Abhayappattasutta — Khemavagga — the sixth chapter of the Nines
Setting
Not restated; understood to continue from AN 9.56
Speakers
Venerable Udāyī questioning Venerable Ānanda, by implication
Form
A single opening line and an ellipsis, matching this chapter's other minimal stubs
Length
A few seconds to read what exists
Closing the third pair
Following the same state-versus-achievement shift as AN 9.53 and AN 9.55, closing this chapter's third term-pair
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — trivial to read, its interest lying in its pairing
Why this discourse
The source reduces this discourse to a single line — ‘they speak of “reaching a place without fear”’ — closing the fearlessness pair opened at AN 9.56 by naming the achievement of arrival rather than the state itself.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
By the pattern established at AN 9.52, reaching any of the nine progressive attainments is what the Buddha meant by ‘reaching a place without fear’ — qualifiedly at each of the first eight stages, definitively only at the ninth.
The third state-versus-achievement pairing
This discourse relates to AN 9.56 exactly as AN 9.53 related to AN 9.52, and AN 9.55 to AN 9.54: abhayappatta names the accomplishment of a person who has actually reached fearlessness, not fearlessness as a bare state — the third instance of this chapter's consistent pairing pattern.
Three pairs closed, two discourses left in the run
With this discourse, three of this chapter's five term-pairs are complete. Only tranquility and progressive tranquility (AN 9.58-59) and bare cessation (AN 9.60) remain before AN 9.61 restores full treatment, closing the whole run.
A pattern reliable enough to predict, not merely observe
By this point in the run, the pairing pattern is reliable enough that a reader could predict this discourse's likely content before opening it — a useful check on whether the chapter's structure has actually been understood, not just described.
Key terms
abhayappattaṁ — “reaching a place without fear” — this discourse's own title term, naming the achievement of arrival rather than fearlessness as a bare state.
…pe… — the Pāli peyyāla marker, left untranslated as an ellipsis — the source's own signal to supply the omitted content.
abhayaṁ — “a place without fear” — the paired term from AN 9.56, this discourse's own state-versus-achievement counterpart.
pariyāyena — “in a qualified sense” — not present in this discourse's own text, supplied by inference from AN 9.52's template.
nippariyāyena — “in a definitive sense” — likewise supplied by inference, reserved for the ninth attainment throughout this stretch of the nipāta.
The text
The discourse exactly as it survives in the source: one line and an ellipsis. Nothing has been added. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
The discourse in full, as it survives
§1“Reverend, they speak of ‘reaching a place without fear’. …”
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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 term relate to AN 9.56's ‘abhaya’?
Correct: B. The third instance of this chapter's consistent state-versus-achievement pairing pattern.
Question 2 of 6
How many of this chapter's five term-pairs are complete after this discourse?
Correct: C. Safety, the deathless, and fearlessness, each with their reaching-counterpart.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, what could a reader do by this point in the run?
Correct: B. The pairing pattern has become reliable enough to anticipate.
Question 4 of 6
How many discourses remain in this run of stubs after this one?
Correct: B. Tranquility, progressive tranquility, and bare cessation remain.
Question 5 of 6
How much of this discourse survives in the source?
Correct: B. Matching every other stub in this chapter's run.
Question 6 of 6
Where does this discourse's implied content come from?
Correct: B. The same source of inference used throughout this run of stubs.
