What should I practice and preach?

During my understanding of dhamma, found that there are two paths to perfection. One through saddha wherein one starts to do general meditation of any traditions and mainly watches the breath and another way is pañña or wisdom where you investigate into dhamma.

Actually, we would require both samathā and vipassanā to develop the mind in not getting lost in transition and reach the ultimate liberation from samsarā.

If I were to progress, following suttas from Anguttara Nikaya would be of great help:
1. Mulakasutta – AN10.58
2. Mahācundasutta – AN 6.46
3. Kaṇṭakasutta – AN10.72
4. Dasakathā – AN10.69

Let us tabulate Dasakathā with Mahācundasutta to see show things gets distorted and leads to debates and fights between two groups – Jhāyī bhikkhū and Dhammayogā bhikkhū

To begin with, let us understand AN10.69

#	Kathā	Etymology (Root Meaning)	Meaning (Deeper Sense)	Opposite (Contrary State)	Practical Check (In Practice)
1	Appicchakathā	Appa (little) + Icchā (desire)	Cultivating fewness of wishes; reducing craving even subtly	Mahicchatā (many desires), craving for gain, status, attainments	“What am I still wanting now — even in Dhamma?”
2	Santuṭṭhikathā	San (well) + Tuṭṭhi (contentment)	Contentment with present conditions; inner sufficiency	Asantuṭṭhi (discontent), restlessness, comparison	“Am I dissatisfied with what I have or where I am?”
3	Pavivekakathā	Vi (apart) + Viveka (separation/discrimination)	Seclusion through wise discrimination (what to engage / avoid)	Saṅgaṇikārāmatā (delight in company), over-engagement	“Is this engagement necessary or weakening my mind?”
4	Asaṁsaggakathā	A (not) + Saṁsagga (mixing, association)	Non-entanglement socially and mentally	Saṁsagga (entanglement), involvement, gossip, debate	“Am I getting mentally entangled with people or views?”
5	Vīriyārambhakathā	Vīriya (energy) + Ārambha (arising, initiating)	Arousing and sustaining effort toward abandoning unwholesome states	Thīna–middha (sloth, torpor), laziness, comfort-seeking	“Am I applying energy or slipping into dullness?”
6	Sīlakathā	Sīla (conduct, restraint)	Ethical discipline; purity of bodily and verbal actions	Duccarita (misconduct), carelessness, moral compromise	“Is my action/speech aligned with non-harming?”
7	Samādhikathā	Sam (together) + Ādhā (to place)	Collected, unified, non-scattered mind	Uddhacca–kukkucca (restlessness, agitation, remorse)	“Is my mind steady or scattered right now?”
8	Paññākathā	Pa (complete) + Ñā (to know)	Direct seeing of reality: anicca, dukkha, anattā	Moha (delusion), conceptual thinking without seeing	“Am I directly seeing arising–passing or just thinking?”
9	Vimuttikathā	Vi (free) + Mutti (release)	Letting go of clinging; experiential freedom	Upādāna (clinging), identification, holding	“Am I still holding onto this experience or identity?”
10	Vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā	Ñāṇa (knowledge) + Dassana (seeing)	Knowledge and vision of liberation; direct knowing of freedom	Avijjā (ignorance), doubt about liberation	“Is there clear knowing of release, or still uncertainty?”

Stage	Kathā
Renunciation foundation	Appiccha → Santuṭṭhi
Withdrawal	Paviveka → Asaṁsagga
Effort	Vīriya
Training	Sīla → Samādhi → Paññā
Result	Vimutti → Vimuttiñāṇadassana

Now the comparison between AN10.69 and AN6.46

#	Dasakathā AN 10.69)	Deeper Meaning	Distortion (AN 6.46 warning)	Correct Integration
1	Appicchakathā	Fewness of wants	“My path is superior” → subtle craving for identity	Simplicity in both learning & meditation
2	Santuṭṭhikathā	Contentment	Dissatisfaction with others’ approach	Accept diversity of faculties
3	Pavivekakathā	Discriminative withdrawal	Avoiding others wrongly OR clinging to group identity	Withdraw from defilements, not people
4	Asaṁsaggakathā	Non-entanglement	Getting entangled in debates	No mental involvement in “who is right”
5	Vīriyārambhakathā	Arousing effort	Effort wasted in argument	Direct effort to abandoning defilements
6	Sīlakathā	Right conduct	Harsh speech, criticism	Speech rooted in non-harming
7	Samādhikathā	Collected mind	Agitated mind due to comparison	Stability regardless of others
8	Paññākathā	Seeing reality	Conceptual debate mistaken as wisdom	Direct seeing over argument
9	Vimuttikathā	Letting go	Clinging to identity: “I am meditator / scholar”	Drop identity-view
10	Vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā	Knowing liberation	False claims / judging others’ attainment	Only direct knowledge counts

Two dangerous deviations:
Dhammayoga distortion
Intellectualization of teachings
Criticizing practitioners
“They don’t truly understand”

Jhāyī distortion
Anti-intellectualism
Rejecting investigation
“Only meditation matters”

Dimension	AN 10.69	AN 6.46
Content	What to speak	How speech goes wrong
Function	Build path	Prevent distortion
Danger	Missing steps	Division of path
Resolution	Balanced cultivation	Mutual respect

There are two wings for awakening and liberation
Samatha (jhāyī) – Stabilization of mind
Vipassanā (dhammayogā) – Seeing depth of mind

When, they don’t meet then Samathā becomes “dry and stagnated” and Vipassanā leads to agitate and restless state of mind which is what AN6.46 is focussing upon.
🧘 FINAL ESSENCE
AN 10.69 says: “Speak only what leads to liberation”
AN 6.46 says: “Do not let even Dhamma become division”

🟢 Right Kathā = That which reduces craving, division, and identity — and leads to direct seeing and release

Let us add Kaṇṭakasutta – AN10.72 to see how it works

#	Pāli term	Literal meaning	Deeper meaning	Thorn / Kaṇṭaka	What it means in practice
1	Appicchakathā	talk on fewness of wishes	reducing wanting	subhanimittānuyogo, rāga	the mind stops feeding on attractive signs and wanting more
2	Santuṭṭhikathā	talk on contentment	sufficiency, enoughness	dissatisfaction hidden in craving and comparison	contentment protects the mind from outward pull
3	Pavivekakathā	talk on seclusion/discrimination	choosing non-entanglement	saṅgaṇikārāmatā	if one delights in crowd, seclusion cannot deepen
4	Asaṁsaggakathā	talk on non-mingling	non-mixing with what disturbs	visūkadassanaṁ, social and sensory scattering	prevents fragmentation of attention
5	Vīriyārambhakathā	talk on arousing effort	energy rightly launched	giving in to distraction and softness	energy is needed to remove the thorn before settling
6	Sīlakathā	talk on virtue	restraint, non-remorse	mātugāmūpacāro, rāga-driven conduct	ethical restraint protects the field of practice
7	Samādhikathā	talk on collectedness	gathered, unified mind	saddo, vitakkavicārā, pīti, assāsapassāso	each stage requires abandoning a coarser movement
8	Paññākathā	talk on wisdom	seeing conditions clearly	mistaking the coarse for the subtle	wisdom knows what must now be relinquished
9	Vimuttikathā	talk on release	freedom from holding	saññā ca vedanā ca in nirodha context	even very subtle experience must cease for cessation
10	Vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā	talk on knowledge and vision of release	direct knowing of freedom	rāgo, doso, moho	final verification is by destruction of roots

Let us go over AN10.72 in detail
Pavivekārāmassa saṅgaṇikārāmatā kaṇṭako
paviveka = seclusion, separation, discerned withdrawal
ārāma = delight, pleasure, abiding in
pavivekārāmassa = for one who delights in seclusion
saṅgaṇikā-ārāmatā = delight in company, delight in crowd, delight in sociality
kaṇṭako = thorn

For one who wants seclusion, delight in company is a thorn.
This is very deep. It does not merely say “company is bad.” It says: delight in company is the thorn
One may physically sit alone, but if the mind delights in conversation, audience, being seen, being needed, social warmth, group identity and emotional companionship due to which paviveka cannot mature.
Deeper significance -This directly links with AN 10.69 – pavivekakathā and asaṁsaggakathā
And with AN 6.46: dividing into camps, delighting in faction, identity, group-based selfhood

Important point
Seclusion is not hatred of people but is freedom from dependence on company for inner comfort.
Thorn removed – Not people themselves, but psychological leaning toward company, the comfort addiction of social presence

Asubhanimittānuyogaṁ anuyuttassa subhanimittānuyogo kaṇṭako
asubha = unattractive, foul, not beautiful, not alluring
nimitta = sign, mark, mental image, perceptual cue
anuyoga = cultivation, application, pursuit
anuyuttassa = for one engaged in
subha-nimitta-anuyogo = attention to attractive signs

For one engaged in the cultivation of the unattractive sign, attention to the attractive sign is a thorn.
This is extremely practical. If one is trying to cool lust by seeing impermanence, decay, unattractiveness and non-ownable body nature. This then turning toward beauty signs, pleasant bodily form, charm, desirability and aesthetic fascination and becomes a thorn.

Deeper point
The Buddha is showing a law of mind as the perception you feed becomes the world you inhabit. If one is cultivating asubha, then subhanimitta is not neutral. It is an obstruction.

Connection with AN 10.69: This connects especially with:
appicchakathā, sīlakathā and paññākathā
Because attractive-sign attention feeds to wanting, attachment, delusion of beauty as lasting and satisfying

Practice meaning
This does not mean creating disgust in a neurotic way. It means correcting delusion where the mind selectively exaggerates the attractive and ignores impermanence, vulnerability, decay and unsatisfactoriness

Indriyesu guttadvārassa visūkadassanaṁ kaṇṭako
indriyesu = in the sense faculties
gutta-dvāra = guarded at the doors
visūka-dassanaṁ = looking at distractions, variety-shows, crooked seeing, scattered spectacle
The exact force of visūkadassana points toward looking at distracting, variegated, captivating displays that pull the mind outward.

For one guarded at the sense doors, looking at distracting variety is a thorn.
Sense restraint is not just “do not see.” It is not grasping signs, not pursuing details and not letting perception proliferate. So visūkadassana is thorn because it breaks the continuity of guarding. It is the opposite of stable inward composure. In practical modern language it includes the mind’s fascination with spectacle, novelty, dramatic visual distraction, scanning, comparison, restless looking

Connection with AN 10.69 – asaṁsaggakathā, samādhikathā paññākathā
Because an unguarded eye quickly destroys collectedness.

Brahmacariyassa mātugāmūpacāro kaṇṭako
brahmacariyassa = for the holy life / celibate life / spiritual life
mātugāma = womenfolk, female presence; in broader practical sense, sensual object relevant to lust
upacāra = proximity, approach, familiar association

For the holy life, proximity to women is a thorn.
In the original monastic context, this is direct and plain. The point is not hatred or devaluation. The point is protection of celibate practice from sensual stimulation and emotional entanglement.
Deeper doctrinal meaning – The Buddha is identifying not abstract sexuality but proximity that activates sensuality.
For a brahmacārī, the thorn is not merely an act but nearness, familiarity, emotional softening toward sensual possibility and repeated exposure with unguarded mind.

Broader principle – For any practitioner, the thorn is: proximity to that which one is not yet free from.

Connection with AN 10.69 – appicchakathā, sīlakathā, pavivekakathā and asaṁsaggakathā
This is where lifestyle, perception, restraint, and seclusion all come together.
Jhāna leads to progressively subtler thorns and now the sutta becomes extraordinarily refined.

Paṭhamassa jhānassa saddo kaṇṭako – For the first jhāna, sound is a thorn.
First jhāna still has vitakka, vicāra, pīti, sukha and ekaggatā which are the factors, but has withdrawn from sensuality and unwholesome states. External sound becomes intrusive because the mind is now collected away from the sensory spread and sound becomes intense.

Important nuance
This does not mean the person becomes deaf. It means sound functions as disturbance relative to that collected state.
Deeper insight – What was ordinary at a coarse level becomes piercing at a subtler level and exactly why Buddha says thorn.

Dutiyassa jhānassa vitakkavicārā kaṇṭakā – For the second jhāna, vitakka and vicāra are thorns.
Why? In first jhāna, vitakka-vicāra are still present and functional. In second jhāna there is internal placing and examining of mind are now too coarse. The mind no longer needs applied and sustained movement toward the object. It settles in inner confidence, unification and pīti-sukha born of samādhi
So what was support in first jhāna becomes obstacle in second.
Very deep principle – A factor can be skillful at one level and obstructive at the next.
This is crucial far beyond jhāna. and even Dhamma reflection, useful earlier, can become overactivity later.

Connection with AN 6.46
This also mirrors how conceptual engagement has its place and beyond a point, it disturbs direct settling
So neither “thinking only” nor “anti-thinking” is right. Rather each factor has its proper place and proper relinquishment.

Tatiyassa jhānassa pīti kaṇṭako – For the third jhāna, pīti is a thorn.
Why? Pīti is energizing joy, thrill, uplift, rapture. It is still somewhat active and exciting. In third jhāna the mind moves toward deeper calm, equanimous happiness and quieter stability and so pīti is now too vibrant which seems like a thorn

Very important – Many practitioners mistake pīti for completion. But here Buddha explicitly shows it is still a thorn relative to a subtler peace.

Deeper lesson Pleasant meditative excitement is not the end and the path refines from exhilaration toward serenity.

Catutthassa jhānassa assāsapassāso kaṇṭako – For the fourth jhāna, inhalation and exhalation are a thorn.
Why? Fourth jhāna is characterized by purity of mindfulness due to equanimity, neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling and profound stillness.
Relative to that, the bodily process of breathing is still coarse and so the sutta is not saying breathing is bad. Rather compared to the stillness of fourth jhāna, breathing is a coarse movement.
This is one of the strongest pieces of evidence against reducing all samādhi to “just keep watching breath forever.” Breath can be the basis for entry, but at greater refinement, even it is surpassed as coarse.

Saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā saññā ca vedanā ca kaṇṭako
For the attainment of cessation of perception and feeling, perception and feeling are thorns. If the attainment aimed at is nirodha-samāpatti, then saññā and vedanā must cease. Therefore, as long as they are present, they are obstacles relative to that attainment.

Deep doctrinal point
At this level, the thorn is not craving or coarse distraction alone, even the basic structures of experience themselves are thorn with respect to cessation and this shows the graded profundity of the sutta.

Final triad – Rāgo kaṇṭako, doso kaṇṭako, moho kaṇṭako
This is the summary key. All the previous thorns can be gathered into the three roots:
rāga = attraction, lust, pulling toward
dosa = aversion, irritation, push-back
moha = delusion, not seeing things correctly
So the Buddha ends by collapsing the whole map into the root diagnosis.

This means delight in company is rāga + moha, attractive sign is rāga and sensory spectacle is rāga + moha
harsh reaction, criticism, factionalism in AN 6.46 is dosa + māna + moha and inability to refine beyond coarse factors is moha regarding levels of subtlety

Now let us integrate all three suttas deeply
AN 10.69 — the right orientation – These ten kathās tell you what kind of reflection, teaching, and speech support liberation.

AN 6.46 — the relational danger – Even practitioners can turn Dhamma into division by clinging to identities as in we are meditators, we are analysts and our way is superior and this itself is thorn.

AN 10.72 — the experiential obstruction – At each stage there is a specific coarser factor that must be recognized and relinquished

Sutta	Focus	What it gives
AN 10.69	Noble talks	what should orient the mind
AN 6.46	Harmony of practitioners	how not to corrupt the path through division
AN 10.72	Thorns	what specifically obstructs refinement

Full Integration

Stage	AN 10.69 (Kathā – Pāli)	What to Cultivate	AN 6.46 Distortion (Error)	AN 10.72 Kaṇṭaka (Thorn)	Deep Practice Insight
1	Appicchakathā	Fewness of wishes; reduce craving	Identity craving: “my method is superior”	Subhanimittānuyogo, Rāga	Attractive signs feed desire; reduce wanting to stabilize mind
2	Santuṭṭhikathā	Contentment; sufficiency	Dissatisfaction with practice/teacher	Craving-based dissatisfaction	Contentment stops outward seeking
3	Pavivekakathā	Seclusion (discrimination)	Group identity: “we vs they”	Saṅgaṇikārāmatā	Delight in company blocks inner withdrawal
4	Asaṁsaggakathā	Non-entanglement	Debate, argument, social involvement	Visūkadassanaṁ	Sensory scattering breaks mindfulness continuity
5	Vīriyārambhakathā	Arousing effort	Effort wasted in argument	Laziness supported by distraction	Energy must remove defilements, not defend views
6	Sīlakathā	Ethical restraint	Harsh speech, criticism	Mātugāmūpacāro, rāga/dosa/moha	Without sīla, mind cannot stabilize
7	Samādhikathā (1st level)	Initial collectedness	External disturbance sensitivity	Saddo (sound)	Coarse sensory input disturbs collected mind
8	Samādhikathā (2nd level)	Deeper unification	Overthinking	Vitakka-vicārā	Thinking becomes too coarse
9	Samādhikathā (3rd level)	Equanimous stability	Attachment to joy	Pīti	Joy becomes disturbance at subtler level
10	Samādhikathā (4th level)	Deep stillness	Clinging to bodily process	Assāsa-passāsa	Breath becomes coarse relative to stillness
11	Paññākathā	Direct seeing (anicca, dukkha, anattā)	Intellectualization	Misjudging subtle vs coarse	Wisdom = knowing what to abandon now
12	Vimuttikathā	Letting go of clinging	Identity: “I am meditator/knower”	Residual clinging	Release = dropping ownership
13	Vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā	Knowledge of liberation	Judging attainment	Saññā & vedanā (in nirodha context)	Even experience itself must cease
14	Root Layer	—	Division, comparison	Rāga, dosa, moha	All thorns reduce to these three

HOW TO READ THIS TABLE (IMPORTANT)
🔁 Horizontal reading (row-wise) Each row = one stage of practice
👉 Example (Row 8):
Kathā → Samādhikathā
Error → Overthinking
Thorn → Vitakka-vicāra
Insight → Thought must now be dropped

🪜 Vertical reading (top to bottom)
This is full path progression:
Reduce desire
Become content
Withdraw
Cut entanglement
Apply effort
Establish sīla
7–10. Refine samādhi
11–13. Insight → liberation

🔥 MOST IMPORTANT INSIGHT (FROM AN 10.72) – What helps at one stage becomes a thorn at the next

Earlier Stage	Later Stage
Thinking helps	Thinking obstructs
Joy helps	Joy obstructs
Breath helps	Breath becomes coarse
Perception helps	Perception obstructs

🧘 PRACTICE FORMULA (VERY PRACTICAL)
At any moment need to apply:
1️⃣ AN 10.69 Dasakathā 👉 “What should I cultivate now?”
2️⃣ AN 6.46 Mahācundasutta 👉 “Am I creating division (inside or outside)?”
3️⃣ AN 10.72 Kaṇṭakasutta 👉 “What is the thorn right now?”

Let us integrate it with Mulakasutta from which we started.

Mūlakasutta Step (AN 10.58)	Meaning	Dasakathā (AN 10.69)	Mahācunda (AN 6.46) – Distortion	Kaṇṭakasutta (AN 10.72) – Thorn	Practice Insight
Chanda (root)	Intention, desire, inclination	Appicchakathā	Desire to be right, superior	Rāga, subhanimitta	Reduce wanting → purify intention
Manasikāra (attention)	How mind attends	Santuṭṭhikathā	Comparing, dissatisfaction	Craving-driven restlessness	Attend with contentment
Phassa (contact)	Sense contact	Pavivekakathā	Social identity, group formation	Saṅgaṇikārāmatā	Withdraw from unnecessary contact
Vedanā (feeling)	Feeling tone	Asaṁsaggakathā	Emotional reactions in debate	Visūkadassanaṁ	Do not entangle with feeling
Samādhi (front)	Stabilization begins	Vīriyārambhakathā	Effort misdirected to argument	Laziness / distraction	Apply effort correctly
Satī (governing)	Mindfulness leads	Sīlakathā	Carelessness in conduct	Mātugāmūpacāro	Guard behavior → supports mindfulness
Paññā (highest)	Wisdom leads	Paññākathā	Intellectualization	Mis-seeing subtle vs coarse	See clearly what to abandon
Vimutti (essence)	Release is core	Vimuttikathā	Identity: “I am meditator/knower”	Clinging	Let go completely
Amata (immortal)	Deathless element	—	Doubt about path	Residual ignorance	Stability in deathless
Nibbāna (end)	Final goal	Vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā	Judging attainment	Saññā & vedanā (nirodha thorn)	Direct knowing of release

a 🔥 Now Add Jhāna Thorns Properly (AN 10.72) as these belong specifically under Samādhi refinement stage:

Samādhi Level	Kaṇṭaka (Thorn)	Meaning
1st Jhāna	Saddo	Sound disturbs collected mind
2nd Jhāna	Vitakka–vicārā	Thought becomes coarse
3rd Jhāna	Pīti	Joy becomes disturbance
4th Jhāna	Assāsa–passāsa	Breath becomes coarse
Nirodha	Saññā & vedanā	Even experience must cease

Questions to be asked at regular intervals

Question	Sutta
What is arising from what root?	AN 10.58
How should I orient the mind?	AN 10.69
Am I distorting through identity/division?	AN 6.46
What must now be removed?	AN 10.72

Conclusion:
All dhammas arise from intention → guided by attention → shaped by contact & feeling → stabilized by samādhi → governed by sati → led by paññā → fulfilled in vimutti → culminating in Nibbāna and at each stage, remove the corresponding thorn — without falling into division or identity

After knowing the above, let us apply samādhi on 10 sila which is key to success

Pāli word	Root / structure	Literal meaning	Deeper meaning
veramaṇī / veramaṇi	vi + rama / virati-sense	abstaining, refraining, turning away	not suppression alone, but deliberately not entering that field
sikkhāpadaṁ	sikkhā + pada	training-step	a practical step of cultivation, not mere commandment
samādiyāmi	sam + ā + dā	I undertake, I take up fully	I establish this intentionally in life, speech, body, and mind

No.	Pāli	Literal meaning	Deeper meaning	Main defilement weakened	How to work on it continuously
1	Pāṇātipātā	killing living beings	non-harming in body, speech, intention	aversion, cruelty	catch irritation early; cultivate mettā and care
2	Adinnādānā	taking what is not given	non-appropriation, non-entitlement	greed	check all subtle forms of taking and claiming
3	Abrahmacariyā	non-holy conduct	restraint from sensual intoxication	lust	guard the senses; stop fantasy at the beginning
4	Musāvādā	false speech	integrity and truth alignment	delusion, image-making	speak carefully; remove exaggeration and concealment
5	Surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā	intoxicants causing heedlessness	protection of clarity and appamāda	heedlessness	avoid substances and other forms of intoxication
6	Vikālabhojanā	untimely eating	restraint in craving through food	greed, dullness	eat for support, not indulgence
7	Naccagītavāditavisūkadassanā	dance, song, music, shows	restraint from sensory excitement	restlessness	reduce stimulation; learn silence
8	Mālāgandhavilepanadhāraṇamaṇḍanavibhūsanaṭṭhānā	adornment and beautification	dropping body-based self-display	conceit, vanity	simplify presentation; watch self-image
9	Uccāsayanamahāsayanā	high, luxurious beds	simplicity and wakefulness	indulgence, laziness	reduce comfort-seeking; train contentment
10	Jātarūparajatapaṭiggahaṇā	accepting gold and silver	non-reliance on wealth and possession	greed, clinging	observe money-mind, security-craving, ownership