Reading guide
Two paragraphs, one confirming the whole series
This discourse's own structure differs from SN 48.61-63: a first paragraph names “āsavānaṁ khaya” (ending of defilements) alone, matching the prior discourses' own single-outcome form; a second paragraph then explicitly recaps all four outcomes together in a single list — this project's own open question about whether SN 48.61-63 formed a genuine series is now settled by the text's own words, not by inference.
Āsavakkhaya: the ending of defilements
As general canonical background, not asserted beyond what this discourse's own bare text states: “āsava” (defilements, taints, “influxes”) traditionally names the deepest-rooted corruptions — their ending (khaya) is the classic canonical marker of full awakening, arahantship itself.
A deliberate crescendo, culminating in awakening
This project's own observation, now confirmed rather than merely suggested: the four outcomes named across SN 48.61-64 — fetters given up, tendencies uprooted, the whole course of time understood, defilements ended — read as an ascending sequence toward full awakening, with this discourse's own second paragraph binding all four into a single, deliberate statement.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, when these five faculties are developed and cultivated they lead to the ending of defilements. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. When these five faculties are developed and cultivated they lead to the ending of defilements.”
§2“Mendicants, when these five faculties are developed and cultivated they lead to giving up the fetters, uprooting the underlying tendencies, completely understanding the course of time, and ending the defilements. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. When these five faculties are developed and cultivated they lead to giving up the fetters, uprooting the underlying tendencies, completely understanding the course of time, and ending the defilements.”
Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.