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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1at Decease was composed. 1 On this celebrated verse, see the note at Mah£parinibb£na Sutta VI, 16, where it is put into the mouth of Sakka, the king of the gods, and the discussion in the Introduction to this Sutta. U 9 SABBASAVA-SUTTA. U 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE sabbAsava sutta. Dr. Morris, who had borrowed the Phayre and Tumour MSS. of the Ma^Aima Nikdya from the India Office Library, has been good enough to transcribe the text of this Sutta for me. I had hoped from the Rev. David da Silva's analysis of the Sutta in the Ceylon Friend for 1873, that it would determine the exact meaning of the difficult word Asava as used in the theory of Arahatship, and in the important passage (the Faith, Reason, and Works paragraph) re- peated so often in the Mahaparinibbina Sutta. It will be seen that this is scarcely the case, but as it does throw light on the ideas wrapped up in the word, and contains a very interesting passage 1 on the especial value attached in Buddhism to the mental habit we should now call agnosticism, I have adhered to the intention of including it in this volume. The word Asava seems in this Sutta to be used in a general sense, — not confined only to the Asavas of sen- suality, individuality, delusion, and ignorance, but including the more various defilements or imperfections of mind, out of which those especial defilements will proceed. Incidentally reference is made to the well-known Bud- dhist doctrine, that the right thing is to seek after the Nirvana of a perfect life in Arahatship, and not to trouble and confuse oneself by the discussion of speculative ques- tions as to past or future existence, or even as to the 1 §§ 9» *<>• 294 sabbAsava sutta. presence within the body of a soul. Buddhism is not only independent of the theory of soul, but regards the con- sideration of that theory as worse than profitless, as the source of manifold delusions and superstitions. Practically this comes, however, to much the same thing as the denial of the existence of the soul ; just as agnosticism is, at best, but an earnest and modest sort of atheism. And we have seen above that anattaw, the absence of a soul or self as abiding principle, is one of the three parts of Buddhist wisdom {v\gg&) 1 and of Buddhist perception (sa/?«a) 2 . The reconciliation of these two doctrines, of the agnosticism and of the denial, is, I think, that the absence of soul is only predicated of those five Aggregates of parts and powers to which a good Buddhist should confine his attention. These alone he should consider ; and he does wrong to care whether beyond and beside them a soul has, or has not, any real existence.
2e denial, is, I think, that the absence of soul is only predicated of those five Aggregates of parts and powers to which a good Buddhist should confine his attention. These alone he should consider ; and he does wrong to care whether beyond and beside them a soul has, or has not, any real existence. I may add that the importance of the Asavas 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 ces- sation — the knowledge, that is, of the four Noble Truths 3 . The Asavas there meant are sensuality, individuality (or life), and ignorance ; and the expressions c to him who knows, to him who sees' (^inato passato) are used there much in the same way as they are in our § 3. Per- haps this was the passage which Burnouf had in his mind when he wrongly said 4 that he had found in the Mah&- parinibbclna Sutta an enumeration of three classes of Asavas, 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 ; ' but as that figure is not 1 See above, p. 162. 3 Samara Phala Sutta, p. 152. 2 See above, p. 9. 4 Lotus de la Bonne Loi, p. 823. INTRODUCTION. 295 used in English in a spiritual sense, it is necessary to choose some other figure ; and it is not easy to find one that is appropriate. ' Sin ' would be very misleading, the Christian idea of sin being inconsistent with Buddhist ethics. A ' fault ' in the geological use of the word comes somewhat nearer. * Imperfection ' is too long, and for ' stain ' the Pcili has a different word l . In the Book of the Great Decease I have chosen ' evil ; ' here I leave the word untranslated. 1 Ra^- o. See the verses translated in * Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 164. ALL THE ASAVAS. sabbAsava-sutta. 1. Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once staying at Sivatthi, at the £etavana, in An&tha Piwdfika's park. There the Blessed One addressed the brethren, and said, * Bhikkhus.' * Yea, Lord !' said those brethren, in assent, to the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One spake : 2. ' I will teach you, O brethren, the lesson of the subjugation of all the Asavas. 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 : ' 1 say that there is destruction of the Asavas, 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 Asavas to him who knows, to him who sees ? It is (a matter of) wise consideration, and of foolish consideration. 3.
3there is destruction of the Asavas, 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 Asavas 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, Asavas which have not arisen spring up, and Asavas which have arisen are increased. In him, brethren, who considers wisely, Asavas which have not arisen SABBASAVA SUTTA. 297 spring not up, and Asavas which have arisen do not increase. 4. ' There are Asavas which should be abandoned, brethren, by insight, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by subjugation, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by right use, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by endurance, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by avoidance, there are Asavas which should be aban- doned by removal, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by cultivation. 5. 4 And which, brethren, are the Asavas which should be abandoned by insight 1 ? ' In the first place, brethren, the ignorant uncon- verted 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 con- siders ? * There are things which, when a man considers them, the Asava of Lust springs up within him, which had not sprung up before ; and the Asava of Lust, which had sprung up, grows great; the Asava of 1 Dassand. 298 ALL THE ASAVAS. Life springs up within him, which had not sprung up before ; and the Asava of Life, which had sprung up, grows great; the Asava of Ignorance springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Asava 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? 4 There are things, brethren, which, when a man considers them, the Asava of Lust, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him ; and the Asava of Lust, which had sprung up, is put away; the Asava of Life, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him ; and the Asava of Life, which had sprung up, is put away; the Asava of Ignorance, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Asava of Ignorance, which had sprung up, is put away. ' These are the things which ought to be con- sidered, things which he does not consider. 8.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1at Decease was composed. 1 On this celebrated verse, see the note at Mah£parinibb£na Sutta VI, 16, where it is put into the mouth of Sakka, the king of the gods, and the discussion in the Introduction to this Sutta. U 9 SABBASAVA-SUTTA. U 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE sabbAsava sutta. Dr. Morris, who had borrowed the Phayre and Tumour MSS. of the Ma^Aima Nikdya from the India Office Library, has been good enough to transcribe the text of this Sutta for me. I had hoped from the Rev. David da Silva's analysis of the Sutta in the Ceylon Friend for 1873, that it would determine the exact meaning of the difficult word Asava as used in the theory of Arahatship, and in the important passage (the Faith, Reason, and Works paragraph) re- peated so often in the Mahaparinibbina Sutta. It will be seen that this is scarcely the case, but as it does throw light on the ideas wrapped up in the word, and contains a very interesting passage 1 on the especial value attached in Buddhism to the mental habit we should now call agnosticism, I have adhered to the intention of including it in this volume. The word Asava seems in this Sutta to be used in a general sense, — not confined only to the Asavas of sen- suality, individuality, delusion, and ignorance, but including the more various defilements or imperfections of mind, out of which those especial defilements will proceed. Incidentally reference is made to the well-known Bud- dhist doctrine, that the right thing is to seek after the Nirvana of a perfect life in Arahatship, and not to trouble and confuse oneself by the discussion of speculative ques- tions as to past or future existence, or even as to the 1 §§ 9» *<>• 294 sabbAsava sutta. presence within the body of a soul. Buddhism is not only independent of the theory of soul, but regards the con- sideration of that theory as worse than profitless, as the source of manifold delusions and superstitions. Practically this comes, however, to much the same thing as the denial of the existence of the soul ; just as agnosticism is, at best, but an earnest and modest sort of atheism. And we have seen above that anattaw, the absence of a soul or self as abiding principle, is one of the three parts of Buddhist wisdom {v\gg&) 1 and of Buddhist perception (sa/?«a) 2 . The reconciliation of these two doctrines, of the agnosticism and of the denial, is, I think, that the absence of soul is only predicated of those five Aggregates of parts and powers to which a good Buddhist should confine his attention. These alone he should consider ; and he does wrong to care whether beyond and beside them a soul has, or has not, any real existence.
2e denial, is, I think, that the absence of soul is only predicated of those five Aggregates of parts and powers to which a good Buddhist should confine his attention. These alone he should consider ; and he does wrong to care whether beyond and beside them a soul has, or has not, any real existence. I may add that the importance of the Asavas 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 ces- sation — the knowledge, that is, of the four Noble Truths 3 . The Asavas there meant are sensuality, individuality (or life), and ignorance ; and the expressions c to him who knows, to him who sees' (^inato passato) are used there much in the same way as they are in our § 3. Per- haps this was the passage which Burnouf had in his mind when he wrongly said 4 that he had found in the Mah&- parinibbclna Sutta an enumeration of three classes of Asavas, 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 ; ' but as that figure is not 1 See above, p. 162. 3 Samara Phala Sutta, p. 152. 2 See above, p. 9. 4 Lotus de la Bonne Loi, p. 823. INTRODUCTION. 295 used in English in a spiritual sense, it is necessary to choose some other figure ; and it is not easy to find one that is appropriate. ' Sin ' would be very misleading, the Christian idea of sin being inconsistent with Buddhist ethics. A ' fault ' in the geological use of the word comes somewhat nearer. * Imperfection ' is too long, and for ' stain ' the Pcili has a different word l . In the Book of the Great Decease I have chosen ' evil ; ' here I leave the word untranslated. 1 Ra^- o. See the verses translated in * Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 164. ALL THE ASAVAS. sabbAsava-sutta. 1. Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once staying at Sivatthi, at the £etavana, in An&tha Piwdfika's park. There the Blessed One addressed the brethren, and said, * Bhikkhus.' * Yea, Lord !' said those brethren, in assent, to the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One spake : 2. ' I will teach you, O brethren, the lesson of the subjugation of all the Asavas. 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 : ' 1 say that there is destruction of the Asavas, 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 Asavas to him who knows, to him who sees ? It is (a matter of) wise consideration, and of foolish consideration. 3.
3there is destruction of the Asavas, 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 Asavas 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, Asavas which have not arisen spring up, and Asavas which have arisen are increased. In him, brethren, who considers wisely, Asavas which have not arisen SABBASAVA SUTTA. 297 spring not up, and Asavas which have arisen do not increase. 4. ' There are Asavas which should be abandoned, brethren, by insight, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by subjugation, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by right use, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by endurance, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by avoidance, there are Asavas which should be aban- doned by removal, there are Asavas which should be abandoned by cultivation. 5. 4 And which, brethren, are the Asavas which should be abandoned by insight 1 ? ' In the first place, brethren, the ignorant uncon- verted 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 con- siders ? * There are things which, when a man considers them, the Asava of Lust springs up within him, which had not sprung up before ; and the Asava of Lust, which had sprung up, grows great; the Asava of 1 Dassand. 298 ALL THE ASAVAS. Life springs up within him, which had not sprung up before ; and the Asava of Life, which had sprung up, grows great; the Asava of Ignorance springs up within him, which had not sprung up before; and the Asava 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? 4 There are things, brethren, which, when a man considers them, the Asava of Lust, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him ; and the Asava of Lust, which had sprung up, is put away; the Asava of Life, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him ; and the Asava of Life, which had sprung up, is put away; the Asava of Ignorance, if it had not sprung up before, springs not up within him; and the Asava of Ignorance, which had sprung up, is put away. ' These are the things which ought to be con- sidered, things which he does not consider. 8.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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