Aṅguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
VIII: Ākaṅkha-Vagga

X. The Book of the Tens

VIII: On Wishes

Sutta 80

Āghāta-Paṭivinaya Suttaṃ

Ways of Checking Ill-will

 


[102]

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.

There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, there are these ten ways of checking ill-will.

What ten?

[1] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so has done me harm.

But how can that be?1

[2] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so is doing me harm.

But how can that be?

[3] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so will do me harm.

But how can that be?

[4] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so has done harm to one dear and precious to me.

But how can that be?

[5] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so is doing harm to one dear and precious to me.

But how can that be?

[6]ed1 One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so will do harm to one dear and precious to me.

But how can that be?

[7] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so has done good to one not dear and precious to me.

But how can that be?

[8] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so is doing good to one not dear and precious to me.

But how can that be?

[9] One checks ill-will at the thought:

So-and-so will do good to one not dear and precious to me.

But how can that be?

[10] Anded2 one is not groundlessly annoyed.

These are the ten ways of checking ill-will.'

 


1 Kut'ettha labbhā ( = sakkā). Cf. S. i, 185. Possibly 'it can't be helped.'

 


ed1 Woodward omits.

ed2 Woodward has "Thus" which would indicate that this was a conclusion based on the previous nine and this would leave us with only nine factors. The Pali reads "and": "aṭṭhāne ca na ~." Bhk. Bodhi footnotes the previous sutta with the explanation that this has to do with getting angry when one stubs one's toe on a rock and such things as are not intentional affliction-inflictions.