Itivuttaka 16

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, with regard to internal factors, I don’t envision any other single factor like appropriate attention1 as doing so much for a monk in training,2 who has not attained the heart’s goal but remains intent on the unsurpassed safety from bondage.3 A monk who attends appropriately abandons what is unskillful and develops what is skillful.

Appropriate attention as a quality of a monk in training: nothing else does so much for attaining the superlative goal. A monk, striving appropriately, attains the ending of stress.

Notes

1. Appropriate attention (yoniso manasikāra) is the ability to focus attention on questions that lead to the end of suffering. MN 2 lists the following questions as not fit for attention: “Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? … Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? … Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?” The discourse also lists the following issues as fit for attention: “This is stress. This is the origination of stress. This is the cessation of stress. This is the way leading to the cessation of stress.” Other passages show that appropriate attention views experience not only in terms of the four noble truths, but also in terms of the duties appropriate to those truths. See SN 22:122 and SN 46:51.

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Itivuttaka 15

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, I don’t envision even one other fetter–fettered by which beings conjoined go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time–like the fetter of craving. Fettered with the fetter of craving, beings conjoined go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time.”

With craving his companion, a man wanders on a long, long time. Neither in this state here nor anywhere else does he go beyond the wandering- on. Knowing this drawback– that craving brings stress into play– free from craving, devoid of clinging, mindful, the monk lives the mendicant life.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti15.html

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This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, I don’t envision even one other hindrance–hindered by which people go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time–like the hindrance of ignorance. Hindered by the hindrance of ignorance, people go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time.”

No one other thing so hinders people that they wander on, day & night, as when they’re obstructed by delusion. But those who, letting go of delusion, shatter the mass of darkness, wander no further. Their cause isn’t found.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti14.html

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Itivuttaka 10—13

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, one who has not fully known & fully understood aversion… delusion… anger… contempt, whose mind has not been cleansed of passion for it, has not abandoned it, is incapable of putting an end to stress. But one who has fully known & fully understood aversion… delusion… anger… contempt, whose mind has been cleansed of passion for it and has abandoned it, is capable of putting an end to stress.

The aversion with which beings go to a bad destination, upset: from rightly knowing that aversion, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

The delusion with which beings go to a bad destination, confused: from rightly knowing that delusion, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

The anger with which beings go to a bad destination, enraged: from rightly knowing that anger, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

The contempt with which beings go to a bad destination, disdainful: from rightly knowing that contempt, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti10.html

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Itivuttaka 9

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, one who has not fully known & fully understood greed, who has not detached his mind from it and let go of it, is incapable of putting an end to stress. But one who has fully known & fully understood greed, who has detached his mind from it and let go of it, is capable of putting an end to stress.”

The greed with which beings go to a bad destination, coveting: from rightly knowing that greed, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti9.html

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Itivuttaka 8

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, one who has not fully known & fully understood conceit, whose mind has not been cleansed of passion for it, has not abandoned it, is incapable of putting an end to stress. But one who has fully known & fully understood conceit, whose mind has been cleansed of passion for it, has abandoned it, is capable of putting an end to stress.”

People are possessed by conceit bound with conceit delighted with becoming. Not comprehending conceit, they come to further becoming. But those who, letting go of conceit, are, in its destruction, released, conquering the bond of conceit, go beyond all bonds.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti8.html

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Itivuttaka 8

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, one who has not fully known & fully understood conceit, whose mind has not been cleansed of passion for it, has not abandoned it, is incapable of putting an end to stress. But one who has fully known & fully understood conceit, whose mind has been cleansed of passion for it, has abandoned it, is capable of putting an end to stress.”

People are possessed by conceit bound with conceit delighted with becoming. Not comprehending conceit, they come to further becoming. But those who, letting go of conceit, are, in its destruction, released, conquering the bond of conceit, go beyond all bonds.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti8.html

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Itivuttaka 7

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, one who has not fully known & fully understood the All,1 whose mind has not been cleansed of passion for it, has not abandoned it, is incapable of putting an end to stress. But one who has fully known & fully understood the All, whose mind has been cleansed of passion for it and has abandoned it, is capable of putting an end to stress.”

Knowing the All from all around, not stirred by passion in all places: he, having comprehended the All, has gone beyond all stress.

1. “The All” = the six senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, & ideation) and their respective objects. This covers every aspect of experience that can be described, but does not include nibbāna. For a full discussion of this point, see The Mind Like Fire Unbound, pp. 30—32.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti7.html

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Itivuttaka 6

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Abandon one quality, monks, and I guarantee you non-return. Which one quality? Abandon conceit as the one quality, and I guarantee you non-return.”

The conceit with which beings go to a bad destination, proud: from rightly knowing that conceit, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti6.html

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This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Abandon one quality, monks, and I guarantee you non-return. Which one quality? Abandon contempt as the one quality, and I guarantee you non-return.”

The contempt with which beings go to a bad destination, disdainful: from rightly knowing that contempt, those who see clearly let go. Letting go, they never come to this world again.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Iti/iti5.html

Copyright: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ The author of www.dhammatalks.org also states: “There is some uncertainty about the meaning of ‘Commercial’ with regard to the CC NonCommercial License. For example, some consider the sale of content to support a non-profit entity to be ‘NonCommercial.’  The author and copyright holder of the content on this site considers any sale, including by non-profit entities for non-profit purposes, to be ‘Commercial’ and a copyright violation.“