Overview
When a young boy named Sopāka became a novice monk (sāmaṇera) at the age of seven, the Buddha tested his spiritual understanding with a specific set of ten progressive questions. This concise catechism encapsulates the entire mathematical and doctrinal structure of the Theravāda path, moving from basic biological reality to ultimate liberation.
The List
- What is one? All beings subsist on food (āhāra).
- What are two? Mentality and Materiality (nāma-rūpa).
- What are three? The three kinds of feeling (vedanā).
- What are four? The Four Noble Truths (ariyasacca).
- What are five? The five aggregates of clinging (upādānakkhandha).
- What are six? The six internal sense bases (ajjhattikāyatana).
- What are seven? The seven factors of awakening (bojjhaṅga).
- What are eight? The Noble Eightfold Path (ariyaṭṭhaṅgika magga).
- What are nine? The nine abodes of beings (sattāvāsa).
- What are ten? He who is endowed with the ten qualities (the ten factors of an adept) is called an Arahat.
Textual References
- Canonical: Kumārapañha (Khp 4) – The formal text of these ten questions and answers, memorized by all young novices.