Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
If you are called an ascetic, live up to the name: purify your conduct, restrain your senses, develop jhāna, and realize the three true knowledges that end all suffering.
The structure of the discourse
| Stage | What the Buddha teaches |
|---|---|
| 1. The challenge | People call you “ascetics.” You accept the name. Then you should train in the practices that make you true ascetics. |
| 2. Moral shame & moral dread | The foundation: hiri (moral shame — an inner conscience that recoils from wrongdoing) and ottappa (moral dread — a wise fear of the consequences of bad actions). |
| 3. Purification of conduct | Bodily conduct, verbal conduct, and mental conduct must all be purified. The monk acts, speaks, and thinks with integrity. |
| 4. Livelihood | Purification of livelihood — the monk lives blamelessly, not by wrong livelihood. |
| 5. Sense restraint | Guarding the six sense doors: on seeing a form with the eye, the monk does not grasp at its features or details. The same for sounds, odors, tastes, touches, and mental phenomena. |
| 6. Moderation in eating | The monk eats reflecting wisely — not for amusement, intoxication, or beautifying the body, but only for maintaining the body and supporting the spiritual life. |
| 7. Wakefulness | By day the monk purifies the mind by walking and sitting meditation. In the first and last watches of the night, the same. In the middle watch, the monk lies down mindfully. |
| 8. Mindfulness & clear comprehension | The monk acts with full awareness in every posture: going forward, returning, looking, bending, stretching, eating, drinking, walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking, speaking, and remaining silent. |
| 9. Seclusion & the five hindrances | The monk resorts to a secluded dwelling — a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a cave. After the meal, sitting cross-legged, the monk abandons the five hindrances: sensual desire, ill will, dullness-and-drowsiness, restlessness-and-remorse, and doubt. |
| 10. The four jhānas | With the hindrances abandoned, the monk enters the first through fourth jhānas, each illustrated by a vivid simile. |
| 11. The three true knowledges | (1) Recollection of past lives. (2) The divine eye — seeing beings passing away and being reborn according to their deeds. (3) The destruction of the taints — the knowledge that one is liberated. |
| 12. Conclusion | “This is how a person is an ascetic and a brahmin.” |
The graduated training
The graduated training (anupubbasikkhā) is the Buddhist path presented as a practical curriculum. It appears in many discourses — DN 2, MN 27, MN 51, and others — but MN 39 is one of its clearest expressions. The sequence is not arbitrary: each stage creates the conditions for the next. Without moral restraint, the senses cannot be guarded; without sense restraint, the hindrances cannot be abandoned; without abandoning the hindrances, jhāna cannot arise; without jhāna, the mind lacks the stability and clarity needed for the three true knowledges.
The progression is also psychological. The early stages remove the coarser obstacles (harmful actions, unrestrained sense experience, overeating, restlessness). The middle stages cultivate the positive qualities (mindfulness, clear comprehension, contentment). The later stages deepen into the refined states of jhāna and the liberating insights. The discourse presents this not as theory but as something a monk actually does, day by day.
The four jhāna similes
The four jhānas are each illustrated with a simile that captures the felt quality of the state:
- First jhāna — the bath-powder ball. A skilled bath attendant kneads bath powder with water until it forms a ball, thoroughly moistened inside and out. The simile conveys thorough permeation: the rapture and pleasure of the first jhāna saturate the entire body, leaving no part untouched.
- Second jhāna — the spring-fed lake. A deep lake fed by an underground spring, with no inlet from east, west, north, or south, and no rain falling on it. The cool water wells up from within. The simile conveys internal origin: the rapture and pleasure of the second jhāna arise from within (from samādhi), not from applied or sustained thought.
- Third jhāna — the lotuses in water. Lotuses born in the water, growing in the water, not rising above the water, nourished by the water from root to tip. The simile conveys immersion: the pleasure of the third jhāna (now without rapture) permeates the body as water permeates the lotus. The monk “dwells in pleasure,” as the noble ones say of one who “has equanimity, is mindful, and dwells in pleasure.”
- Fourth jhāna — the white cloth. A person sits covered from head to toe in a clean white cloth. The simile conveys purity and completeness: the mind in the fourth jhāna is bright, pure, and undisturbed, suffusing the entire body with a purified awareness that is neither pleasant nor painful.
The three true knowledges
The three true knowledges (tevijjā) are the culmination of the graduated training. They are called “true” to distinguish them from the “three knowledges” (tevijjā) of Brahmanical religion — the three Vedas. The Buddha redefines the term: genuine knowledge is not learning ancient texts but directly seeing the nature of existence.
The first two knowledges — recollection of past lives and the divine eye — are not unique to Buddhism. They confirm the reality of kamma and rebirth through direct experience, not faith. The third knowledge — the destruction of the taints — is distinctly Buddhist: it is the knowledge that the practitioner is liberated, that the cycle of suffering has ended. With this knowledge, the graduated training is complete.
Three questions Western students often ask
“Is jhāna necessary for liberation?” This discourse says yes, at least implicitly: the three true knowledges arise from the fourth jhāna, and without them the training is incomplete. Some modern teachers distinguish “jhāna” as deep absorption from a lighter form of concentration, but the canonical graduated training consistently presents the jhānas as the platform from which liberating insight is launched. MN 39 is one of the strongest texts for this reading.
“Are the similes for the jhānas literal descriptions of what happens?” They are experiential descriptions, not mystical metaphors. Practitioners who enter jhāna consistently report experiences that match the similes: a thorough permeation of pleasure in the body (first jhāna), a sense that the pleasure arises from within (second), a quiet immersion in well-being (third), and a bright, still, purified awareness (fourth). The similes work because the Buddha is describing something real, something his listeners could verify through practice.
“What are the ‘taints’ (āsava) that are destroyed?” The Pāli term āsava (sometimes translated as “outflows,” “cankers,” or “fermentations”) refers to the deep-seated mental corruptions that fuel the cycle of rebirth: the taint of sensual desire (kāmāsava), the taint of being/existence (bhavāsava), and the taint of ignorance (avijjāsava). Their destruction is not a single dramatic event but the culmination of the entire graduated training: when the mind, purified by jhāna, turns its clear gaze on the nature of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, the taints are destroyed and the practitioner knows freedom.
Key terms
The text
The challenge
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the Aṅga country, where there is a town of the Aṅgans named Assapura.
§2There the Buddha addressed the monks: “Monks, people call you ‘ascetics, ascetics.’ And when asked, ‘What are you?’, you claim to be ascetics. Since you are so designated and so claim, you should train like this: ‘We will practice the way that makes us true ascetics, that makes us true brahmins. In this way our designation will be true and our claim genuine. And when we use the robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicines provided by others, those services will be of great fruit and benefit to the donors. And our going forth will not be in vain, but fruitful and fertile.’”
Moral shame and moral dread
§3“And how does a monk practice the way of a true ascetic? When a monk has moral shame and moral dread — this is how a monk practices the way of a true ascetic.”
Purification of conduct
§4“When a monk’s bodily conduct is purified, verbal conduct is purified, mental conduct is purified, and livelihood is purified — this is how a monk practices the way of a true ascetic.”
Sense restraint
§5“And how does a monk guard the doors of the senses? On seeing a form with the eye, a monk does not grasp at its features and details. Since, if the eye faculty were left unrestrained, bad, unwholesome qualities of desire and aversion would overwhelm them, the monk practices restraint, guarding the eye faculty, and achieving its restraint.”
Moderation in eating
§6“And how does a monk eat in moderation? A monk reflects wisely on the food they eat: ‘Not for fun, indulgence, beautification, or decoration, but only to sustain this body, to avoid harm, and to support the spiritual life. In this way I shall put an end to old feelings and not give rise to new feelings, and I shall be healthy, blameless, and live in comfort.’”
Wakefulness
§7“And how does a monk practice wakefulness? During the day, while walking back and forth and while sitting, a monk purifies the mind of obstructive qualities. In the first watch of the night, while walking back and forth and while sitting, the monk purifies the mind of obstructive qualities. In the middle watch of the night, the monk lies down on the right side in the lion’s posture, with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and aware, having noted the time to get up. In the last watch of the night, after getting up, while walking back and forth and while sitting, the monk purifies the mind of obstructive qualities.”
Mindfulness and clear comprehension
§8“And how does a monk have mindfulness and clear comprehension? A monk acts with clear comprehension when going out and coming back, when looking ahead and looking aside, when bending and extending the limbs, when dressing and carrying the outer robe and bowl, when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, when urinating and defecating, when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, speaking, and remaining silent.”
Seclusion and the five hindrances
§9“Endowed with this noble aggregate of moral conduct, this noble sense restraint, this noble moderation in eating, and this noble wakefulness, a monk resorts to a secluded dwelling — a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open field, or a heap of straw.”
“After the meal, having returned from almsround, the monk sits down cross-legged, with body upright, and establishes mindfulness before them.”
§10“Having abandoned desire for the world, they meditate with a mind free from desire, and purify the mind of desire. Having abandoned ill will, they meditate with a mind free from ill will, full of compassion for all living beings, and purify the mind of ill will. Having abandoned dullness and drowsiness, they meditate perceiving light, mindful and aware, and purify the mind of dullness and drowsiness. Having abandoned restlessness and remorse, they meditate with a peaceful mind, and purify the mind of restlessness and remorse. Having abandoned doubt, they meditate having gone beyond doubt, not uncertain about what is wholesome, and purify the mind of doubt.”
The four jhānas
§11“Having abandoned these five hindrances — corruptions of the mind that weaken wisdom — quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome qualities, the monk enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which has the pleasure and rapture born of seclusion, while applying and sustaining the mind on the meditation subject.”
“They drench, steep, fill, and pervade this body with the pleasure and rapture born of seclusion. There is no part of the body that is not pervaded by this pleasure and rapture.”
“Suppose a skilled bath attendant or their apprentice were to heap bath powder in a bronze dish, and then knead it with water, sprinkling it again and again, until the ball of bath powder was saturated, soaked through, and pervaded with moisture inside and out, yet did not ooze. In the same way, the monk drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this body with the pleasure and rapture born of seclusion. There is no part of the body that is not pervaded by this pleasure and rapture.”
§12“Furthermore, as the applying and sustaining of the mind on the meditation subject are stilled, the monk enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has the pleasure and rapture born of composure, with internal confidence and unification of mind, without applying and sustaining the mind.”
“They drench, steep, fill, and pervade this body with the pleasure and rapture born of composure. There is no part of the body that is not pervaded by this pleasure and rapture.”
“Suppose there were a deep lake whose water welled up from below. It has no inlet from the east, west, north, or south, and no rainfall to replenish it from time to time. But the cool water welling up from the spring in the lake would drench, steep, fill, and pervade the entire lake. In the same way, the monk drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this body with the pleasure and rapture born of composure.”
§13“Furthermore, with the fading away of rapture, the monk dwells equanimous, mindful and aware, personally experiencing the pleasure of which the noble ones say: ‘Equanimous and mindful, one dwells in pleasure.’ Thus the monk enters and dwells in the third jhāna.”
“They drench, steep, fill, and pervade this body with the pleasure free from rapture. There is no part of the body that is not pervaded by this pleasure.”
“Suppose that in a lotus pond some of the blue, white, or red lotuses are born in the water, grow in the water, and never rise above the water, but are nourished immersed in the water. From their tips to their roots, they are drenched, steeped, filled, and pervaded with cool water. In the same way, the monk drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this body with the pleasure free from rapture.”
§14“Furthermore, giving up pleasure and pain, and with the ending of former happiness and sadness, the monk enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pleasure nor pain, and is purified by equanimity and mindfulness.”
“They sit pervading this body with a pure, bright mind. There is no part of the body that is not pervaded by the pure, bright mind.”
“Suppose a person were to sit wrapped from head to foot in a clean white cloth. There would be no part of their body that the white cloth did not cover. In the same way, the monk sits pervading this body with a pure, bright mind.”
The first true knowledge: past lives
§15“When the mind is composed in this way — purified, bright, unblemished, rid of corruptions, malleable, wieldy, steady, and imperturbable — the monk directs the mind toward the knowledge of recollection of past lives.”
“They recollect many kinds of past lives: one birth, two births, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand births; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, living for so long. When I passed away from there, I was reborn somewhere else.’ And so, with features and details, they recollect many kinds of past lives.”
The second true knowledge: the divine eye
§16“When the mind is composed in this way, the monk directs the mind toward the knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings.”
“With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, they see beings passing away and being reborn — inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place and a bad place. They understand how beings are reborn according to their deeds: ‘These beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They spoke ill of the noble ones. They held wrong view and acted out of wrong view. When their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. But these beings did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They spoke well of the noble ones. They held right view and acted out of right view. When their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’”
The third true knowledge: destruction of the taints
§17“When the mind is composed in this way, the monk directs the mind toward the knowledge of the destruction of the taints.”
“They truly understand: ‘This is suffering. This is the origin of suffering. This is the cessation of suffering. This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering. These are the taints. This is the origin of the taints. This is the cessation of the taints. This is the practice that leads to the cessation of the taints.’”
“Knowing and seeing in this way, the mind is freed from the taint of sensual desire, the taint of being, and the taint of ignorance. When freed, there is the knowledge: ‘It is freed.’ They understand: ‘Birth is ended, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being.’”
§18“Monks, this is how a person is an ascetic and a brahmin. They are an ascetic because they have stilled bad, unwholesome qualities that are defiling, that lead to future lives, that are troublesome, that ripen in suffering, and that lead to future birth, aging, and death. They are a brahmin because they have expelled bad, unwholesome qualities. They are a bather because they have washed off bad, unwholesome qualities. They are a knower of the Vedas because the bad, unwholesome qualities have departed from them. They are a noble one because the bad, unwholesome qualities are far from them. And they are a perfected one because the taints have been destroyed.”
That is what the Buddha said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Buddha’s words.
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