Notes on MN 6: Ākaṅkheyya Sutta - If One Would Wish
Summary, Notes, Applications, & Personal Reflection
In the Ākaṅkheyya Sutta (MN 6), the Buddha lays out the foundation for progress in the holy life by showing how the fulfillment of various wholesome wishes, ranging from harmony with others to the highest liberations, depends on the perfection of certain core practices. Each wish, whether mundane or supramundane, is linked to a repeated formula: unblemished virtue, tranquility of mind, cultivation of jhāna, wisdom, and a tendency toward solitude. This sutta acts as both inspiration and roadmap for those who aspire to grow in the Dhamma, emphasizing that the path’s fruits are unlocked by consistent and complete training.
Context & Setting
Place: The discourse takes place in Sāvatthī, within Jeta’s Grove at Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. A frequent setting for many suttas, it symbolizes a supportive monastic environment.
Participants: The Buddha addresses the monks (bhikkhus), offering guidance directly related to their training and aspirations.
Background: There is no elaborate backstory. Rather, the sutta focuses on the repeated conditional structure: “If a monk would wish… then he should…” This device lends clarity and universality to the teaching.
Summary & Key Points
Repeated Formula:
Wishes enumerated: Desired outcomes range from social recognition to deep meditation, liberation, insight into past lives, supranormal powers, divine faculties, and ultimately the ending of effluents (taints).
Formula for fulfillment: For every wish, the Buddha prescribes the same five supports:
Bringing the precepts to perfection,
Inner tranquility of awareness,
Not neglecting jhāna,
Being endowed with insight,
Frequenting empty dwellings (solitude)
Conclusion/Refrain: The discourse ends with a reminder to dwell consummate in virtue (Pāṭimokkha), restrained, and ever-vigilant regarding training, pluralizing the theme of careful, universal practice.
Key Similes & Imagery
This sutta does not use extended similes in the way others do; instead, its repeated structure becomes an implicit simile: regardless of aspiration, the same core practices are the solvent that dissolves obstacles.
The imagery of “frequenting empty dwellings” evokes the quiet refuge and space needed for deep stabilization and insight.
Deep Dive Analysis
Unified Path: The sutta dissolves any binary between mundane and supramundane. Whether one wishes for material harmony or for awakening, the path remains the same, emphasizing the non-duality between ethics, concentration, and wisdom.
Virtue First: The repeated stress on precepts and seeing danger in the slightest fault underscores that liberation doesn’t bypass moral foundation.
Confluence of Meditative Elements: Inner tranquility and jhāna point to different facets: calm and absorbed attention. Insight then directs this calm-awareness toward understanding.
A Balanced Path: The structure reframes aspirations as invitations to the integrated path. No wish is neglected, but all are conditioned by fundamental training.
Practice Suggestions
During Meditation
Begin by reaffirming your commitment to ethical conduct. Take a moment to recollect your precepts.
Focus on calming the mind, not as an end, but as the ground for deeper concentrations.
Practice jhāna or settle into sustained attention even if full jhānas do not arise.
Observe insight as it arises. Notice passion, aversion, delusion and their opposites.
Consider establishing periods of solitude throughout your retreat or cushion practice, either physically or through protective mental boundaries.
Off the Cushion
Monitor your daily behavior with care; even small missteps are important.
Create “empty dwellings” in your schedule, such as times of silence or quietude for reflection.
Embody trustworthiness and kindness, reinforcing how well-kept virtue naturally fosters support and respect.
View challenges such as fear, distraction, or conflict as opportunities to practice tranquility and insight.
Reflect occasionally on your motivations and let your meditation practice support them gracefully.
Personal Reflection
This sutta is particularly motivating to me because it’s both actionable and aspirational. With whatever one shall wish that is in line with the dhamma, the Buddha gives clear instructions for how to attain it. He advises us to follow the precepts, experience the inner tranquility of awareness, practice deep meditative absorption, cultivate wisdom, and regularly seek solitude.
He even goes so far as to mention obtaining supernatural powers, for example, “… may I fly through the air like a winged bird.” My interpretation of this passage is that it is a lesson in encouragement, to continuously work towards for our dreams, and to not let the limits of reality hold back our effort.
My main takeaway is that we can accomplish great things, not only in formal practice but in life more broadly, and that spiritual and everyday life can become intertwined in a beautifully dhammic, symbiotic way.
I feel newly galvanized to devote more time to deep, secluded practice after studying this sutta.
Modern Parallels & Applications
The sutta’s structure resonates in modern self-development. Whether improving relationships or cultivating mindfulness, foundational habits are consistently effective.
The continuum between ordinary and profound goals reminds us that the same discipline, clarity, and insight serve both daily life and deeper transformation.
Frequenting solitude. In an age of constant stimulation, scheduling quiet unplugged time becomes a radical act of retreat and insight.
Quotes & Pali Terms
Notable Quotes
“If a monk would wish… then he should be one who brings the precepts to perfection…” — the refrain holds the teaching’s full power.
The last lesson: “Dwell consummate in virtue… seeing danger in the slightest faults.” It reinforces that liberation and aspiration rest on alert, sustained training.
“May I wield manifold supranormal powers. Having been one, may I become many; having been many, may I become one. May I appear & vanish. May I go unimpeded through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space. May I dive in & out of the earth as if it were water. May I walk on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting cross-legged, may I fly through the air like a winged bird. With my hand may I touch & stroke even the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful.” This discussion of supernatural powers is particularly fascinating. I often struggle to believe in these things, but I want to believe.
Pali Terms
Ākaṅkheyya — “if one wishes,” framing each aspiration as meaningful and actionable.
Pāṭimokkha — the core monastic code; its consummation is the ethical basis for all.
Jhāna — refers to deep meditative absorption, not merely calm concentration.
Conclusion & Takeaways
The Ākaṅkheyya Sutta shows that sincerity of aspiration, whether worldly or spiritual, finds fruition in the same path: ethics, calm, absorption, insight, and solitude.
The repeated structure reminds us the path is stable, dependable, and comprehensive.
The final exhortation to be mindful even of the smallest fault underscores that awakening is woven through every moment and detail.
References
Access to Insight. Glossary of Pali and Buddhist Terms. Retrieved from https://www.accesstoinsight.org/glossary.html
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.). (2013). If One Would Wish. Ākaṅkheyya Sutta (MN 6). Retrieved from https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN6.html
Wisdom Library. (2021). Khaya, Khāya: 10 definitions. Retrieved from https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/khaya#pali