Pali Canon Search

Numbered Discourses · AN 4.164

  • Numbered Discourses 4.164Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.164
  • 17. Practice17. Paṭipadāvagga

Patient (1st)Paṭhamakhamasutta

“Mendicants, there are four ways of practice.“Catasso imā, bhikkhave, paṭipadā. What four?Katamā catasso? Impatient practice, patient practice, taming practice, and calming practice.Akkhamā paṭipadā, khamā paṭipadā, damā paṭipadā, samā paṭipadā.

And what’s the impatient practice?Katamā ca, bhikkhave, akkhamā paṭipadā? It’s when someone abuses, annoys, or argues with you, and you abuse, annoy, or argue right back at them.Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco akkosantaṁ paccakkosati, rosantaṁ paṭirosati, bhaṇḍantaṁ paṭibhaṇḍati. This is called the impatient practice.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, akkhamā paṭipadā.

And what’s the patient practice?Katamā ca, bhikkhave, khamā paṭipadā? It’s when someone abuses, annoys, or argues with you, and you don’t abuse, annoy, or argue back at them.Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco akkosantaṁ na paccakkosati, rosantaṁ na paṭirosati, bhaṇḍantaṁ na paṭibhaṇḍati. This is called the patient practice.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, khamā paṭipadā.

And what’s the taming practice?Katamā ca, bhikkhave, damā paṭipadā? When a mendicant sees a sight with their eyes, they don’t get caught up in the features and details.Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṁ disvā na nimittaggāhī hoti nānubyañjanaggāhī; If the faculty of sight were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousness and displeasure would become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty of sight, and achieving its restraint.yatvādhikaraṇamenaṁ cakkhundriyaṁ asaṁvutaṁ viharantaṁ abhijjhādomanassā pāpakā akusalā dhammā anvāssaveyyuṁ, tassa saṁvarāya paṭipajjati; rakkhati cakkhundriyaṁ; cakkhundriye saṁvaraṁ āpajjati. When they hear a sound with their ears …Sotena saddaṁ sutvā … When they smell an odor with their nose …ghānena gandhaṁ ghāyitvā … When they taste a flavor with their tongue …jivhāya rasaṁ sāyitvā … When they feel a touch with their body …kāyena phoṭṭhabbaṁ phusitvā … When they know an idea with their mind, they don’t get caught up in the features and details.manasā dhammaṁ viññāya na nimittaggāhī hoti nānubyañjanaggāhī; If the faculty of mind were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousness and displeasure would become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty of mind, and achieving its restraint.yatvādhikaraṇamenaṁ manindriyaṁ asaṁvutaṁ viharantaṁ abhijjhādomanassā pāpakā akusalā dhammā anvāssaveyyuṁ, tassa saṁvarāya paṭipajjati; rakkhati manindriyaṁ; manindriye saṁvaraṁ āpajjati. This is called the taming practice.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, damā paṭipadā.

And what’s the calming practice?Katamā ca, bhikkhave, samā paṭipadā? It’s when a mendicant doesn’t tolerate a sensual, malicious, or cruel thought. They don’t tolerate any bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen, but give them up, dispel them, calm them, eliminate them, and obliterate them.Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu uppannaṁ kāmavitakkaṁ nādhivāseti pajahati vinodeti sameti byantīkaroti anabhāvaṁ gameti; uppannaṁ byāpādavitakkaṁ …pe… uppannaṁ vihiṁsāvitakkaṁ … uppannuppanne pāpake akusale dhamme nādhivāseti pajahati vinodeti sameti byantīkaroti anabhāvaṁ gameti. This is called the calming practice.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, samā paṭipadā.

These are the four ways of practice.”Imā kho, bhikkhave, catasso paṭipadā”ti.

Similar passages elsewhere

Found by meaning, not by citation: the passages in other texts whose wording sits closest to a passage here.

  1. AN 4.165 Patience (2nd) 0.86near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.165 17. Practice Patience (2nd) “Mendicants, there are four ways of practice. What four? Impatient practice, patient practice, taming practice, and calming practice. And what’s the impatient practic…
  2. AN 4.161 In Brief 0.64near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.161 17. Practice In Brief “Mendicants, there are four ways of practice. What four? Painful practice with slow insight, painful practice with swift insight, pleasant practice with slow insight, and p…
  3. AN 4.163 Ugly 0.56near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.163 17. Practice Ugly “Mendicants, there are four ways of practice. What four? Painful practice with slow insight, painful practice with swift insight, pleasant practice with slow insight, and pleas…
  4. AN 4.14 Restraint 0.54near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.14 2. Walking Restraint “Mendicants, there are these four efforts. What four? The efforts to restrain, to give up, to develop, and to preserve. And what, mendicants, is the effort to restrain? When…
  5. DN 33 Reciting in Concert 0.53near 3.10This is called the effort to restrain. And what is the effort to give up? It’s when a mendicant doesn’t tolerate a sensual, malicious, or cruel thought that’s arisen, but gives it up, dispels it, eliminates it, and oblit…