Elements of Escape

Nissāraṇīyasutta

Elements of Escape

Nissāraṇīyasutta

EN
“Mendicants, there are these five elements of escape. What five? Take a case where a mendicant focuses on sensual pleasures, but on that their mind does not leap forth, gain confidence, settle down, and become decided. But when they focus on renunciation, on that their mind leaps forth, gains confidence, settles down, and becomes decided.
PL
“Pañcimā, bhikkhave, nissāraṇīyā dhātuyo. Katamā pañca? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno kāmaṁ manasikaroto kāmesu cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati na vimuccati. Nekkhammaṁ kho panassa manasikaroto nekkhamme cittaṁ pakkhandati pasīdati santiṭṭhati vimuccati.
EN
Their mind is in a good state, well developed, well risen, well freed, and well detached from sensual pleasures. They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of sensual pleasures, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling. This is how the escape from sensual pleasures is explained. Take another case where a mendicant focuses on ill will, but their mind does not leap forth …
PL
Tassa taṁ cittaṁ sugataṁ subhāvitaṁ suvuṭṭhitaṁ suvimuttaṁ suvisaṁyuttaṁ kāmehi; ye ca kāmapaccayā uppajjanti āsavā vighātapariḷāhā, mutto so tehi, na so taṁ vedanaṁ vediyati. Idamakkhātaṁ kāmānaṁ nissaraṇaṁ. Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno byāpādaṁ manasikaroto byāpāde cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati na vimuccati.
EN
But when they focus on good will, their mind leaps forth … Their mind is in a good state … well detached from ill will. They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of ill will, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling. This is how the escape from ill will is explained.
PL
Abyāpādaṁ kho panassa manasikaroto abyāpāde cittaṁ pakkhandati pasīdati santiṭṭhati vimuccati. Tassa taṁ cittaṁ sugataṁ subhāvitaṁ suvuṭṭhitaṁ suvimuttaṁ suvisaṁyuttaṁ byāpādena; ye ca byāpādapaccayā uppajjanti āsavā vighātapariḷāhā, mutto so tehi, na so taṁ vedanaṁ vediyati. Idamakkhātaṁ byāpādassa nissaraṇaṁ.
EN
Take another case where a mendicant focuses on harming, but their mind does not leap forth … But when they focus on compassion, their mind leaps forth … Their mind is in a good state … well detached from harming.
PL
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno vihesaṁ manasikaroto vihesāya cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati na vimuccati. Avihesaṁ kho panassa manasikaroto avihesāya cittaṁ pakkhandati pasīdati santiṭṭhati vimuccati. Tassa taṁ cittaṁ sugataṁ subhāvitaṁ suvuṭṭhitaṁ suvimuttaṁ suvisaṁyuttaṁ vihesāya;
EN
They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of harming, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling. This is how the escape from harming is explained. Take another case where a mendicant focuses on form, but their mind does not leap forth … But when they focus on the formless, their mind leaps forth …
PL
ye ca vihesāpaccayā uppajjanti āsavā vighātapariḷāhā, mutto so tehi, na so taṁ vedanaṁ vediyati. Idamakkhātaṁ vihesāya nissaraṇaṁ. Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno rūpaṁ manasikaroto rūpe cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati na vimuccati. Arūpaṁ kho panassa manasikaroto arūpe cittaṁ pakkhandati pasīdati santiṭṭhati vimuccati.
EN
Their mind is in a good state … well detached from forms. They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of form, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling. This is how the escape from forms is explained. Take a case where a mendicant focuses on substantial reality, but their mind does not leap forth, gain confidence, settle down, and become decided.
PL
Tassa taṁ cittaṁ sugataṁ subhāvitaṁ suvuṭṭhitaṁ suvimuttaṁ suvisaṁyuttaṁ rūpehi; ye ca rūpapaccayā uppajjanti āsavā vighātapariḷāhā, mutto so tehi, na so taṁ vedanaṁ vediyati. Idamakkhātaṁ rūpānaṁ nissaraṇaṁ. Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno sakkāyaṁ manasikaroto sakkāye cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati na vimuccati.
EN
But when they focus on the cessation of substantial reality, their mind leaps forth, gains confidence, settles down, and becomes decided. Their mind is in a good state, well developed, well risen, well freed, and well detached from substantial reality. They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of substantial reality, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling.
PL
Sakkāyanirodhaṁ kho panassa manasikaroto sakkāyanirodhe cittaṁ pakkhandati pasīdati santiṭṭhati vimuccati. Tassa taṁ cittaṁ sugataṁ subhāvitaṁ suvuṭṭhitaṁ suvimuttaṁ suvisaṁyuttaṁ sakkāyena; ye ca sakkāyapaccayā uppajjanti āsavā vighātapariḷāhā, mutto so tehi, na so taṁ vedanaṁ vediyati.
EN
This is how the escape from substantial reality is explained. Delight in sensual pleasures, ill will, harming, form, and substantial reality don’t linger within them.
PL
Idamakkhātaṁ sakkāyassa nissaraṇaṁ. Tassa kāmanandīpi nānuseti, byāpādanandīpi nānuseti, vihesānandīpi nānuseti, rūpanandīpi nānuseti, sakkāyanandīpi nānuseti so kāmanandiyāpi ananusayā, byāpādanandiyāpi ananusayā, vihesānandiyāpi ananusayā, rūpanandiyāpi ananusayā, sakkāyanandiyāpi ananusayā.
EN
That’s why they’re called a mendicant who is without underlying tendencies, who has cut off craving, cast off the fetters, and by rightly comprehending conceit has made an end of suffering. These are the five elements of escape.”
PL
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu niranusayo, acchecchi taṇhaṁ, vivattayi saṁyojanaṁ, sammā mānābhisamayā antamakāsi dukkhassa. Imā kho, bhikkhave, pañca nissāraṇīyā dhātuyo”ti. Dasamaṁ. Brāhmaṇavaggo pañcamo.
PL
Tassuddānaṁ Soṇo doṇo saṅgāravo, Kāraṇapālī ca piṅgiyānī; Supinā ca vassā vācā,
PL
Kulaṁ nissāraṇīyena cāti. Catuttho paṇṇāsako samatto.

Pāli root text and English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato from SuttaCentral (https://suttacentral.net), CC0.

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