Âsavas Abandoned By Right Use

24. ‘And which are the Âsavas to be abandoned by right use[1]?

‘Herein, brethren, a Bhikkhu, wisely reflecting, makes use of his robes for the purpose only of warding off the cold, of warding off the heat, of warding off the contact of gad-flies and mosquitoes, of wind and sun, and snakes; and of covering his nakedness.

25. ‘Wisely reflecting, he makes use of alms, not for sport or sensual enjoyment, not for adorning or beautifying himself, but solely to sustain the body in life, to prevent its being injured, to aid himself in the practice of a holy life–thinking the while, “Thus shall I overcome the old pain, and shall incur no new; and everywhere shall I be at ease, and free from blame.”

26. ‘Wisely reflecting, he makes use of an abode; only to ward off cold, to ward off heat, to ward off the contact of gad-flies and mosquitoes, of wind and sun, and snakes; only to avoid the dangers of the climate, and to secure the delight of privacy.

27. ‘Wisely reflecting, he makes use of medicine and other necessaries for the sick; only to ward off the pain that causes injury, and to preserve his health.

28. ‘For whereas, brethren, to the man not making such right use, Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress; to the man making such right use, the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

‘These, brethren, are called the Âsavas to be abandoned by right use.

[1. Patisevanâ.]

Buddhist Suttas – Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881] 
Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas

Âsavas Abandoned By Subjugation

18. ‘And which are the Âsavas to be abandoned by subjugation (samvarâ)?

‘Herein, brethren, a Bhikkhu, wisely reflecting,

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remains shut in by the subjugation of the organ of Sight. For whereas to the man not shut in by the subjugation of the organ of sight Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress, to the man shut in by the subjugation of the organ of sight the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

19. ‘Wisely reflecting, he remains shut in by the subjugation of the organ of Hearing. For whereas to the man not shut in by the subjugation of the organ of hearing Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress, to the man shut in by the subjugation of the organ of hearing the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

20. ‘Wisely reflecting, he remains shut in by the subjugation of the organ of Smell. For whereas to the man not shut in by the subjugation of the organ of smell Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress, to the man shut in by the subjugation of the organ of smell the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

21. ‘Wisely reflecting, he remains shut in by the subjugation of the organ of Taste. For whereas to the man not shut in by the subjugation of the organ of taste Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress, to the man shut in by the subjugation of the organ of taste the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

22. ‘Wisely reflecting, he remains shut in by the subjugation of the organ of Touch. For whereas to the man not shut in by the subjugation of the organ of touch Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress, to the man shut in by the subjugation of the organ of touch the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

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23. ‘Wisely reflecting, he remains shut in by the subjugation of the organ of Mind. For whereas to the man not shut in by the subjugation of the organ of mind Âsavas may arise, full of vexation and distress, to the man shut in by the subjugation of the organ of mind the Âsavas, full of vexation and distress, are not.

‘These, brethren, are called the Âsavas to be abandoned by subjugation.

Buddhist Suttas – Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881] 
Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas

Âsavas Abandoned By Insight

5. ‘And which, brethren, are the Âsavas which should be abandoned by insight[1]?’

‘In the first place, brethren, the ignorant unconverted man, who perceives not the Noble Ones, who comprehends not, nor is trained according to the doctrine of the noble ones; who perceives not good men, who comprehends not, nor is trained according to the doctrine of good men; he neither understands what things ought to be considered, nor what things ought not to be considered; the things that ought not to be considered, those he considers; and the things that ought to be considered, those he does not consider.

6. ‘And which, brethren, are those things which he should not consider, which he nevertheless considers?

‘There are things which, when a man considers them, the Âsava of Lust springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Âsava of Lust, which had sprung up, grows great; the Âsava of

[1. Dassanâ.]

p. 298 Life springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Âsava of Life, which had sprung up, grows great; the Âsava of Ignorance springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Âsava of Ignorance, which had sprung up grows great.

‘These are the things which ought not to be considered, things which he considers.

7. ‘And which, brethren, are those things which should be considered, which he nevertheless does not consider?

‘There are things, brethren, which, when a man considers them, the Âsava of Lust, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Âsava of Lust, which had sprung up, is put away; the Âsava of Life, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Âsava of Life, which had sprung up, is put away; the Âsava of Ignorance, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Âsava of Ignorance, which had sprung up, is put away.

‘These are the things which ought to be considered, things which he does not consider.

8. ‘It is by his consideration of those things, which ought not to be considered; and by his non-consideration of those things, which ought to be considered, that Âsavas arise within him which had not sprung up; and Âsavas which had sprung up, grow great.’

————————

9. ‘Unwisely doth he consider thus:

‘”Have I existed during the ages that are past, or have I not? What was I during the ages that are past? How was I during the ages that are

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past? Having been what, what did I become in the ages that are past? Shall I exist during the ages of the future, or shall I not? What shall I be during the ages of the future? How shall I be during the ages of the future? Having been what, what shall I become during the ages of the future?”

‘Or he debates within himself as to the present:

Do I after all exist, or am I not? How am I? This is a being; whence now did it come, and whither will it go?

10. ‘In him, thus unwisely considering, there springs up one or other of the six (absurd) notions[1].

‘As something true and real he gets the notion, “I have a self!”

‘As something true and real he gets the notion, “I have not a self!”

‘As something true and real he gets the notion, “By my self, I am conscious of my self!”

‘As something true and real he gets the notion, “By myself I am conscious of my non-self!”

‘Or, again, he gets the notion, “This soul of mine can be perceived, it has experienced the result of good and evil actions committed here and there: now this soul of mine is permanent, lasting, eternal, has the inherent quality of never changing, and will continue for ever and ever!”

11. ‘This, brethren, is called the walking in delusion, the jungle of delusion[2], the wilderness of delusion, the puppet show of delusion, the writhing of delusion, the fetter of delusion.

12. ‘Bound, brethren, with this fetter of delusion,

[1. Khannam ditthînam.

2. Ditthi-gahanam, with allusion, doubtless, if the reading is correct, to gahanam.]

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the ignorant unconverted man becomes not freed from birth, decay, and death, from sorrows, lamentations, pains, and griefs, and from expedients[1]–he does not become free, I say, from pain.

————————

13. ‘But the wise man, brethren, the disciple walking in the Noble Path, who perceives the noble ones; who comprehends, and is trained according to, the doctrine of the Noble Ones; who perceives good men, who comprehends, and is trained according to, the doctrine of good men; he understands both what things ought to be considered, and what things ought not to be considered–and thus understanding, the things that ought to be considered those he considers; and the things that ought not to be considered, those he does not consider.

14, ‘And which, brethren, are those things which ought not to be considered, and which he does not consider?

‘There are things which, when a man considers them, the Âsava of Lust springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Âsava of Lust, which had sprung up, grows great; the Âsava of Life springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Âsava of Life, which had sprung up, grows great; the Âsava of Ignorance springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Âsava of Ignorance, which had sprung up, grows great.

‘These are the things which ought not to be considered, things which he considers.

[1. That is, the practice of rites and ceremonies and the worship of Gods.]

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15. ‘And which, brethren, are those things which should be considered, and which he does consider?

‘There are things, brethren, which, when a man considers them, the Âsava of Lust, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Âsava of Lust, which had sprung up, is put away; the Âsava of Life, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Âsava of Life, which had sprung up, is put away; the Âsava of Ignorance, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Âsava of Ignorance, which had sprung up, is put away.

‘These are the things which ought to be considered, things which he does not consider.

16. ‘It is by his not considering those things which ought to be considered, and by his considering those things which ought not to be considered, that Âsavas which had not sprung up within him spring not up, and Âsavas which had sprung up are put away.

17. ‘He considers, “This is suffering.” He considers, “This is the origin of suffering.” He considers, “This is the cessation of suffering.” He considers, “This is the way which leads to the cessation of suffering.” And from him, thus considering, the three fetters fall away–the delusion of self, hesitation, and the dependence on rites and ceremonies.

These are the Âsavas, brethren, which are to be abandoned by insight.

Buddhist Suttas – Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881] 
Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas

All The Âsavas 

2. ‘I will teach you, O brethren, the lesson of the subjugation of all the Âsavas. Listen well, and attend, and I will speak!’

‘Even so, Lord!’ said the brethren, in assent, to the Blessed One.

Then the Blessed One spake:

‘I say that there is destruction of the Âsavas, brethren, to him who knows, to him who sees; not to him who knows not, to him who sees not. And what do I say, brethren, is the destruction of the Âsavas to him who knows, to him who sees? It is (a matter of) wise consideration, and of foolish consideration.

3. ‘In him, brethren, who considers unwisely, Âsavas which have not arisen spring up, and Âsavas which have arisen are increased. In him, brethren, who considers wisely, Âsavas which have not arisen spring not up, and Âsavas which have arisen do not increase.

Buddhist Suttas – Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881] 
Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas

SABBASÂVA SUTTA

INTRODUCTION

The word Âsava seems in this Sutta to be used in a general sense,–not confined only to the Âsavas of sensuality, individuality, delusion, and ignorance, but including the more various defilements or imperfections of mind, out of which those especial defilements will proceed.

I may add that the importance of the Âsavas appears from the fact that elsewhere the knowledge of them, of their origin, of their cessation, and of the way that leads to their cessation is placed on the road to Arahatship immediately after, and parallel to, the knowledge of Suffering, of its origin, of its cessation, and of the way that leads to its cessation–the knowledge, that is, of the four Noble Truths[3].

The Âsavas there meant are sensuality, individuality (or life), and ignorance; and the expressions ‘to him who knows, to him who sees’ (gânato passato) are used there much in the same way as they are in our ง 3. Perhaps this was the passage which Burnouf had in his mind when he wrongly said[4] that he had found in the Mahâparinibbâna Sutta an enumeration of three classes of Âsavas, whereas that Sutta always divides them into four classes.

I am unable to suggest any good translation of the term itself–simple though it is. It means literally ‘a running or flowing,’ or (thence) ‘a leak;’…

Buddhist Suttas – Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881]
Sabbasâva Sutta: All the Âsavas

THE LAST WORD

VI. 10. Then the Blessed One addressed the brethren, and said, ‘Behold now, brethren, I exhort you, saying, “Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence!”‘ This was the last word of the Tathâgata!

Buddhist Suttas – MAHÂ-PARINIBBÂNA-SUTTANTA 
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881]
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe11/sbe1103.htm

THE WORTHIEST HOMAGE

5. Then the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ânanda, and said: ‘The twin Sâla trees are all one mass of bloom with flowers out of season; all over the body of the Tathâgata these drop and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And heavenly Mandârava flowers, too, and heavenly sandal-wood powder come falling from the sky, and all over the body of the Tathâgata they descend and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And heavenly music sounds in the sky, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And heavenly songs come wafted from the skies, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old!’

6. ‘Now it is not thus, Ânanda, that the Tathâgata is rightly honoured, reverenced, venerated, held sacred or revered. But the brother or the sister, the devout man or the devout woman, who continually fulfils all the greater and the lesser duties, who is correct in life, walking according to the precepts–it is he who rightly honours, reverences, venerates, holds sacred, and reveres the Tathâgata with the worthiest homage. Therefore, O Ânanda, be ye constant in the fulfilment of the greater and of the lesser duties, and be ye correct in life, walking according to the precepts; and thus, Ânanda, should it be taught.’

Buddhist Suttas – MAHÂ-PARINIBBÂNA-SUTTANTA 
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881]
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe11/sbe1103.htm

GIVE AND CURB

IV. 58. Then the Blessed One perceiving how the matter stood, uttered, even at that time, this hymn of exultation:

To him who gives shall virtue be increased;
In him who curbs himself, no anger can arise;
The righteous man casts off all sinfulness,
And by the rooting out of lust, and bitterness,
And all delusion, doth to Nirvâna reach!’

Buddhist Suttas – MAHÂ-PARINIBBÂNA-SUTTANTA 
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881]
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe11/sbe1103.htm

NO EXTERNAL REFUGE

II. 32. ‘What, then, Ânanda? Does the order expect that of me? I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine: for in respect of the truths, Ânanda, the Tathâgata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps some things back[2]. Surely, Ânanda, should there be any one who harbours the thought, “It is I who will lead the brotherhood,” or, “The order is dependent upon me,” it is he whoshould lay down instructions in any matter concerning the order. Now the Tathâgata, Ânanda, thinks not that it is he who should lead the brotherhood, or that the order is dependent upon him. Why then should he leave instructions in any matter concerning the order? …

33. ‘Therefore, O Ânanda, be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. And how, Ânanda, is a brother to be a lamp unto himself, a refuge to himself, betaking himself to no external refuge, holding fast to the truth as a lamp, holding fast as a refuge to the truth, looking not for refuge to any one besides himself?

34. ‘Herein, O Ânanda, let a brother, as he dwells in the body, so regard the body that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from bodily craving–while subject to sensations let him continue so to regard the sensations that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from the sensations–and so, also, as he thinks, or reasons, or feels, let him overcome the grief which arises from the craving due to ideas, or to reasoning, or to feeling.

35. ‘And whosoever, Ânanda, either now or after I am dead, shall be a lamp unto themselves, and a refuge unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the truth as their lamp, and holding fast as their refuge to the truth, shall look not for refuge to any one besides themselves–it is they, Ânanda, among my bhikkhus, who shall reach the very topmost Height!-but they must be anxious to learn.

Buddhist Suttas – MAHÂ-PARINIBBÂNA-SUTTANTA 
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881]
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe11/sbe1103.htm

MINDFUL & THOUGHTFUL

13. Now there the Blessed One addressed the brethren, and said: ‘Let a brother, O mendicants, be mindful and thoughtful; this is our instruction to you.’

14. ‘And how does a brother become mindful?’

‘Herein, O mendicants, let a brother, as he dwells in the body, so regard the body that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from bodily craving–while subject to sensations, let him continue so to regard the sensations that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief arising from the craving–which follows our sensation-and so also

as he thinks or reasons or feels let him overcome the grief which arises from the craving due to ideas, or reasoning, or feeling.’

15. ‘And how does a brother become thoughtful?’

‘He acts, O mendicants, in full presence of mind whatever he may do, in coming out and coming in, in looking and watching, in bending in his arm or stretching it forth, in wearing his robes or carrying his bowl, in eating and drinking, in consuming or tasting, in walking or standing or sitting, in sleeping or waking, in talking and in being silent.

‘Thus let a brother, O mendicants, be mindful and thoughtful; this is our instruction to you.’

Buddhist Suttas – MAHÂ-PARINIBBÂNA-SUTTANTA 
Translated from Pâli by T. W. Rhys Davids [1881]
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe11/sbe1103.htm