Anupubbanirodhasutta — Khemavagga — the sixth chapter of the Nines
Setting
Not restated; understood to continue from AN 9.60
Speakers
Venerable Udāyī questioning Venerable Ānanda
Form
The full nine-stage template spelled out again, after eight discourses of minimal survival
Length
~1 minute to read
Full treatment, restored deliberately
This discourse breaks the run of minimal stubs begun at AN 9.53, matching AN 9.52's opening treatment to close the whole pattern
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — brief in itself, but marks a deliberate return to full elaboration
Why this discourse
Closing the longest run of minimal stubs met anywhere in this project, Udāyī asks what ‘progressive cessation’ means and Ānanda answers in full once more: each of the first eight attainments is progressive cessation 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 ‘progressive cessation’ — 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.
A deliberate bookend to eight stubs
This discourse's full treatment isn't an isolated event; it deliberately matches AN 9.52's opening treatment, framing the eight minimal stubs in between (AN 9.53 through AN 9.60) as a single compressed unit bracketed by two fully spelled-out discourses — the same structural bracketing this project has already met, for instance, in the peyyāla-opening pattern of full examples before compression sets in.
The fifth and final pair, and this term's own history
This discourse closes the cessation pair opened at AN 9.60 — the last of this chapter's five term-pairs — and its own title, ‘anupubbanirodha,’ is identical to AN 9.31's title several chapters earlier, though the two discourses share only their name and underlying nine-stage content, not their surrounding method or dialogue frame.
One discourse remains, closing the chapter differently
AN 9.62, immediately next, doesn't continue this chapter's Udāyī-to-Ānanda template at all; it closes Khemavagga with an entirely different kind of teaching, naming nine defilements that must be given up before perfection can be realized.
Key terms
anupubbanirodho — “progressive cessation” — this discourse's own title term, identical to AN 9.31's title several chapters earlier, though the two share only their name.
pariyāyena — “in a qualified sense” — the shared term for each of the first eight attainments, spelled out again here after eight stubs relied on inference alone.
nippariyāyena — “in a definitive sense” — reserved for the ninth attainment, closing this discourse and this run of term-pairs alike.
nirodho — “cessation” — the bare term from AN 9.60, this discourse's own state-versus-progressive counterpart.
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, spelled out completely to close this chapter's run of five term-pairs. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Progressive cessation, at each of nine stages
§1“Reverend, they speak of ‘progressive cessation’. What is the progressive cessation that the Buddha spoke of?” “First, take a mendicant who, quite secluded from sensual pleasures … enters and remains in the first absorption. To this extent the Buddha spoke of progressive cessation 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 progressive cessation 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
How does this discourse's treatment compare to the eight discourses immediately before it?
Correct: B. A deliberate bookend, framing the compressed run as one structural unit.
Question 2 of 6
What pair does this discourse close?
Correct: B. The fifth and final term-pair in this chapter's run.
Question 3 of 6
How does this discourse's title relate to AN 9.31's?
Correct: B. The same title reused across chapters, worth distinguishing from genuine content overlap.
Question 4 of 6
What happens at AN 9.62, immediately following this discourse?
Correct: B. A structural break from the template this whole chapter has followed so far.
Question 5 of 6
At which stage alone is progressive cessation achieved in a definitive sense?
Correct: C. The consistent ninth-stage pattern held throughout this entire chapter.
Question 6 of 6
Who speaks in this discourse?
Correct: B. The same two speakers continuing through this chapter's entire run of ten discourses.
