The Practice of Vipassanā Meditation for the Elimination of All Āsavas in the Sabbāsava Sutta

Abstract

This academic article aims to study the practice of vipassanā (insight meditation) for the eradication of all āsavas (mental defilements) as taught in the Sabbāsava Sutta. It was found that, according to the Pāli Canon, there are four principal modes of vipassanā practice: 1) Samathapubbaṅgama-vipassanā – insight preceded by tranquility; the full term being samathapubbaṅgama-vipassanā-bhāvanā, 2) Vipassanāpubbaṅgama-samatha – tranquility preceded by insight; the full term being vipassanāpubbaṅgama-samatha-bhāvanā, 3) Yuganaddha-samatha-vipassanā – tranquility and insight developed in conjunction; the full term being samatha-vipassanā-yuganaddha-bhāvanā, and 4) Dhammuddhacca-viggahita-mānasa – the practice when the mind is distracted or overexcited by Dhamma, known as dhammuddhacca, the agitation or elation arising from misunderstanding the meditative experience as final enlightenment. These four approaches constitute the fundamental framework for vipassanā practice aimed at eliminating all āsava-defilements completely. The Sabb ā sava Sutta, found in the Majjhima Nikāya, Mūlapaṇṇāsa, Mūlapariyāya-vagga, Volume 12 of the Pāli Canon, records a discourse in which the Blessed One summoned the bhikkhus and expounded the causes of the arising and cessation of the āsavas. He identified four types of āsava: 1) Kāmāsava – the influx of sensuality, 2) Bhavāsava – the influx of becoming or existence, 3) Diṭṭhāsava – the influx of wrong views, and 4) Avijjāsava – the influx of ignorance. Furthermore, the Sabbāsava Sutta outlines seven methods for the elimination of āsavas: 1) Āsavā pahātabbā dassanena – those to be abandoned by right understanding, 2) Āsavā pahātabbā saṃvarena – those to be abandoned by restraint, 3) Āsavā pahātabbā paṭisevanāya – those to be abandoned by wise use, 4) Āsavā pahātabbā adhivāsanāya – those to be abandoned by endurance, 5) Āsavā pahātabbā parivajjanena – those to be abandoned by avoidance, 6) Āsavā pahātabbā vinodanena – those to be abandoned by dispelling, and 7) Āsavā pahātabbā bhāvanāya – those to be abandoned by cultivation or meditation. Through the systematic practice of vipassanā in accordance with these seven principles, as taught by the Buddha, the practitioner can transcend all forms of suffering (dukkha) and ultimately attain the supramundane realization of the Path (magga), Fruition (phala), and Nibbāna.