Let us understand the deeper essence of Buddha teachings and why it is good to follow Buddha. In Sihasutta, Buddha explains on what he teaches and makes sense us to deep dive into it.
🔶 1️⃣ Akiriyavādo (General Refrain)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘akiriyavādo samaṇo gotamo, akiriyāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of non-action (akiriyavāda); he teaches a Dhamma of non-action, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
This sets the pattern — Sīha the general asks whether certain labels about the Buddha’s teaching would be appropriate. The Buddha replies that in a certain sense, yes — if properly understood. Here, akiriyavāda usually means nihilistic non-action, but the Buddha clarifies later: he teaches non-action of unwholesome actions.
🔶 2️⃣ Kiriyavādo (Advocate of Action)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘kiriyavādo samaṇo gotamo, kiriyāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of action (kiriyavāda); he teaches a Dhamma of action, and in that way he trains his disciples.’
Explanation:
Here the opposite — kiriyavāda — is affirmed too: the Buddha encourages wholesome actions — body, speech, and mind.
🔶 3️⃣ Ucchedavādo (Advocate of Destruction)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘ucchedavādo samaṇo gotamo, ucchedāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of destruction (ucchedavāda); he teaches a Dhamma of destruction, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
This sounds like annihilationism — but as Buddha explains, destruction of greed, hatred, and delusion is meant — not of the being.
🔶 4️⃣ Jegucchī (One who is Disgusted)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘jegucchī samaṇo gotamo, jegucchitāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is disgusted (jegucchī); he teaches a Dhamma based on disgust, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
Not disgust at life itself — but disgust and disenchantment toward unwholesome conduct.
🔶 5️⃣ Venayiko (Teacher of Discipline / Removal)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘venayiko samaṇo gotamo, vinayāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is a remover (venayiko); he teaches a Dhamma of removal, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
Venaya here = removal of defilements: rāga (lust), dosa (hatred), moha (delusion).
🔶 6️⃣ Tapassī (Ascetic / One who Burns Away Defilements)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘tapassī samaṇo gotamo, tapassitāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an ascetic (tapassī); he teaches a Dhamma of asceticism, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
Tapassī = one who burns away unwholesome states. Not through self-mortification, but through right training of body, speech, and mind.
🔶 7️⃣ Apagabbho (Freed from Future Birth)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘apagabbho samaṇo gotamo, apagabbhatāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is free from rebirth in the womb (apagabbho); he teaches a Dhamma of freedom from rebirth, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
Buddha is completely liberated — no more rebirth. He teaches the path to end saṁsāric birth.
🔶 8️⃣ Assāsako (Bringer of Consolation / Comfort)
Atthi, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘assāsako samaṇo gotamo, assāsāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“There is, Sīha, a way in which, if one were to speak rightly about me, they could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is a comforter (assāsako); he teaches a Dhamma of comfort, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Explanation:
Ultimate comfort: freedom from suffering, through Nibbāna.
1️⃣ Akiriyavādo
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘akiriyavādo samaṇo gotamo, akiriyāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Ahañhi, sīha, akiriyaṁ vadāmi kāyaduccaritassa vacīduccaritassa manoduccaritassa;
anekavihitānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ akiriyaṁ vadāmi.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘akiriyavādo samaṇo gotamo, akiriyāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of non-action (akiriyavādo); he teaches a Dhamma of non-action, and in that way he trains his disciples’?
It is because, Sīha, I declare non-doing (akiriyā) of bodily misconduct (kāyaduccarita), verbal misconduct (vacīduccarita), and mental misconduct (manoduccarita);
I declare the non-doing of manifold evil and unwholesome states (anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā).
This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of non-action; he teaches a Dhamma of non-action, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 The key word here is akiriyavādo — a controversial label at that time which means, how other sectarians used akiriyavāda to infer nihilism — “no actions matter,” “no karma,” “no result of actions.”
👉 The Buddha rejected that interpretation and redefined it as:
He is an akiriyavādo only in the sense of teaching the non-doing of unwholesome actions which are classified below:
👉 The threefold classification:
1️⃣ Kāyaduccarita → bodily misconduct
Killing
Stealing
Sexual misconduct
2️⃣ Vacīduccarita → verbal misconduct
Lying
Divisive speech
Harsh speech
Idle chatter
3️⃣ Manoduccarita → mental misconduct
Covetousness
Ill will
Wrong view
👉 Anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā → all the various kinds of unwholesome mental states and tendencies.
Conclusion:
The Buddha advocates non-action only with respect to evil conduct.
This is an active restraint, not nihilistic passivity.
How One Can Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Foundation: Sīla (Virtue)
Undertake the five precepts:
Abstain from killing living beings
Abstain from taking what is not given
Abstain from sexual misconduct
Abstain from false speech
Abstain from intoxicants
2️⃣ Practice: Guarding the sense doors (indriya-saṁvara)
Use sati (mindfulness) to catch arising tendencies:
Before they become bodily actions
Before they become speech
Before they fully develop in the mind
3️⃣ Reflection: Yoniso manasikāra
Investigate: “Is this bodily action conducive to suffering or peace?”
“Is this speech conducive to suffering or peace?”
“Is this thought conducive to suffering or peace?”
4️⃣ Cultivation: Right Effort (sammappadhāna)
Prevent unarisen evil states
Abandon arisen evil states
Maintain non-doing of misconduct constantly
5️⃣ Result:
The practitioner gradually develops blameless conduct. and the mind becomes pure and serene which prepares the ground for deeper samādhi and vipassanā.
Summary:
The Buddha teaches “non-action” only in the positive ethical sense:
Restraint from evil.
Purification of conduct.
This is the foundation of the path to liberation.
👉 If one masters akiriya in this sense, the mind is fit for deep concentration, and wisdom can arise.
2️⃣ Kiriyavādo
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘kiriyavādo samaṇo gotamo, kiriyāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti? Ahañhi, sīha, kiriyaṁ vadāmi kāyasucaritassa vacīsucaritassa manosucaritassa; anekavihitānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ kiriyaṁ vadāmi. Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘kiriyavādo samaṇo gotamo, kiriyāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of action (kiriyavādo); he teaches a Dhamma of action, and in that way he trains his disciples’? It is because, Sīha, I declare action (kiriya) in bodily good conduct (kāyasucarita), verbal good conduct (vacīsucarita), and mental good conduct (manosucarita);
I declare action in manifold wholesome dhammas (anekavihitā kusalā dhammā).
This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of action; he teaches a Dhamma of action, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 The Buddha is here balancing the prior paragraph: He is akiriyavādo with respect to evil conduct (non-doing of evil).
But he is also kiriyavādo with respect to wholesome action — action that is meritorious and skillful.
👉 Kiriyaṁ vadāmi → I declare the active doing of good.
The threefold classification of good conduct:
1️⃣ Kāyasucarita → bodily good conduct, acts of generosity, compassion and helpfulness. Observing ethical precepts through the body
2️⃣ Vacīsucarita → verbal good conduct: Speaking truthfully, harmoniously, gently, kindly and meaningfully
3️⃣ Manosucarita → mental good conduct which include: thoughts of non-covetousness (nekkhamma-citta), non-ill will (avyāpāda-citta)
Thoughts of right view (sammādiṭṭhi-citta) — seeing things as they are
👉 Anekavihitā kusalā dhammā → All various types of wholesome mental qualities:
The five spiritual faculties (pañca indriyāni): saddhā, viriya, sati, samādhi, paññā
The seven factors of enlightenment (bojjhaṅgā)
The Noble Eightfold Path factors
The brahmavihāras (four immeasurables): mettā, karuṇā, muditā, upekkhā
Jhāna — wholesome concentration
Insight knowledge (vipassanā-ñāṇa)
👉 The term kiriyā here clearly implies volitional, intentional wholesome action.
Buddha rejects fatalism and nihilism — he teaches that skillful action leads to progress on the path.
How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Bodily Good Conduct — Kāyasucarita
Undertake five precepts and go beyond them:
Practice generosity (dāna)
Practice helping others
Refrain from all bodily harm
2️⃣ Verbal Good Conduct — Vacīsucarita
Speak with:
Truthfulness (sacca)
Kindness (metta-vacī)
Gentle, uplifting speech
Meaningful and purposeful speech — not gossip or frivolous talk
3️⃣ Mental Good Conduct — Manosucarita
Develop thoughts of renunciation:
Cultivate nekkhamma-citta: seeing the drawbacks of sensuality
Cultivate mettā (loving-kindness), karuṇā (compassion) toward all beings
Establish and deepen right view:
Understand kamma and its fruits
Understand Four Noble Truths
Reflect on anicca, dukkha, anattā
4️⃣ Systematic Practice — Anekavihitā kusalā dhammā
Follow gradual training (anupubbasikkhā):
Sīla → Samādhi → Paññā
Practice the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna)
Develop the seven factors of awakening
Enter and develop jhānas as skillful mental states
Use Right Effort to strengthen and maintain wholesome dhammas
5️⃣ Result:
Moral purity in body, speech, and mind
Deep samādhi arises easily on this basis
Wisdom and insight can penetrate when the mind is well-trained
The path to Nibbāna is cultivated through wholesome action
Summary of this Paragraph:
The Buddha teaches that the path is an active one — one of cultivating the good, not merely refraining from evil.
One becomes a noble disciple (ariyasāvaka) by developing:
Pure conduct in all three domains: body, speech, mind
Various wholesome mental states — which directly lead toward awakening.
👉 This is the foundation for the whole Buddhist path:
Not merely the absence of evil (akiriyā), but the active cultivation of the good (kiriyā).
3️⃣ Ucchedavādo
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘ucchedavādo samaṇo gotamo, ucchedāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Ahañhi, sīha, ucchedaṁ vadāmi rāgassa dosassa mohassa;
anekavihitānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ ucchedaṁ vadāmi.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘ucchedavādo samaṇo gotamo, ucchedāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of destruction (ucchedavādo); he teaches a Dhamma of destruction, and in that way he trains his disciples’?
It is because, Sīha, I declare the destruction (uccheda) of lust (rāga), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha);
I declare the destruction of manifold evil and unwholesome dhammas (anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā).
This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an advocate of destruction; he teaches a Dhamma of destruction, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 This is a very important polemical point in early Buddhist debates.
The Buddha was accused by rival sectarians of being an ucchedavādin — i.e., a nihilist or annihilationist:
That he taught that the “self” is annihilated at death.
👉 In this paragraph, the Buddha clarifies:
He does not teach the annihilation of a “self” — but teaches the destruction of defilements:
1️⃣ Rāga → lust, craving, sensual desire, attachment
2️⃣ Dosa → ill-will, hatred, aversion
3️⃣ Moha → delusion, ignorance, wrong understanding
👉 These three are the three roots of evil (akusalamūla).
👉 Destroying them is the essential work of the Noble Path.
👉 Anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā → All forms of unwholesome dhammas, which include: Greed, hatred, and delusion in all their subtle forms as in conceit, restlessness, worry, remorse, wrong views, especially sakkāya-diṭṭhi (identity view) and clinging (upādāna) to views, sensuality, rites and rituals, and to the idea of self
👉 Ucchedaṁ vadāmi → The Buddha explicitly teaches the total uprooting and destruction of these dhammas.
This is Nibbāna — the extinguishing of the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion.
How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Understand that “destruction” here = eradication of mental defilements, not the destruction of a self.
2️⃣ The path to uccheda of rāga, dosa, moha → Noble Eightfold Path:
A. Right View (Sammādiṭṭhi):
Understanding Four Noble Truths, seeing that clinging leads to suffering and cessation of clinging = cessation of suffering
B. Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma):
Prevent unwholesome states from arising and abandon arisen unwholesome states. Generate wholesome states and maintain and increase wholesome states
C. Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati):
Through Satipaṭṭhāna: Body (kāyānupassanā), Feeling (vedanānupassanā), Mind (cittānupassanā) and Teachings (dhammānupassanā)
D. Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi):
Develop jhānas to establish a stable, purified mind and in deep samādhi, rāga, dosa, moha temporarily fade
3️⃣ Special Insight (Vipassanā-ñāṇa):
Develop insight into impermanence (anicca) → loosens rāga
Insight into unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) → loosens dosa
Insight into non-self (anattā) → loosens moha
4️⃣ Culmination:
Stream-entry (sotāpatti): first major cutting of fetters
Once-returning (sakadāgāmi)
Non-returning (anāgāmi) → rāga and dosa are destroyed here
Arahant → all rāga, dosa, moha fully destroyed → final Nibbāna
5️⃣ Daily Practice:
Watch your reactions moment to moment: Is there greed? or is there aversion? or is there delusion?
Apply yoniso manasikāra — wise attention and apply Right Effort immediately to abandon defilements. After that, practice metta, karuṇā, upekkhā to oppose dosa and practice renunciation (nekkhamma) to oppose rāga in order to develop paññā to oppose moha
Summary of this Paragraph:
Buddha is not teaching annihilation of the person, but annihilation of the defilements — the true cause of suffering.
The path to this is: Virtue → Concentration → Wisdom which is the systematic destruction of rāga, dosa, moha.
👉 This is the very heart of Buddhist practice — not philosophical debate, but psychological liberation.
4️⃣ Jegucchī
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘jegucchī samaṇo gotamo, jegucchitāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Ahañhi, sīha, jigucchāmi kāyaduccaritena vacīduccaritena manoduccaritena;
jigucchāmi anekavihitānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ samāpattiyā.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘jegucchī samaṇo gotamo, jegucchitāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is one who is disgusted (jegucchī); he teaches a Dhamma that is based on disgust, and in that way he trains his disciples’? It is because, Sīha, I am disgusted (jigucchāmi) with bodily misconduct (kāyaduccarita), verbal misconduct (vacīduccarita), and mental misconduct (manoduccarita);
I am disgusted with manifold evil and unwholesome dhammas (anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā) when they are present (samāpattiyā). This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is one who is disgusted; he teaches a Dhamma that is based on disgust, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 Now the term is jegucchī — literally: one who feels revulsion, disgust.
👉 Important: This is not nihilistic disgust with life —
not existential despair — which was common in certain Indian sects (Ajivikas, extreme Jain ascetics).
👉 The Buddha clarifies:
His disgust is specifically toward:
1️⃣ Kāyaduccarita — bodily misconduct
2️⃣ Vacīduccarita — verbal misconduct
3️⃣ Manoduccarita — mental misconduct and
4️⃣ Anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā samāpattiyā → unwholesome mental states when they arise and are present.
👉 Samāpattiyā → “when these are actually present in the mind” —
The Buddha expresses a healthy revulsion toward their arising, and teaches others to feel likewise.
👉 This is the cultivation of nibbidā — disenchantment, dispassion.
Subtle Point:
👉 This is not a negative emotion like hatred toward evil —
It is clear seeing the nature of evil actions and mental states → which leads to a wholesome turning away from them.
👉 In insight stages, the arising of nibbidā-ñāṇa is a crucial insight knowledge:
One sees all conditioned things as impermanent, unsatisfactory, not-self → this naturally leads to disenchantment.
How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Cultivate wise reflection on the drawbacks of evil conduct:
Reflect on kāyaduccarita → “This brings suffering to self and others.”
Reflect on vacīduccarita → “This breaks harmony, leads to loss of trust.”
Reflect on manoduccarita → “These mental states poison the mind.”
👉 Generate a healthy sense of moral disgust — not self-hatred, but clear understanding: “This is not worthy of me as a disciple of the Buddha.”
2️⃣ Develop nibbidā toward all unwholesome dhammas:
In Satipaṭṭhāna practice, when an unwholesome state arises, see it clearly: “This is conditioned. impermanent, unsatisfactory and not self.
👉 Repeated wise seeing leads to nibbidā → turning away → virāga → nirodha → Nibbāna.
3️⃣ Use yoniso manasikāra:
Continually apply wise attention to the drawbacks of: Sensuality (kāma, craving, anger, wrong views, restlessness and conceit
👉 Build perception of danger (ādīnava-saññā) toward unwholesome dhammas.
4️⃣ Cultivate positive alternatives:
Develop the brahmavihāras to replace ill will and cultivate renunciation to replace sensual craving. With cultivation of right view will replace delusion.
5️⃣ Higher Practice — Insight stages:
As one progresses in insight, nibbidā becomes a profound turning away from all conditioned phenomena.
In advanced stages (leading to arahattaphala), one loses interest in all sankhāras.
Summary of this Paragraph:
The Buddha is not disgusted with life itself —
He is disgusted only with: Misconduct (bodily, verbal, mental), unwholesome mental states when they arise.
With wholesome disgust, it leads to renunciation, dispassion, freedom, protects the mind from rejoicing in or clinging to unwholesome states.
👉 This is a very important practical point: Without jegucchā toward evil, one cannot maintain pure conduct or progress toward liberation.
5️⃣ Venayiko
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘venayiko samaṇo gotamo, vinayāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Ahañhi, sīha, vinayāya dhammaṁ desemi rāgassa dosassa mohassa;
anekavihitānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ vinayāya dhammaṁ desemi.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘venayiko samaṇo gotamo, vinayāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is a remover (venayiko); he teaches a Dhamma of removal, and in that way he trains his disciples’? It is because, Sīha, I teach the Dhamma for the discipling in order to remove (vinaya) of lust (rāga), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha);
I teach the Dhamma for the removal of manifold evil and unwholesome dhammas (anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā). This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is a remover; he teaches a Dhamma of removal, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 Now the key word is venayiko — from vinaya = removal, training, restraint, discipline.
In a narrow sense, Vinaya = the discipline of the monks (the Vinaya Piṭaka), but here, in this doctrinal sense, it refers to removal of defilements (kilesa-vinaya).
👉 What is to be removed?
1️⃣ Rāga → lust, craving, sensual attachment
2️⃣ Dosa → hatred, anger, aversion
3️⃣ Moha → delusion, ignorance, wrong view
👉 And anekavihitā pāpakā akusalā dhammā → all kinds of unwholesome states.
👉 The Buddha teaches the Dhamma specifically as a path of removal:
Not merely insight, not merely concentration —
But as a path whose purpose is the gradual elimination of kilesas.
👉 Hence, venayiko = one whose purpose is to train, restrain, and remove defilements.
👉 In this way, the Buddha is both:
A doctor → diagnosing the disease (defilements) and a surgeon → removing them through the right path
How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Understand the nature of vinaya as internal training:
Not merely following rules externally, but undertaking the inner discipline of removing unwholesome states.
2️⃣ The Path of Removal → the Noble Eightfold Path:
A. Right View:
Understand which states are to be removed and, recognizing rāga, dosa, moha when they arise.
B. Right Intention: Set the intention toward renunciation, goodwill, and wisdom which counteracts rāga, dosa, moha.
C. Right Effort: The key tool for removal: Prevent unwholesome states from arising, abandon those already arisen, develop wholesome states. and maintain wholesome states.
3️⃣ Practical Techniques:
Guarding the sense doors → prevent entry points for rāga, dosa, moha, being mindful of feelings (vedanānupassanā):
Recognize when pleasant feelings trigger craving (rāga), when unpleasant feelings trigger aversion (dosa) and when neutral feelings reinforce delusion (moha).
Cultivation of the four Brahmavihāras:
Mettā to remove dosa, karuṇā to remove cruelty, muditā to remove envy and pekkhā to remove attachment and aversion.
Practice of insight (vipassanā): Through clear seeing of impermanence (anicca) → rāga fades., seeing dukkha → dosa fades, seeing non-self (anattā) → moha fades.
4️⃣ Training in Daily Life:
Every moment, check: “Is rāga present or dosa or moha present?”
👉 If present → apply Right Effort and remove.
👉 If absent → maintain the mind free from them.
5️⃣ The Progressive Removal:
Stream-enterer (sotāpanna): removes identity view, doubt, attachment to rites and rituals.
Once-returner (sakadāgāmi): weakens sensual craving and ill will.
Non-returner (anāgāmi): completely removes sensual craving and ill will.
Arahant: completely removes all rāga, dosa, moha — no further becoming.
Summary of this Paragraph:
The Buddha is not just a teacher of philosophy or meditation —
He is a trainer in removal: Removal of lust, hatred and delusion
Removal of all unwholesome dhammas His teaching is vinaya-oriented → toward liberation from defilements.
The path is active and dynamic: Recognize → Restrain → Remove → Maintain purity.
👉 Without this active removal process, no true liberation is possible.
6️⃣ Tapassī
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘tapassī samaṇo gotamo, tapassitāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Tapanīyāhaṁ, sīha, pāpake akusale dhamme vadāmi kāyaduccaritaṁ vacīduccaritaṁ manoduccaritaṁ.
Yassa kho, sīha, tapanīyā pāpakā akusalā dhammā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā, tamahaṁ ‘tapassī’ti vadāmi.
Tathāgatassa kho, sīha, tapanīyā pāpakā akusalā dhammā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘tapassī samaṇo gotamo, tapassitāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an ascetic (tapassī); he teaches a Dhamma of asceticism, and in that way he trains his disciples’?
It is because, Sīha, I call evil and unwholesome dhammas (pāpake akusale dhamme) ‘burning’ (tapanīyā):
bodily misconduct (kāyaduccarita), verbal misconduct (vacīduccarita), mental misconduct (manoduccarita).
For one in whom such burning evil and unwholesome dhammas have been abandoned (pahīnā), cut off at the root (ucchinnamūlā), made like a palm stump (tālāvatthukatā), rendered incapable of arising again (anabhāvaṅkatā), and destined not to arise again in the future (āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā) — that one I call an ascetic (tapassī).
In the Tathāgata, Sīha, such burning evil and unwholesome dhammas have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, rendered incapable of arising again, destined not to arise again.
This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is an ascetic; he teaches a Dhamma of asceticism, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 The term tapassī here is very important: In ancient India, many ascetics called themselves tapassī — meaning “one who practices tapas” — austerities. For them, tapas meant: External penances, fasting, standing in the sun and torturing the body
👉 The Buddha redefines tapas: He teaches inner tapas — the burning away of defilements, not of the body.
👉 What is tapanīya (that which “burns”)? The Buddha says:
Bodily misconduct → burns one
Verbal misconduct → burns one
Mental misconduct → burns one
👉 How does it burn?
Through the fire of remorse
Through the fire of suffering generated by unwholesome actions
Through the fire of saṁsāric bondage — repeated birth, aging, and death
👉 The true tapassī is one who: Has completely abandoned these burning dhammas:
pahīnā → abandoned, ucchinnamūlā → cut off at the root, tālāvatthukatā → like a palm stump — a dead stump that cannot sprout again, anabhāvaṅkatā → destroyed without remainder, āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā → will not arise again in the future
👉 The Buddha says: “In me, these burning dhammas are fully abandoned.”
👉 Thus he is truly a tapassī. How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Understand what is truly “burning”:
Not the body — no need to practice physical mortification, but kilesas burn us internally:
When you act immorally → your mind is burned with remorse.
When you harbor greed, hatred, delusion → your mind is burned with agitation and suffering.
When defilements are present → the cycle of rebirth is fueled → more burning in future lives.
👉 This is the real tapas the Buddha is referring to.
2️⃣ Abandon pāpake akusale dhamme:
A. Through virtue (sīla): Restrain bodily and verbal misconduct and guarding the sense doors.
B. Through concentration (samādhi): Develop jhānas to temporarily suppress gross defilements and train the mind to be steady and clear.
C. Through wisdom (paññā): Penetrate the three characteristics: anicca → loosens greed, dukkha → loosens hatred, anattā → loosens delusion.
👉 These three collectively perform the inner burning of the kilesas.
3️⃣ Deepening the process:
Stream-entry (sotāpatti) → first abandonment of major fetters.
Once-returning (sakadāgāmi) → further weakening.
Non-returning (anāgāmi) → complete abandonment of sensual craving and ill-will.
Arahantship → pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā — full uprooting of all burning dhammas.
👉 Then one is a true tapassī, in the Buddha’s sense.
4️⃣ Daily Practice:
Examine your mind throughout the day: “Am I acting in ways that will later burn me with remorse?”
“Is this thought/action going to cause long-term suffering?”
“Can I abandon this kilesa now through wise reflection?”
👉 Use Right Effort to constantly cleanse the mind.
Summary of this Paragraph:
The Buddha rejects external austerities and he teaches inner tapas: burning away the defilements of the mind.
The true ascetic is one in whom: Evil states have been abandoned. and the roots of suffering are destroyed.
There is no more rebirth of defilements which is the inner purity that leads to liberation.
👉 Without this inner tapas, no amount of outer asceticism can free one.
7️⃣ Apagabbho
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘apagabbho samaṇo gotamo, apagabbhatāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Yassa kho, sīha, āyatiṁ gabbhaseyyā punabbhavābhinibbatti pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā, tamahaṁ ‘apagabbho’ti vadāmi.
Tathāgatassa kho, sīha, āyatiṁ gabbhaseyyā punabbhavābhinibbatti pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘apagabbho samaṇo gotamo, apagabbhatāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.“
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is free from the womb (apagabbho); he teaches a Dhamma of freedom from the womb, and in that way he trains his disciples’?
It is because, Sīha, for one in whom future womb-birth (āyatiṁ gabbhaseyyā) and re-arising in a new existence (punabbhavābhinibbatti) have been abandoned (pahīnā), cut off at the root (ucchinnamūlā), made like a palm stump (tālāvatthukatā), rendered incapable of arising again (anabhāvaṅkatā), and destined not to arise again in the future (āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā) — that one I call ‘apagabbho’ — free from the womb.
In the Tathāgata, Sīha, future womb-birth and re-arising in a new existence have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, rendered incapable of arising again, destined not to arise again.
This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is free from the womb; he teaches a Dhamma of freedom from the womb, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 This paragraph contains one of the deepest declarations of the Buddha’s attainment:
👉 apagabbho → literally “not entering the womb,” “free from the womb.” and womb here represents rebirth — continued existence in saṁsāra. Buddha declares that the causes of rebirth have been fully eliminated in him:
1️⃣ āyatiṁ gabbhaseyyā → future entering of a womb has ceased.
2️⃣ punabbhavābhinibbatti → re-becoming in a new existence has ceased.
👉 How does this happen? It happens when the causes of rebirth are uprooted:
The root cause of rebirth is taṇhā → craving which is linked to upādāna → clinging and that is supported by avijjā → ignorance.
👉 When craving, clinging, and ignorance are fully destroyed: There is no more fuel for rebirth due to cycle of paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent origination) is cut off which then makes viññāṇa NOT arising in a new womb.
👉 Hence: One in whom these causes are destroyed → is called apagabbho — free from further birth.
👉 Tathāgatassa kho, sīha… → The Buddha says: “In me, this process has been completely destroyed — there is no more rebirth.”
👉 This is the full attainment of arahantship → the complete and final liberation.
How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
👉 This is the goal of the path: Not merely to be moral, not merely to be wise — But to bring about the end of rebirth.
👉 The process of accomplishing apagabbhatā involves systematically:
1️⃣ Understanding dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda): Carefully contemplate:
With ignorance as condition → formations or preparations or volitions.
With formations → consciousness. and with consciousness → name and form… → leads to birth, aging, and death.
See that breaking the chain at the level of craving and ignorance leads to the end of birth.
2️⃣ Practicing the Noble Eightfold Path:
Right View → understanding the process of rebirth, right Intention → intentions directed toward renunciation, right effort → continuous abandoning of craving, right mindfulness → clearly seeing the arising of craving and its cessation and right concentration → entering the deep absorptions to weaken sensuality and self-view.
3️⃣ Progression of insight:
A. Stream-entry (sotāpatti): Destroys identity view, doubt, and attachment to rites and rituals.
B. Once-returner (sakadāgāmi): Weakens sensual craving and ill will.
C. Non-returner (anāgāmi): Fully abandons sensual craving and ill will.
D. Arahantship: Fully abandons: Craving for existence (bhavataṇhā) and craving for non-existence and all ignorance is removed.
👉 At this point: There is no fuel left for birth and there is no movement toward any future womb. The chain of becoming is cut completely.
4️⃣ Daily Practice:
Constantly observe how craving arises: In sense-contact, in mental proliferation, in subtle clinging to existence and identity and to apply yoniso manasikāra: “This is impermanent, unsatisfactory and is not mine, not I, not my self.”
👉 Develop deep dispassion (virāga) → cessation (nirodha).
5️⃣ The final mark of liberation:
👉 When one is apagabbho, one is completely beyond saṁsāra: No more birth, aging and death whch is Nibbāna.
👉 This is the highest goal the Buddha holds out to disciples.
Summary of this Paragraph:
The Buddha teaches the Dhamma as a path to freedom from rebirth. and declares that in himself, the causes of future womb-birth are fully destroyed and the disciple should train step by step toward this same goal:
Understand dependent origination, cultivate insight, abandon craving, clinging, ignorance and realize Nibbāna — the cessation of birth.
👉 Without this, the Dhamma is incomplete.
👉 With this, the Dhamma leads to ultimate freedom.
8️⃣ Assāsako
Katamo ca, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘assāsako samaṇo gotamo, assāsāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti?
Ahañhi, sīha, assāsako paramena assāsena, assāsāya dhammaṁ desemi, tena ca sāvake vinemi.
Ayaṁ kho, sīha, pariyāyo, yena maṁ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘assāsako samaṇo gotamo, assāsāya dhammaṁ deseti, tena ca sāvake vinetī’ti.
“And what, Sīha, is the method (pariyāyo), by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is a comforter (assāsako); he teaches a Dhamma of comfort, and in that way he trains his disciples’?
It is because, Sīha, I am a comforter with the supreme comfort (paramena assāsena); I teach the Dhamma of comfort, and I train my disciples accordingly.
This, Sīha, is the method, by which someone speaking rightly about me could say:
‘The ascetic Gotama is a comforter; he teaches a Dhamma of comfort, and in that way he trains his disciples.’”
Deeper Explanation:
👉 Now the final term: assāsako → comforter, giver of consolation, bringer of peace.
👉 The Buddha here affirms that his Dhamma is not only a path of: Renunciation, removal of defilements and freedom from rebirth
👉 It is also a path of deep comfort and peace — paramena assāsena — the supreme comfort.
👉 What is parama-assāsa — supreme comfort?
It is: 1️⃣ The peace of Nibbāna — the complete cessation of dukkha: No more grief, fear, craving, birth, aging anddeath.
2️⃣ The peace experienced along the path: The calm of samādhi, blameless conduct, deep insight. and the inner refuge that arises from Dhamma practice.
👉 Thus, the Buddha says: I am a comforter because I teach a Dhamma that leads to this supreme peace, train disciples to experience this peace.
👉 This is the true refuge (saraṇa): Not in external gods or rituals — but in the cooling of the fires of greed, hatred, delusion → the cool peace of Nibbāna.
How One Can Practically Accomplish This Teaching:
1️⃣ Understand the true meaning of comfort in the Dhamma:
Not mere temporary happiness and not sensual pleasure — which leads to more craving.
👉 True comfort = cessation of suffering.
2️⃣ Cultivate peace at every level:
A. Ethical peace (sīla): Keeping pure precepts → blameless joy arises. and the comfort of a pure mind is the first foundation.
B. Meditative peace (samādhi): The comfort of absorption (jhāna): Pleasant abiding here and now, cooling of agitation and establishing the mind in unshakeable peace.
C. Insight peace (vipassanā): The comfort of knowing things as they are, freedom from delusion. and release from grasping.
3️⃣ Moving toward the parama-assāsa → Nibbāna:
Understand that all conditioned things are anicca, dukkha, anattā and letting go of attachment to them and develop dispassion and cessation in order to realize Nibbāna — the unconditioned peace.
4️⃣ How disciples are trained:
👉 The Buddha trains his disciples in such a way that they: Gradually abandon suffering, gain increasing peace of minda nd become islands unto themselves — independent, free.
👉 The final assāsa is the peace of an arahant: “Khiṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ…”
“Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, the task is done — there is no more of this state of being.”
👉 This is perfect comfort — no more fear of death, no more suffering.
Summary of this Paragraph:
The Buddha is not only a remover of defilements or breaker of rebirth — He is also a giver of supreme comfort.
His Dhamma brings peace here and now, and leads ultimately to the unconditioned peace of Nibbāna.
The disciple should practice so that: One experiences ethical comfort, experiences meditative comfort, experiences insight comfort and finally reaches the supreme peace.
👉 Without this supreme comfort, no attainment is complete.
👉 With this supreme comfort, the Buddha’s path is fully fulfilled.
| Term | What it truly means |
|---|---|
| Akiriyavādo | Non-doing of evil |
| Kiriyavādo | Doing of good |
| Ucchedavādo | Destruction of defilements |
| Jegucchī | Disgust toward evil |
| Venayiko | Removal of defilements |
| Tapassī | Burning away unwholesome dhammas |
| Apagabbho | Freedom from future birth |
| Assāsako | Giver of supreme comfort and peace |
As a comparison, let us go over the six samanas or ascetics who were contemporary to Buddha and how it varies with Buddhas view on these eight terms which was used during his time.
🧘♂️ The Six Contemporaries:
Pūraṇa Kassapa
Makkhali Gosāla
Ajita Kesakambalī
Pakudha Kaccāyana
Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta (Mahāvīra)
Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta
| Doctrinal Frame (Sīhasutta) | Meaning (Short) | Pūraṇa Kassapa | Makkhali Gosāla | Ajita Kesakambalī | Pakudha Kaccāyana | Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta | Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akiriyavādo | No karma through action | ✅ Strongly affirmed | ❌ | ✅ Strongly affirmed | ⚠️ Neutral (no causality) | ❌ (karma through action) | ⚠️ Avoids commitment |
| Kiriyavādo | Ethical actions matter | ❌ Denied | ❌ Denied | ❌ Denied | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ Strongly affirmed | ❌ Never committed |
| Ucchedavādo | Annihilation after death | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Affirmed | ❌ | ❌ (Eternal jīva) | ⚠️ Not clearly stated |
| Jegucchī | Disgust toward evil | ❌ Amoral stance | ❌ Everything predestined | ❌ Materialist | ❌ Metaphysical abstraction | ✅ Yes – avoids all harm | ❌ Relativist |
| Venayiko | Removal of defilements | ❌ No purification | ❌ Purity not via self-effort | ❌ No inner growth | ⚠️ Indirectly implied | ✅ Yes (through tapas) | ❌ Avoids position |
| Tapassī | Burning kilesas through austerity | ❌ Denied | ❌ Denied | ❌ Denied | ⚠️ Not emphasized | ✅ Strongly emphasized | ❌ Never practiced |
| Apagabbho | No future rebirth | ❌ Endless saṁsāra | ❌ Rebirth automatic | ✅ Death = end | ⚠️ Elements persist | ❌ Jīva transmigrates | ❌ No view stated |
| Assāsako | Giver of supreme peace | ❌ No final peace | ❌ No effort = no freedom | ❌ Nihilistic | ⚠️ Vague abstraction | ⚠️ Only for extreme ascetics | ❌ Confused uncertainty |
Observations:
✅ Most aligned with Akiriyavāda:
Pūraṇa Kassapa — total rejection of moral consequences of action.
✅ Most aligned with Ucchedavāda:
Ajita Kesakambalī — complete materialist, body = self, death = end.
✅ Most aligned with Tapassī / Jegucchī / Venayiko:
Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta (Mahāvīra) — intense austerity, disgust for defilement, belief in purification through self-effort.
❌ Least aligned with all eight frames:
Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta — radical skeptic, refused to commit to any view.
⚠️ Makkhali Gosāla:
Fatalist; denies kiriyā (moral action), effort, or purification. All beings move by niyati (fate). Possibly closest to predetermined samsāra without personal agency.
⚠️ Pakudha Kaccāyana:
Atomist metaphysician — sees no true action, only interaction of unchangeable elements. No clear ethics or liberation.
Deeper Interpretation:
The Sīhasutta’s 8 frames reflect the Buddha’s middle way:
Avoids nihilism (uccheda)
Avoids eternalism (sassata)
Avoids determinism (niyativāda)
Avoids self-mortification (attakilamathānuyoga)
Avoids indulgence (kāmasukhallikānuyoga)
Thus, Buddha uniquely combines:
Kiriyavāda (ethical causality),
Uccheda of defilements (not self),
Venaya + Tapas (active cultivation), and
Assāsa (peace of Nibbāna)
👉 None of the six contemporaries fully grasp this balance.