an.4.14 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Restraint

“Bhikkhus, there are these four strivings. What four? Striving by restraint, striving by abandonment, striving by development, and striving by protection.

(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is striving by restraint? Here, having seen a form with the eye, a bhikkhu does not grasp its marks and features. Since, if he left the eye faculty unrestrained, bad unwholesome states of longing and dejection might invade him, he practices restraint over it, he guards the eye faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the eye faculty. Having heard a sound with the ear … Having smelled an odor with the nose … Having tasted a taste with the tongue … Having felt a tactile object with the body … Having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, a bhikkhu does not grasp its marks and features. Since, if he left the mind faculty unrestrained, bad unwholesome states of longing and dejection might invade him, he practices restraint over it, he guards the mind faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the mind faculty. This is called striving by restraint.

(2) “And what is striving by abandonment? Here, a bhikkhu does not tolerate an arisen sensual thought; he abandons it, dispels it, terminates it, and obliterates it. He does not tolerate an arisen thought of ill will … an arisen thought of harming … bad unwholesome states whenever they arise; he abandons them, dispels them, terminates them, and obliterates them. This is called striving by abandonment.

(3) “And what is striving by development? Here, a bhikkhu develops the enlightenment factor of mindfulness, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. He develops the enlightenment factor of discrimination of phenomena … the enlightenment factor of energy … the enlightenment factor of rapture … the enlightenment factor of tranquility … the enlightenment factor of concentration … the enlightenment factor of equanimity, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. This is called striving by development.

(4) “And what is striving by protection? Here, a bhikkhu protects an arisen excellent object of concentration: the perception of a skeleton, the perception of a worm-infested corpse, the perception of a livid corpse, the perception of a festering corpse, the perception of a fissured corpse, the perception of a bloated corpse. This is called striving by protection.

“These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of striving.”

Restraint and abandonment,
development and protection:
these four strivings were taught
by the Kinsman of the Sun.
By these means an ardent bhikkhu here
can attain the destruction of suffering.

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

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Restraint

“Mendicants, there are these four efforts.
What four?
The efforts to restrain, to give up, to develop, and to preserve.
And what, mendicants, is the effort to restrain?
When a mendicant sees a sight with their eyes, they don’t get caught up in the features and details.
If the faculty of sight were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of desire and aversion would become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty of sight, and achieving its restraint.
When they hear a sound with their ears …
When they smell an odor with their nose …
When they taste a flavor with their tongue …
When they feel a touch with their body …
When they know a thought with their mind, they don’t get caught up in the features and details.
If the faculty of mind were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of desire and aversion would become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty of mind, and achieving its restraint.
This is called the effort to restrain.
And what, mendicants, is the effort to give up?
It’s when a mendicant doesn’t tolerate a sensual,
malicious,
or cruel thought that’s arisen, but gives it up, gets rid of it, eliminates it, and obliterates it.
They don’t tolerate any bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen, but give them up, get rid of them, eliminate them, and obliterate them.
This is called the effort to give up.
And what, mendicants, is the effort to develop?
It’s when a mendicant develops the awakening factors of mindfulness,
investigation of principles,
energy,
rapture,
tranquility,
immersion,
and equanimity, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go.
This is called the effort to develop.
And what, mendicants, is the effort to preserve?
It’s when a mendicant preserves a meditation subject that’s a fine foundation of immersion: the perception of a skeleton, a worm-infested corpse, a livid corpse, a split open corpse, or a bloated corpse.
This is called the effort to preserve.
These are the four efforts.
Restraint and giving up,
development and preservation:
these are the four efforts
taught by the kinsman of the Sun.
Any mendicant who keenly applies these
may attain the ending of suffering.”