety and reaching safety, freedom from death and reaching it, freedom from fear and reaching it, tranquility and progressive tranquility, and cessation and progressive cessation.
What follows: the longest run of minimal stubs so far
Of the nine discourses following this one, eight (AN 9.53 through AN 9.60) are reduced in the source to a single elided line each — the longest such run met anywhere in this project, surpassing even the three-discourse run at AN 9.48 through AN 9.50. Only AN 9.61, closing the run, is given full treatment again.
Key terms
khemaṁ — “a safe place” — this discourse's own title term, naming the chapter and opening this run of five paired safety-related terms.
pariyāyena — “in a qualified sense” — the shared term for each of the first eight attainments, carried over directly from ch.5's method.
nippariyāyena — “in a definitive sense” — reserved for the ninth attainment alone, as throughout this whole stretch of the nipāta.
khemappatta — “reaching a safe place” — the paired term explored next, at AN 9.53, the first of this chapter's minimal stubs.
saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ upasampajja viharati, paññāya cassa disvā āsavā parikkhīṇā honti — “enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling... their defilements come to an end” — the shared closing formula for the definitive ninth stage.
The text
The discourse in full: the same nine-stage template as ch.5, now applied to safety. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
A safe place, at each of nine stages
§1“Reverend, they speak of ‘a safe place’. In what way did the Buddha speak of a safe place?” “First, take a mendicant who, quite secluded from sensual pleasures … enters and remains in the first absorption. To this extent the Buddha spoke of a safe place in a qualified sense. …
§2Furthermore, take a mendicant who, going totally beyond the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling. And, having seen with wisdom, their defilements come to an end. To this extent the Buddha spoke of a safe place in a definitive sense.”
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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 term does this discourse define, and what chapter does it name?
Correct: B. This chapter's own namesake, opening a fresh run of paired terms.
Question 2 of 6
How does this discourse's method compare to ch.5's?
Correct: B. A direct continuation of the method established across ch.5.
Question 3 of 6
What five term-pairs does this discourse open a run of?
Correct: B. A structured cluster of paired safety-related terms occupying this chapter's first ten discourses.
Question 4 of 6
How many of the nine discourses following this one are reduced to a single elided line in the source?
Correct: B. Surpassing even the three-discourse run at AN 9.48 through AN 9.50.
Question 5 of 6
Which discourse closes this run with full treatment restored?
Correct: B. Progressive cessation, given in full to close the run, matching this chapter's opener.
Question 6 of 6
Who speaks in this discourse?
Correct: B. The same speakers carried over directly from ch.5.
