Āsava is a
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...
term (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...
: Āsrava) that is used in Buddhist scripture, philosophy, and psychology, meaning "influx, canker." It refers to the mental defilements of sensual pleasures, craving for existence, and ignorance, which perpetuate ''
samsara'', the beginningless cycle of rebirth, ''
dukkha'', and dying again.
''Asavas'' are also translated as "karmic predilections" and "karmic propensities" in Buddhism.
The term is also common in Jainism literature, and sometimes appears equivalently as ''Asrava'' or ''Anhaya''.
However, Buddhism rejects the karma and asava theories of Jainism, and presents a different version instead.
Etymology
According to
Bhikkhu Bodhi
Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944), born Jeffrey Block, is an American Theravada Buddhist monk, ordained in Sri Lanka and currently teaching in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publicat ...
,
Ajahn Sucitto
Ajahn Sucitto (Bhikkhu Sucitto, born 4 November 1949) is a British-born Theravada Buddhist monk (''Ajahn'' is the Thai rendition of ''ācārya'', the Sanskrit word for 'spiritual teacher'). He was, between 1992 and 2014, the abbot of ''Cittav ...
in his book 'Kamma and the end of Kamma' describes asavas as "underlying biases" (that fabricate things, emotions, sensations, and responses), which condition grasping through which samsara operates.
Meaning
Samsara
The āsavas are mental defilements that perpetuate ''samsara'', the beginningless cycle of rebirth, ''dukkha'', and dying again. Carr and Mahalingam:
Bikkhu Bodhi:
De Silva further explains:
The word canker suggests something that corrodes or corrupts slowly. These figurative meanings perhaps describe facets of the concept of ''āsava'': kept long in storage, oozing out, taint, corroding, etc.
Number of ''āsavas''
Some Pali canons mention three ''āsava'' that sustain karmic flow. These three mentioned in the Nikāyas are "karmic propensities for sensual pleasures (''kāmāsava''), karmic propensities for existence (''bhavāsava''), and karmic propensities for ignorance (''avijjāsava'')".
Other Pali texts mention four ''āsava'', adding ''diṭṭhāsava'' or "karmic propensities for a viewpoint or perspective".
In either case, these texts assert that the complete destruction of all these asavas is synonymous with complete Awakening.
Liberation
According to Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25), "Freedom from the 'Āsavas' constitutes
Arahantship
In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...
." According to Bhikkhu Bodhi,
Textual appearance
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...
, in
his translation of the Dhammapada, notes that the word "asava" appears in the ''
Dhammapada
The Dhammapada (Pāli; sa, धर्मपद, Dharmapada) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka ...
'' in verses 93, 226, 253, 292, and 293. Verse 226 (chapter 17, verse 6) has been translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita as follows:
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
and {{IAST, Āsava Surendranath Dasgupta, 1940
Buddhist philosophical concepts