SN 22.101

Vāsijaṭasutta

Sāvatthinidānaṁ. “Jānato ahaṁ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṁ khayaṁ vadāmi, no ajānato no apassato. Kiñca, bhikkhave, jānato kiṁ passato āsavānaṁ khayo hoti? ‘Iti rūpaṁ, iti rūpassa samudayo, iti rūpassa atthaṅgamo; iti vedanā … iti saññā … iti saṅkhārā … iti viññāṇaṁ, iti viññāṇassa samudayo, iti viññāṇassa atthaṅgamo’ti— evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, jānato evaṁ passato āsavānaṁ khayo hoti.

The Adze

At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, I say that the ending of defilements is for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know or see. For one who knows and sees what? ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the disappearance of form. Such is feeling … Such is perception … Such are choices … Such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the disappearance of consciousness.’ The ending of the defilements is for one who knows and sees this.

Bhāvanānuyogaṁ ananuyuttassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa neva anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Abhāvitattā’ tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa abhāvitattā? Abhāvitattā catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ, abhāvitattā catunnaṁ sammappadhānānaṁ, abhāvitattā catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ, abhāvitattā pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ, abhāvitattā pañcannaṁ balānaṁ, abhāvitattā sattannaṁ bojjhaṅgānaṁ, abhāvitattā ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

When a mendicant is not committed to development, they might wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is not freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they’re undeveloped.’ Undeveloped in what? Undeveloped in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni aṭṭha vā dasa vā dvādasa vā. Tānassu kukkuṭiyā na sammā adhisayitāni, na sammā pariseditāni, na sammā paribhāvitāni. Kiñcāpi tassā kukkuṭiyā evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjeyyun’ti, atha kho abhabbāva te kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjituṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi pana, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni aṭṭha vā dasa vā dvādasa vā; tāni kukkuṭiyā na sammā adhisayitāni, na sammā pariseditāni, na sammā paribhāvitāni. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanānuyogaṁ ananuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa neva anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Abhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa abhāvitattā? Abhāvitattā catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ …pe… aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

Suppose there was a chicken with eight or ten or twelve eggs. But she had not properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. That chicken might wish: ‘If only my chicks could break out of the eggshell with their claws and beak and hatch safely!’ But they can’t break out and hatch safely. Why is that? Because that chicken with eight or ten or twelve eggs has not properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. In the same way, when a mendicant is not committed to development, they might wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is not freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they’re undeveloped.’ Undeveloped in what? Undeveloped in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Bhāvanānuyogaṁ anuyuttassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi na evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Bhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa bhāvitattā? Bhāvitattā catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ, bhāvitattā catunnaṁ sammappadhānānaṁ, bhāvitattā catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ, bhāvitattā pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ, bhāvitattā pañcannaṁ balānaṁ, bhāvitattā sattannaṁ bojjhaṅgānaṁ, bhāvitattā ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

When a mendicant is committed to development, they might not wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they are developed.’ Developed in what? Developed in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni aṭṭha vā dasa vā dvādasa vā. Tānassu kukkuṭiyā sammā adhisayitāni, sammā pariseditāni, sammā paribhāvitāni. Kiñcāpi tassā kukkuṭiyā na evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjeyyun’ti, atha kho bhabbāva te kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjituṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi pana, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni aṭṭha vā dasa vā dvādasa vā; tānassu kukkuṭiyā sammā adhisayitāni, sammā pariseditāni, sammā paribhāvitāni. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanānuyogaṁ anuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi na evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Bhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa bhāvitattā? Bhāvitattā catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ …pe… bhāvitattā ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

Suppose there was a chicken with eight or ten or twelve eggs. And she properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. That chicken might not wish: ‘If only my chicks could break out of the eggshell with their claws and beak and hatch safely!’ But still they can break out and hatch safely. Why is that? Because that chicken with eight or ten or twelve eggs properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development, they might not wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they are developed.’ Developed in what? Developed in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, palagaṇḍassa vā palagaṇḍantevāsissa vā vāsijaṭe dissanteva aṅgulipadāni dissati aṅguṭṭhapadaṁ. No ca khvassa evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘ettakaṁ vata me ajja vāsijaṭassa khīṇaṁ, ettakaṁ hiyyo, ettakaṁ pare’ti. Atha khvassa khīṇe khīṇantveva ñāṇaṁ hoti. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanānuyogaṁ anuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi na evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘ettakaṁ vata me ajja āsavānaṁ khīṇaṁ, ettakaṁ hiyyo, ettakaṁ pare’ti, atha khvassa khīṇe khīṇantveva ñāṇaṁ hoti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sāmuddikāya nāvāya vettabandhanabaddhāya vassamāsāni udake pariyādāya hemantikena thalaṁ ukkhittāya vātātapaparetāni vettabandhanāni. Tāni pāvusakena meghena abhippavuṭṭhāni appakasireneva paṭippassambhanti pūtikāni bhavanti; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanānuyogaṁ anuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato appakasireneva saṁyojanāni paṭippassambhanti pūtikāni bhavantī”ti.

Suppose a mason or their apprentice sees the marks of his fingers and thumb on the handle of his adze. They don’t know how much of the handle was worn away today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development, they don’t know how much of the defilements were worn away today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away. Suppose there was a sea-faring ship bound together with ropes. For six months they deteriorated in the water. Then in the cold season it was hauled up on dry land, where the ropes were weathered by wind and sun. When the monsoon clouds soaked it with rain, the ropes would readily collapse and rot away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development their fetters readily collapse and rot away.”