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Aṅguttara Nikāya · Discourse 9.82

Shackles of the Heart

Cetasovinibandhasutta — Sammappadhanavagga — the eighth chapter of the Nines

Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
Five shackles of the heart, then the four right efforts given in full as the remedy
Length
~2 minutes to read
Closing the chapter, and its own colophon
This discourse closes Sammappadhanavagga, the eighth chapter; the source's own colophon numbers it ‘third’ within the Second Fifty, the same restarted numbering already met closing ch.6
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — substantial, closing this chapter on its most pointed obstacle-list, as ch.7 did

Why this discourse

The same five shackles of the heart that closed ch.7 — unresolved greed for sensual pleasures, the body, physical form, comfort and sleep, and rebirth among the gods sought through spiritual practice — recur here, closing this chapter, given up instead by developing the four right efforts.

Reading guide

The teaching in one sentence

To give up the five shackles of the heart — unresolved greed for sensual pleasures, the body, physical form, comfort and sleep, and rebirth among the gods sought through spiritual practice — a mendicant should develop the four right efforts, the same remedy running through this entire chapter.

The identical closer, a substituted remedy

As with AN 9.73's opener, this discourse's five shackles are word-for-word identical to AN 9.72's closer several chapters back. The two chapters share their opening and closing obstacle-lists precisely, differing only in the remedy applied throughout — mindfulness meditation in ch.7, right effort here.

A shackle turned against practice, answered by effort

The fifth and most pointed shackle — spiritual practice pursued for the worldly aim of rebirth among the gods — receives a fitting counterpart in this chapter's remedy: right effort's own formula names striving toward skillful qualities for their own development, not for any further gain, a direct answer to practice corrupted by ulterior motive.

Two chapters, one lesson about remedies

Read together, ch.7 and ch.8 make a point neither makes alone: identical obstacles, from ordinary broken precepts to the subtlest corruption of practice itself, can be met by more than one canonical approach. The source's own colophon closes this chapter, numbering it ‘third’ within the Second Fifty — the same internally restarted numbering already met closing ch.6, distinct from the continuous 1–10 count used in each discourse's own header.

Key terms

cetaso vinibandhā — “shackles of the heart” — the identical five items already met closing ch.7 at AN 9.72.
cattāro sammappadhānā — “the four right efforts” — this chapter's remedy, closing it exactly as it opened at AN 9.73.
iminā sīlena vā vatena vā tapena vā brahmacariyena vā devo vā bhavissāmi devaññataro vā — “by this precept or observance or fervent austerity or spiritual practice, may I become one of the gods” — the fifth shackle, practice corrupted by worldly aim, unchanged from AN 9.72.
dasamaṁ — “tenth” — the bare ordinal closing this discourse, marking its place as the tenth and final discourse in this chapter.
sammappadhānavaggo tatiyo — “Sammappadhānavagga, third” — the source's own colophon, restarting the chapter count for the Second Fifty rather than continuing the running 1–10 header numbering, the same pattern already noted closing ch.6.

The text

The discourse in full: the same five shackles of the heart as AN 9.72, now answered by the four right efforts. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

Five shackles of the heart

§1“Mendicants, there are these five shackles of the heart. What five? Firstly, a mendicant isn’t free of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for sensual pleasures. … These are the five shackles of the heart.

Four right efforts

§2To give up these five shackles of the heart you should develop the four right efforts. What four? It’s when a mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise. … so that unskillful qualities are given up … so that skillful qualities arise … They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities that have arisen remain, are not lost, but increase, mature, and are completed by development. To give up these five shackles of the hearts you should develop these four right efforts.”

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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 obstacle-list compare to AN 9.72's?
Correct: B. The obstacle stays the same across both chapters; only the remedy differs.
Question 2 of 6
What is the fifth and most pointed shackle?
Correct: B. Practice itself corrupted by an ulterior motive, unchanged from AN 9.72.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, how does right effort's formula specifically answer this fifth shackle?
Correct: B. A fitting counterpart between this specific obstacle and this chapter's chosen remedy.
Question 4 of 6
What lesson do ch.7 and ch.8 make together, according to the guide?
Correct: B. A lesson neither chapter makes alone, visible only when read together.
Question 5 of 6
What does the source's own colophon number this chapter, and what pattern does this match?
Correct: B. An internally restarted numbering distinct from each discourse's own continuous header count.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare doctrinal teaching, matching AN 9.72's closing of ch.7.
Answered 0 of 6 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousAN 9.74–81 · Hindrances, Etc.