Dasa Kathaavatthu
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @ SariputtaDhamma/JTN]
In the story of Punna Mantaniputta I noticed that Arahant Punna taught his 500 clansmen the ten
bases of discourse (dasa kathaavatthu) "and they became arahants". So I wondered
what the 'dasa kathaavatthu' were about. My search found the following:
"There are these ten topics of [proper] conversation. Which ten?
1. Talk on modesty,
2. on contentment,
3. on seclusion (viveka),
4. on non-entanglement,
5. on arousing persistence(viriyaarambha),
6. on virtue(siila),
7. on concentration(samaadhi),
8. on discernment(pa~n~naa),
9. on release(vimutti), and
10. on the knowledge & vision of release(vimutti~naana.dassana).
"These are the ten topics of conversation."
"If you were to engage repeatedly in these ten topics of conversation, you wouldoutshine even the sun & moon, so mighty, so powerful â€" to say nothing of the
wanderers of other sects."
[AN 10.69 Kathavatthu Sutta]
[Katamaani dasa: appicchakathaa santu.t.thikathaa pavivekakathaa
asa.msaggakathaa viriyaarambhakathaa siilakathaa samaadhikathaa paññaakathaa
vimuttikathaa vimutti~naa.dassanakathaati. Imaani kho bhikkhave
dasakathaavatthuuni.]
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Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya
