The spiritual life is lived for the abandoning and complete uprooting of the seven underlying tendencies toward 1) sensual desire, 2) aversion, 3) views, 4) doubt, 5) conceit, 6) passion for existence, and 7) ignorance.

AN 7.12  Dutiyaanusaya sutta - Underlying Tendencies (Second)

“Sattannaṁ, bhikkhave, anusayānaṁ pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati. Katamesaṁ sattannaṁ?

“Bhikkhus, the |spiritual life::a life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures [brahmacariya]| is lived for the abandoning and |complete uprooting::cutting off, total eradication [samuccheda]| of the seven underlying tendencies. Which seven?

Kāmarāgānusayassa pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati,
paṭighānusayassa …pe…
diṭṭhānusayassa
vicikicchānusayassa
mānānusayassa
bhavarāgānusayassa
avijjānusayassa pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati.

1.) The underlying tendency toward |sensual desire::passion or lust for sensual pleasures [kāmarāga]|,
2.) the underlying tendency toward |aversion::mental resistance, irritation, conflict [paṭigha]|,
3.) the |underlying tendency toward views::inherent inclination towards opinions, underlying conceptual beliefs; lit. views sleeping alongside [diṭṭhānusaya]|,
4.) the underlying tendency toward |doubt::uncertainty, indecisiveness wrt suffering, its arising, its ending, and the way of practice leading to the end of suffering [vicikiccha]|,
5.) the underlying tendency toward |conceit::self-view expressed as comparison—seeing oneself as superior, inferior, or equal; the persistent “I am” conceit (asmimāna) that underlies identification and fuels rebirth [māna]|,
6.) the underlying tendency toward passion for |existence::continued conditional existence, the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [bhava]|, and
7.) the underlying tendency toward |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|.

Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, sattannaṁ anusayānaṁ pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati.

Bhikkhus, the spiritual life is lived for the abandoning and complete uprooting of these seven underlying tendencies.

Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno kāmarāgānusayo pahīno hoti ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo. Paṭighānusayo …pe… diṭṭhānusayo vicikicchānusayo mānānusayo bhavarāgānusayo avijjānusayo pahīno hoti ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu acchecchi taṇhaṁ, vivattayi saṁyojanaṁ, sammā mānābhisamayā antamakāsi dukkhassā”ti.

Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu has abandoned the underlying tendency toward sensual desire—|cut off at the root::eradicated at the source [ucchinnamūla]|, uprooted like a palm stump, utterly obliterated, and rendered incapable of arising in the future, and likewise [has abandoned] the underlying tendencies toward aversion, views, doubt, conceit, passion for existence, and ignorance—then bhikkhus, that bhikkhu is called one who has completely cut out |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]|, torn apart the fetters, and through perfectly and completely comprehending conceit, has made an end of suffering.”

Qualities:

Faith

Faith

Confidence in the Buddha's awakening and the efficacy of the path. It brightens and steadies the mind, removing doubt and inspiring energy toward wholesome practice. True faith rests on clarity and direct experience rather than mere belief.

Also known as: confidence, trust, belief, conviction
Pāli: saddha, pasanna
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Giving up

Giving up

The mental quality of renunciation and release from attachment. It delights in simplicity and freedom rather than in sensual pleasure. Giving up is not loss but the joyful abandoning of burden, opening the way to peace and insight.

Also known as: renunciation, relinquishment, letting go, abandonment
Pāli: nekkhamma
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Humility

Humility

An honest, even-toned self-appraisal that stays open to feedback, honors others, and neither inflates nor denies one’s real abilities; it supports learning, concord, and restraint.

Also known as: accepting of correction, modesty, unpretentiousness, humbleness, freedom from self-importance, recognition of limits, staying teachable
Pāli: anatimāna
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Right view

Right view

View that is in line with the Dhamma — teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth.

Also known as: right understanding, right belief, view that is inline with the Dhamma
Pāli: sammādiṭṭhi
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, vijjā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita
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Aversion

Aversion

A rejecting mental quality rooted in perception, where one instinctively turns away from or resists unpleasant experiences or objects; it manifests as a tendency to push away discomfort, obstructing patience and acceptance.

Also known as: animosity, hate, hostility, fault-finding mindset, upset
Pāli: dosa, paṭighasaññā, vera
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Conceit

Conceit

Self-view expressed as comparison—seeing oneself as superior, inferior, or equal; the persistent “I am” conceit (asmimāna) that underlies identification and fuels rebirth

Also known as: arrogance, egotism, pride, self-importance, tendency of self-comparison
Pāli: māna, atimāna, unnaḷa
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Doubt

Doubt

Paralyzing indecision about the path or practice. Doubt obstructs confidence and clarity.

Also known as: confusion, indecisiveness, uncertainty, wavering, perplexity
Pāli: vicikiccha, kaṅkhā, vimati
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Ignorance

Ignorance

A fundamental blindness to the true nature of reality. It is not merely a lack of information, but an active misperception that views the transient as permanent and the unsatisfactory as a source of happiness, thereby fueling the cycle of suffering.

Also known as: illusion of knowing, fundamental unawareness of the true nature of reality, misunderstanding of how things have come to be, not knowing the four noble truths
Pāli: avijjā
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Passion

Passion

Intense desire or lust that dyes the mind. It fixates on the features of objects, coloring perception with infatuation and making it difficult to see things as they truly are.

Also known as: burning fever, intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust
Pāli: rāga
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Sensual desire

Sensual desire

A mental quality of desiring sensory gratification. It pulls the mind’s attention toward sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or touches in a search for satisfaction.

Also known as: passion for sensual pleasures, lust, craving for pleasure, pull toward enticing sense objects
Pāli: kāmacchanda
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Wrong view

Wrong view

A distorted understanding that sees permanence in the impermanent, satisfaction in the unsatisfactory, or self in the not-self. Wrong view guides action by delusion, obscuring cause and effect, and closes the door to wisdom and release.

Also known as: distorted or inverted perception, untrue view, false belief
Pāli: micchādiṭṭhi
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Last updated on December 13, 2025