Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
54. Ānāpāna Saṃyutta
2. Ānanda or Dutiya Vagga
The Aspiration Collection
Sutta 20
Āsava-k-Khaya Suttaṃ
Destruction of the Corruptions
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time Bhagava, Sāvatthi-town revisiting.
There then Bhagava said this:
"Recollecting-aspiration-serenity, beggars,
developed and made much of,
evolves into the letting go of the self-yokes to rebirth.
Evolves into encompassing knowledge of the stretch.
Evolves into destruction of the corruptions.[1]
And how developed, beggars,
does recollecting-aspiration-serenity,
when made much of,
evolve into the letting go of the self-yokes to rebirth.
Evolve into encompassing knowledge of the stretch.
Evolve into destruction of the corruptions?
Here beggars, a beggar
having gotten himself off to the forest
or to the root of some tree,
or to some empty hut,
and having taken up his seat there sitting down,
setting the body upright,
legs bent-across-lapwise,
remembering, he attends to the mouth,
just so he recollects inspiration,
just so he recollects expiration.
If he inspires deeply, he knows:
'I am inspiring deeply.'
If he expires deeply, he knows:
'I am expiring deeply.'
If he inspires shallowly, he knows:
'I am inspiring shallowly.'
If he expires shallowly, he knows:
'I am expiring shallowly.'
'Reflecting on the totality of bodily experience,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the totality of bodily experience,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying own-body-making,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying own-body-making,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing enthusiasm,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on enthusiasm,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing pleasure,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing pleasure,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the own-making of thoughts,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the own-making of thoughts,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying the own-making of thoughts,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying the own-making of thoughts,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Abundantly content in heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Abundantly content in heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Composing the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Composing the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Liberating the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Liberating the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for inconsistency,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for inconsistency,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for the end of lust,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for the end of lust,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for ending,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for ending,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for opportunities to let go,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for opportunities to let go,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
This is how, beggars, recollecting-aspiration-serenity,
when developed and made much of,
evolves into the letting go of the self-yokes to rebirth.
Evolves into encompassing knowledge of the stretch.
Evolves into destruction of the corruptions."
[1] Āsavānaṃ khayāya. Kāmāsava bhavasava avijjāsava and sometimes also diṭṭhāsava Lust (or desire), living or becoming, blindness, and theories or opinions or points of view. See Glossology: Asava. Knowledge of the destruction of the āsavas is always the last step before achieving arahantship. Knowledge of having destroyed the āsavas is one of the three 'visions' of the Arahant. The other two are the ability to see past lives and the ability to know the outcome of a deed.
