Dhammapda 93
(Sayings of the Dhamma)
Arahanta
(Fully liberated one)
For whom the taints (influxes/fermentations) are completely exhausted,
and who is not dependent on nutriment,
Suññato animitto ca,
emptiness and the signless,
Vimokkho yassa gocaro;
One whose taints (influxes/fermentations) are exhausted, who is not dependent on nutriment, for whom liberation through emptiness and the signless is the field of experience— like birds in the sky, his path cannot be traced.
Story: Anuruddha Thera Vatthu
Notes for Context:
Āsava (influxes/outflowings/fermentations)
In Early Buddhism, āsavā are deep-rooted mental tendencies that “flow on,” condition repeated suffering, and sustain saṃsāra. The Buddha identifies four āsavā:
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Kāmāsava – Fermentation of sense desire
Attachment to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and bodily pleasures. -
Bhavāsava – Fermentation of desire for continued existence
Craving to be, to continue, to exist in refined or gross forms of becoming. -
Diṭṭhāsava – Fermentation of wrong views
Fixed, distorted views about self, world, permanence, or liberation. -
Avijjāsava – Fermentation of ignorance
Not understanding the Four Noble Truths, dependent arising, and the nature of phenomena.
Seven Methods for Eradicating the Āsavā
(From the Sabbāsava Sutta, MN 2)
The Buddha teaches that different āsavā are abandoned by different methods, not by a single technique.
1. Dassana-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by right understanding
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Abandoned through wisdom (paññā)
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Seeing things as impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self
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Especially effective for diṭṭhāsava and avijjāsava
2. Saṃvara-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by restraining
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Sense restraint (indriya-saṃvara)
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Guarding eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind
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Prevents new unwholesome states from arising
3. Paṭisevana-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by reflective use
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Wise use of requisites (food, clothing, shelter, medicine)
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Using necessities without craving, pride, or indulgence
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Counters kāmāsava
4. Adhivāsana-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by tolerating
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Patient endurance of:
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Heat and cold
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Hunger and thirst
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Harsh speech
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Pain and discomfort
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Prevents mental agitation and aversion
5. Parivajjana-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by avoiding
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Avoiding situations that provoke unwholesome states
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Includes:
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Harmful environments
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Unwise companionship
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Dangerous temptations
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6. Vinodana-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by removing
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Actively abandoning arisen unwholesome thoughts
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Methods include:
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Replacing thoughts
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Reflecting on consequences
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Redirecting attention
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7. Bhāvanā-pahātabbā
Fermentations to be eradicated by developing the mind
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Cultivation of:
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Mindfulness (sati)
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Concentration (samādhi)
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Wisdom (paññā)
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Includes the Noble Eightfold Path and insight meditation
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Completes the eradication of all āsavā
Āhāra (Nutriment / Sustenance) From Āhāra Sutta SN 12.11
The Buddha teaches that existence and experience continue because they are “fed.” There are four kinds of nutriment (āhāra):
kabaḷīkāro āhāro oḷāriko vā sukhumo vāphasso dutiyo
manosañcetanā tatiyā
viññāṇaṃ catutthaṃ
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Kabaḷīkārāhāra – Edible food
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Gross or subtle physical food
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Sustains the physical body
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Phassāhāra – Contact
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Sense contact conditions feeling (vedanā)
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Manosañcetanāhāra – Mental intention
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Volition that generates kamma
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Sustains future becoming
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Viññāṇāhāra – Consciousness
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Supports name-and-form (nāma-rūpa)
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Central to dependent arising
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Linking Āsava and Āhāra
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Āsavā persist because they are fed.
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Āhāra sustains saṃsāra.
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Wise practice involves:
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Reducing unwholesome nutriment
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Developing wholesome nutriment
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Ultimately cutting off the fuel entirely
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