The Buddha details five types of individuals based on offenses, remorse, and liberating discernment.

AN 5.142  Ārabhati sutta - Commits Offenses

“Pañcime, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame pañca?

“Bhikkhus, these five people are found existing in the world. What five?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo ārabhati ca vippaṭisārī ca hoti; tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

1.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person |commits offenses::transgresses, violates [ārabhati]| and then becomes |remorseful::regretful; lit. remembering back negatively [vippaṭisārī]|; and they do not |discern::distinguish, understand, know clearly [pajānāti]| |as it truly is::as it has come to be, in reality [yathābhūta]| the |liberation of mind::emancipated by mind/heart, samādhi obtained from fruition [cetovimutti]| and |liberation by wisdom::emancipation by insight [paññāvimutti]| wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder.

Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo ārabhati, na vippaṭisārī hoti; tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

2.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person commits offenses but does not become remorseful; and they do not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder.

Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo na ārabhati, vippaṭisārī hoti; tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

3.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person does not commit offenses but becomes remorseful; and they do not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder.

Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo na ārabhati na vippaṭisārī hoti; tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

4.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person does not commit offenses and does not become remorseful; yet they do not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder.

Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo na ārabhati na vippaṭisārī hoti; tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

5.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person does not commit offenses and does not become remorseful; and they discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder.

Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo ārabhati ca vippaṭisārī ca hoti, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti, so evamassa vacanīyo: ‘āyasmato kho ārambhajā āsavā saṁvijjanti, vippaṭisārajā āsavā pavaḍḍhanti, sādhu vatāyasmā ārambhaje āsave pahāya vippaṭisāraje āsave paṭivinodetvā cittaṁ paññañca bhāvetu; evamāyasmā amunā pañcamena puggalena samasamo bhavissatī’ti.

Regarding these, |bhikkhus,::::| that person who commits offenses and then becomes remorseful, and does not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder, should be spoken to thus: ‘Venerable, the |taints::outflows, discharges; (comm) mental defilements [āsavā]| born of committing offenses are present in you, and the taints born of remorse are growing. It would be good if the venerable, having abandoned the taints born of committing offenses and having dispelled the taints born of remorse, would cultivate the mind and wisdom. In this way, the venerable will become completely equal to that fifth person.’

Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo ārabhati na vippaṭisārī hoti, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti, so evamassa vacanīyo: ‘āyasmato kho ārambhajā āsavā saṁvijjanti, vippaṭisārajā āsavā na pavaḍḍhanti, sādhu vatāyasmā ārambhaje āsave pahāya cittaṁ paññañca bhāvetu; evamāyasmā amunā pañcamena puggalena samasamo bhavissatī’ti.

Regarding these, |bhikkhus,::::| that person who commits offenses but does not become remorseful, and does not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder, should be spoken to thus: ‘Venerable, the taints born of committing offenses are present in you, but the taints born of remorse are not growing. It would be good if the venerable, having abandoned the taints born of committing offenses, would cultivate the mind and wisdom. In this way, the venerable will become completely equal to that fifth person.’

Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo na ārabhati vippaṭisārī hoti, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti, so evamassa vacanīyo: ‘āyasmato kho ārambhajā āsavā na saṁvijjanti, vippaṭisārajā āsavā pavaḍḍhanti, sādhu vatāyasmā vippaṭisāraje āsave paṭivinodetvā cittaṁ paññañca bhāvetu; evamāyasmā amunā pañcamena puggalena samasamo bhavissatī’ti.

Regarding these, |bhikkhus,::::| that person who does not commit offenses but becomes remorseful, and does not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder, should be spoken to thus: ‘Venerable, the taints born of committing offenses are not present in you, but the taints born of remorse are growing. It would be good if the venerable, having dispelled the taints born of remorse, would cultivate the mind and wisdom. In this way, the venerable will become completely equal to that fifth person.’

Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo na ārabhati na vippaṭisārī hoti, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti, so evamassa vacanīyo: ‘āyasmato kho ārambhajā āsavā na saṁvijjanti, vippaṭisārajā āsavā na pavaḍḍhanti, sādhu vatāyasmā cittaṁ paññañca bhāvetu; evamāyasmā amunā pañcamena puggalena samasamo bhavissatī’ti.

Regarding these, |bhikkhus,::::| that person who does not commit offenses and does not become remorseful, yet does not discern as it truly is the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom wherein those arisen evil, unwholesome qualities cease without remainder, should be spoken to thus: ‘Venerable, the taints born of committing offenses are not present in you, and the taints born of remorse are not growing. It would be good if the venerable would cultivate the mind and wisdom. In this way, the venerable will become completely equal to that fifth person.’

Iti kho, bhikkhave, ime cattāro puggalā amunā pañcamena puggalena evaṁ ovadiyamānā evaṁ anusāsiyamānā anupubbena āsavānaṁ khayaṁ pāpuṇantī”ti.

Thus|, bhikkhus,::::| these four people, when exhorted and instructed in this way by means of that fifth person, gradually attain the destruction of the taints.”

Topics & Qualities:

Liberation

Liberation

Liberation can imply a temporary release of the mind, i.e. liberated from certain unwholesome mental qualities or complete liberation from all unwholesome qualities of the mind, i.e. Nibbāna.

Also known as: freedom, release, emancipation, deliverance
Pāli: vimutti, vimokkha, cetovimutti, paññāvimutti, akuppā cetovimutti
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Regret

Regret

A remorseful stirring of the mind that recalls what was done or left undone, weighing heavily and disturbing inner calm. It binds awareness to the past and obscures clarity.

Also known as: to be burned, to be consumed, to suffer remorse
Pāli: tappati
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Unprincipled conduct

Unprincipled conduct

Conduct that disregards moral restraint and ignores the consequences of harm done to oneself or others through body or speech. Such behavior clouds the mind and leads to regret and further decline.

Also known as: lacking in moral principles, lacking in ethics, immoral, wrong action
Pāli: dussīlya, micchākammanta
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Last updated on June 2, 2026