SN46:184 Higher Fetters: removal, Deathless, Nibbāna
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
"Bhikkhus, there are these five higher fetters. What five? Lust for form, lust for the formless, conceit, restlessness, ignorance. These are the five higher fetters.
The seven factors of enlightenment are to be developed for direct knowledge of these five higher fetters, for the full understanding of them, for their utter destruction, for their abandoning. What seven?
"Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops the enlightenment factor of mindfulness,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal;
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
He develops the enlightenment factor of discrimination of states,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal;
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
He develops the enlightenment factor of energy,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal;
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
He develops the enlightenment factor of rapture,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal;
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
He develops the enlightenment factor of tranquillity,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal;
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
He develops the enlightenment factor of concentration,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal;
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
He develops the enlightenment factor of equanimity,
which has as its final goal the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion;
… which has the Deathless as its ground, the Deathless as its destination, the Deathless as its final goal
… which slants, slopes, and inclines towards Nibbāna.
These seven factors of enlightenment, bhikkhus, are to be developed for direct knowledge of these five higher fetters, for the full understanding of them, for their utter destruction, for their abandoning."[n.121] I follow the method of Ee, which ends with 175. Apparently three repetitions of the entire series should be understood for each of the three ways of describing the enlightenment factors. Here, the other two methods—"the Deathless as its ground" series and the "slants towards Nibbāna" series— are explicit only in this last sutta but, in this digital version, have been added in the preceding suttas, starting with SN46.131. sn.v.140
Floods, bonds, kinds of clinging,
Knots, and underlying tendencies,
Cords of sensual pleasure, hindrances,
Aggregates, fetters lower and higher.
Bojjhaṅgasaṃyutassa punaoghavaggo aṭṭhārasamo.
Ogho yogo upādānaṃ,
ganthā anusayena ca;
Kāmaguṇā nīvaraṇā,
khandhā oruddhambhāgiyānīti.
(Rāgavinayapariyosāna-dosavinayapariyosāna-mohavinayapariyosānavaggo vitthāretabbo).
(Yadapi maggasaṃyuttaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ,
tadapi bojjhaṅgasaṃyuttaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ).
Bojjhaṅgasaṃyuttaṃ dutiyaṃ.