Grammatical Analysis
Sammappadhāna: [nt.] Right Striving; Supreme Effort. Formed by sammā (perfectly, correctly) + padhāna (striving, exertion, effort).
Orthodox Definition
The Sammappadhānas constitute the Four Right Strivings, which are completely identical to Right Effort (Sammāvāyāma) in the Noble Eightfold Path. They form the second major category within the 37 wings to awakening.
Doctrinally, this represents the mental factor of energy (viriya-cetasika) split into four distinct tactical applications to manage the mind’s ethical state:
- The effort to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states (guarding the sense doors).
- The effort to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen (applying antidotes to defilements).
- The effort to arouse unarisen wholesome states (initiating mindfulness and concentration).
- The effort to maintain and perfect wholesome states that have already arisen (sustaining jhāna and insight).
The commentaries compare this to a king’s fourfold strategy: preventing new enemies from invading, destroying enemies already in the kingdom, raising new loyal citizens, and protecting the citizens already flourishing.
Textual References
- Sutta: Padhāna Sutta (AN 4.14) – The formal canonical layout of the four exertions.
- Abhidhamma: Vibhaṅga (Sammappadhānavibhaṅga).
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (Chapter XXII) – Demonstrating how these four functions operate simultaneously during the supramundane path-moment.