This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — simple on its own, but best read alongside Thig 1.9
Why this text
This verse and the one immediately after it, Thig 1.9, share nearly identical wording — a template repeated with only the addressee's name and one key phrase changed. Here, addressed to Mittā (‘friend’), the instruction centers on appreciating ‘spiritual friends’, a concept the wider tradition treats as close to the whole of the path.
Reading guide
A name meaning friend, turned toward friendship itself
‘Mittā’ means ‘friend’. The instruction built on her name does not simply tell her to be a good friend, but to ‘appreciate your spiritual friends’ — gratitude for companionship on the path, not just the quality of friendliness.
Faith named as the starting point
The verse opens by naming what brought Mittā to this point: ‘having gone forth in faith’ — renunciation framed as an act of trust, not calculation.
A near-template shared with the very next poem
Compare this verse to Thig 1.9, addressed to Bhadrā: the structure, most of the wording, and the closing image of ‘sanctuary from the yoke’ are identical, with only the name and the specific object of appreciation changed.
A concept larger than this one short verse
‘Spiritual friendship’ (kalyāṇamittatā) is elsewhere in the canon described by the Buddha as effectively the whole of the spiritual life, not merely a support for it — this brief instruction rests on a much larger claim about how central companionship is to the path.
Key terms
Mittā — a nun's name, also the Pali word for ‘friend’ — the instruction plays directly on this meaning.
kalyāṇamittatā — “spiritual friendship” or “admirable companionship” — elsewhere in the canon described as close to the whole of the spiritual path, not merely a support for it.
saddhā — “faith” or “confidence” — named as what led Mittā to go forth from household life.
yoga-kkhema — “sanctuary from the yoke” — the same compound term closing Thig 1.6, appearing again here as the aim of developing skillful qualities.
cariyā — not used here; another of this book's unattributed poems, closing with no formula naming a perfection.
The text
The text in full: a single four-line verse, with no attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Having gone forth in faith, appreciate your spiritual friends, Mittā. Develop skillful qualities for the sake of sanctuary from the yoke.
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What does the name 'Mittā' mean?
Correct: B. The verse's instruction plays directly on this meaning.
Question 2 of 10
What is Mittā specifically instructed to appreciate?
Correct: B. Gratitude for companionship on the path, not simply being friendly.
Question 3 of 10
What does the verse name as bringing Mittā to renunciation?
Correct: B. Renunciation framed as an act of trust.
Question 4 of 10
How does this poem relate to Thig 1.9, the very next poem?
Correct: B. Best read as a closely matched pair.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'kalyāṇamittatā' refer to, more broadly in the canon?
Correct: B. A much larger claim than this brief instruction alone suggests.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'saddhā' mean?
Correct: A. Renunciation described as an act of trust, not calculation.
Question 7 of 10
What phrase closes this verse, also appearing in Thig 1.6?
Correct: B. A recurring compound term across several of this book's poems.
Question 8 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Ones?
Correct: B. Following Vīrā's verse.
Question 9 of 10
Does this poem have a closing attribution?
Correct: B. Continuing the bare, unattributed pattern of several poems in this book.
Question 10 of 10
What quality does the verse instruct Mittā to develop, alongside appreciating friendship?
Correct: B. Aimed at reaching sanctuary from the yoke.
