Dhamma Principles › Iṭṭha Sutta: Rare Good Things and What Nourishes Them
Iṭṭha Sutta: Rare Good Things and What Nourishes Them
Everyday life

Iṭṭha Sutta: Rare Good Things and What Nourishes Them

Iṭṭhā kantā manāpā dullabhā lokasmiṃ

Ten things everyone wants but that are hard to find in the world — wealth, beauty, health, virtue, friends, learning, wisdom and more. Each has an obstacle that blocks it and a "food" that nourishes it: diligence feeds wealth, and not deceiving feeds friendship.

10 points

In the Iṭṭha Sutta of the Aṅguttara Nikāya, Book of the Tens, the Buddha says there are ten things that are likable, desirable and agreeable, yet hard to find in the world: wealth, beauty, health, virtue, the spiritual life, friends, learning, wisdom, good qualities, and a final item that the Siamese edition reads as beings, while some other Pali editions read heaven.

He then shows that each has an obstacle (paripantha) that blocks it and a food (āhāra) that nourishes it, the two being opposites. For example, laziness is the obstacle to wealth, and diligence is its food.

The Thai translation used for reference does not list every obstacle, but the Pali edition gives all ten pairs, and the Thai translation's list of foods is complete.

  1. 1

    Diligence feeds wealth Anālassaṃ uṭṭhānaṃ

    Laziness and not getting up to work are obstacles to wealth; not being lazy and being diligent are the food of wealth.

    Applying it in daily life

    Instead of hoping for luck, check whether you have work habits that bring in income steadily.

  2. 2

    Taking care of yourself feeds beauty Maṇḍanā vibhūsanā vaṇṇassa āhāro

    Not grooming and adorning oneself is the obstacle to beauty (vaṇṇa); grooming and adorning oneself is its food.

    Applying it in daily life

    Keep yourself clean and suitably neat. It honours yourself and the people you meet, without needing to become infatuated with looks.

  3. 3

    Doing what suits you feeds health Sappāyakiriyā ārogyassa āhāro

    Doing what is unsuitable is the obstacle to health; doing what is suitable is the food of health.

    Applying it in daily life

    Health doesn't come from one formula for everyone. Notice which food, sleep and exercise actually suit your body.

  4. 4

    Good friends feed virtue Kalyāṇamittatā sīlānaṃ āhāro

    Having bad friends is the obstacle to virtue; having good friends is the food of virtue.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you want to drop a bad habit, look at whether the people you spend most time with help you or drag you down.

  5. 5

    Sense restraint feeds the spiritual life Indriyasaṃvaro brahmacariyassa āhāro

    Lack of sense restraint is the obstacle to the spiritual life; sense restraint is its food.

    Applying it in daily life

    Choose what you let your eyes and ears take in — for example, unfollow channels that stir up craving or irritation.

  6. 6

    Not deceiving feeds friendship Avisaṃvādanā mittānaṃ āhāro

    Speaking falsely — deceiving or breaking one's word — is the obstacle to friends; not deceiving is the food of friends.

    Applying it in daily life

    Friendship isn't sustained by treating each other, but by keeping your word: turn up when you said you would and do what you promised.

  7. 7

    Review feeds learning Sajjhāyakiriyā bāhusaccassa āhāro

    Not reciting and reviewing is the obstacle to learning; reciting and reviewing is its food.

    Applying it in daily life

    Review what you read or study, or explain it to someone, within a week — otherwise you'll forget nearly all of it.

  8. 8

    Listening well and asking feed wisdom Sussusā paripucchā paññāya āhāro

    Not listening well and not asking questions are obstacles to wisdom; listening well and asking questions are its food.

    Applying it in daily life

    In meetings or classes, listen to the end, then ask about what you still don't understand. Don't keep doubts to yourself for fear of looking ignorant.

  9. 9

    Effort and reflection feed good qualities Anuyogo paccavekkhaṇā dhammānaṃ āhāro

    Not applying oneself and not reflecting are obstacles to good qualities (dhammā); applying oneself and reflecting are their food.

    Applying it in daily life

    After hearing or reading the Dhamma, try putting one point into practice, then come back and reflect on how it worked.

  10. 10

    Right practice feeds the final item Sammāpaṭipatti sattānaṃ āhāro

    Wrong practice is the obstacle and right practice is the food. The Siamese edition and the Thai translation read this item as beings, but some other Pali editions read heaven, which fits the context of right practice leading to a good destination.

    Applying it in daily life

    Whichever reading you take, the point is that a good life, now and hereafter, has to be nourished by right conduct day by day.

Try it in daily life

This discourse answers a question everyone has: what does it take to get the good things in life? The answer is not to look only at the result you want, but at what feeds it, and to keep feeding it steadily.

It's worth noticing that the Buddha doesn't deny that wealth, beauty or health are desirable. He places them alongside virtue, wisdom and Dhamma, and shows the causes of each in a reasoned way.

It makes an easy exercise: pick the one item you want most this year, write down what its food is, and what in your life right now is blocking it.

Sign in to keep track of what you have read

Sources in the Tipiṭaka

Tap to read the actual passage on the page cited.

Other principles worth reading

Log in to earn 40 merit points for reading this page