Disrobing

AN 5.5 · Sikkhāsutta

Two clear woodland streams merge around a smooth mossy stone.

“Mendicants, any monk or nun who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life deserves rebuttal and criticism on five legitimate grounds in this very life. What five? ‘You had no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, or wisdom regarding skillful qualities.’ Any monk or nun who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life deserves rebuttal and criticism on these five legitimate grounds in this very life.

Any monk or nun who lives the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful face, deserves praise on five legitimate grounds in this very life. What five? ‘You had faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom regarding skillful qualities.’ Any monk or nun who lives the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful face, deserves praise on these five legitimate grounds in this very life.”

Connections

Collection & context

Aṅguttara NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Aṅguttara NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.