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Numbered Discourses · AN 4.165

  • Numbered Discourses 4.165Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.165
  • 17. Practice17. Paṭipadāvagga

Patience (2nd)Dutiyakhamasutta

“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 cannot endure cold, heat, hunger, and thirst. They cannot endure the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles. They cannot endure rude and unwelcome criticism. And they cannot put up with physical pain—sharp, severe, acute, unpleasant, disagreeable, and life-threatening.Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco akkhamo hoti sītassa uṇhassa jighacchāya pipāsāya, ḍaṁsamakasavātātapasarīsapasamphassānaṁ duruttānaṁ durāgatānaṁ vacanapathānaṁ uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ anadhivāsakajātiko hoti. 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 endures cold, heat, hunger, and thirst. They endure the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles. They endure rude and unwelcome criticism. And they put up with physical pain—sharp, severe, acute, unpleasant, disagreeable, and life-threatening.Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco khamo hoti sītassa uṇhassa jighacchāya pipāsāya, ḍaṁsamakasavātātapasarīsapasamphassānaṁ duruttānaṁ durāgatānaṁ vacanapathānaṁ uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ adhivāsakajātiko hoti. 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 …pe… 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 4.164 Patient (1st) 0.86near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.164 17. Practice Patient (1st) “Mendicants, there are four ways of practice. What four? Impatient practice, patient practice, taming practice, and calming practice. And what’s the impatient practice…
  2. AN 4.161 In Brief 0.72near 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 0.61near 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 4.166 Both 0.59near 0.1Numbered Discourses 4.166 17. Practice Both “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…
  5. DN 10 With Subha 0.53near 4.8When they feel a touch with their body … When they know an idea with their mind, they don’t get caught up in the features and details. If the faculty of mind were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousne…
  6. DN 33 Reciting in Concert 0.53near 4.8Furthermore, a mendicant enjoys giving up and loves to give up. They enjoy meditation and love to meditate. But they don’t glorify themselves or put down others on account of their love for giving up and meditation. A me…
  7. AN 6.58 Defilements 0.51near 4.8the body faculty … the mind faculty. For the distressing and feverish defilements that might arise in someone who lives without restraint of the mind faculty do not arise when there is such restraint. These are called th…