Desirable

AN 5.81 · Rajanīyasutta

Green, bronze and dry oak leaves beside an acorn on moss.

“Mendicants, a senior mendicant with five qualities is disliked and disagreeable to their spiritual companions, not respected or admired. What five? They desire the desirable, they hate the hateful, they’re deluded by the delusory, they’re annoyed by the annoying, and they’re intoxicated by the intoxicating. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is disliked and disagreeable by their spiritual companions, not respected or admired.

A senior mendicant with five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired. What five? They don’t desire the desirable, they don’t hate the hateful, they’re not deluded by the delusory, they’re not annoyed by the annoying, and they’re not intoxicated by the intoxicating. A senior mendicant with these five qualities is dear and beloved to their spiritual companions, respected and admired.”

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.