Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 45.163

Defilements

Āsavasutta — Esanāvagga

Setting
Continuing directly from SN 45.162
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants directly
Form
One sentence, naming all three defilements and the combined four-verb phrase, with the base formula left to elision
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the vagga's own most compressed discourse so far

Why this discourse

The three āsava (defiling tendencies) — sensuality, the desire to be reborn, and ignorance — are named here in this vagga's own most compressed form yet: the English translation resolves the source's own elision directly into “the noble eightfold path,” without even restating the combined four-verb phrase's own explicit elaboration instruction found at SN 45.162.

Reading guide

An even more compressed rendering

The Pāli root itself still carries an elision marker (“…pe…”) between the four-verb phrase and the path's own base-formula definition, but the English translation resolves this directly into readable prose — the base formula and the implied wider matrix (per SN 45.161's own precedent) still apply, even though no elaboration instruction is spelled out in the consulted English source for this discourse.

Key terms

āsavā — “defiling tendencies” or “defilements” — a canonical term for deep-seated corruptions of the mind
kāmāsavo bhavāsavo avijjāsavo — “the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance” — the three named here, a well-known threefold classification found throughout the canon
abhiññāya pariññāya parikkhayāya pahānāya — the four verbs (direct knowledge, complete understanding, finishing, giving up) established at SN 45.161-162, still implicitly governing this discourse
ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo bhāvetabbo — “the noble eightfold path should be developed” — stated here without restating the base formula's own full definition
tatiyaṁ — “the third” — the Pāli root's own closing numeral, confirming this discourse's own position in the vagga

The text

The complete discourse as the English source itself renders it. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Mendicants, there are these three defilements. What three? The defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. These are the three defilements. The noble eightfold path should be developed for the direct knowledge, complete understanding, finishing, and giving up of these three defilements.”

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Self-check quiz

3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 3
What three defilements (āsava) does this discourse name?
Correct: A. A well-known threefold classification of deep-seated mental corruptions found throughout the canon.
Question 2 of 3
How does this discourse's own English rendering compare to SN 45.162's own explicit elaboration instruction?
Correct: A. The Pāli root still carries its own elision marker, even where the English smooths it into direct prose.
Question 3 of 3
What does the Pāli root's own closing numeral, "tatiyaṁ," confirm?
Correct: A. A simple ordinal marker confirming this discourse's own position, consistent with the closing numerals seen throughout Book V.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 45.162 · Discriminations