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an.5.200 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Leading to Escape

“Five properties lead to escape. Which five?

“There is the case where the mind of a monk, when attending to sensual pleasures, doesn’t leap up at sensual pleasures, doesn’t grow confident, steadfast, or released in sensual pleasures. But when attending to renunciation, his mind leaps up at renunciation, grows confident, steadfast, & released in renunciation. When his mind is rightly-gone, rightly developed, has rightly risen above, gained release, and become disjoined from sensual pleasures, then whatever fermentations, torments, & fevers there are that arise in dependence on sensuality, he is released from them. He does not experience that feeling. This is expounded as the escape from sensual pleasures.

“Furthermore, there is the case where the mind of a monk, when attending to ill will, doesn’t leap up at ill will, doesn’t grow confident, steadfast, or released in ill will. But when attending to non-ill will, his mind leaps up at non-ill will, grows confident, steadfast, & released in non-ill will. When his mind is rightly-gone, rightly developed, has rightly risen above, gained release, and become disjoined from ill will, then whatever fermentations, torments, & fevers there are that arise in dependence on ill will, he is released from them. He does not experience that feeling. This is expounded as the escape from ill will.

“Furthermore, there is the case where the mind of a monk, when attending to harmfulness, doesn’t leap up at harmfulness, doesn’t grow confident, steadfast, or released in harmfulness. But when attending to harmlessness, his mind leaps up at harmlessness, grows confident, steadfast, & released in harmlessness. When his mind is rightly-gone, rightly developed, has rightly risen above, gained release, and become disjoined from harmfulness, then whatever fermentations, torments, & fevers there are that arise in dependence on harmfulness, he is released from them. He does not experience that feeling. This is expounded as the escape from harmfulness.

“Furthermore, there is the case where the mind of a monk, when attending to forms, doesn’t leap up at forms, doesn’t grow confident, steadfast, or released in forms. But when attending to the formless, his mind leaps up at the formless, grows confident, steadfast, & released in the formless. When his mind is rightly-gone, rightly developed, has rightly risen above, gained release, and become disjoined from forms, then whatever fermentations, torments, & fevers there are that arise in dependence on forms, he is released from them. He does not experience that feeling. This is expounded as the escape from forms.

“Furthermore, there is the case where the mind of a monk, when attending to self-identity, doesn’t leap up at self-identity, doesn’t grow confident, steadfast, or released in self-identity. But when attending to the cessation of self-identity, his mind leaps up at the cessation of self-identity, grows confident, steadfast, & released in the cessation of self-identity. When his mind is rightly-gone, rightly developed, has rightly risen above, gained release, and become disjoined from self-identity, then whatever fermentations, torments, & fevers there are that arise in dependence on self-identity, he is released from them. He does not experience that feeling. This is expounded as the escape from self-identity.

“Delight in sensuality does not obsess him. Delight in ill will does not obsess him. Delight in harmfulness does not obsess him. Delight in form does not obsess him. Delight in self-identity does not obsess him. From the lack of any obsession with sensuality, the lack of any obsession with ill will… to harmfulness… to form… to self-identity, he is called a monk without attachment. He has cut through craving, has turned away from the fetter, and by rightly breaking through conceit he has put an end to suffering & stress.

“These are the five properties that lead to escape.”

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

Elements of Escape

“Mendicants, there are these five elements of escape.
What five?
Take a case where a mendicant focuses on sensual pleasures, but their mind isn’t eager, confident, settled, and decided about them.
But when they focus on renunciation, their mind is eager, confident, settled, and decided about it.
Their mind is in a good state, well developed, well risen, well freed, and well detached from sensual pleasures.
They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of sensual pleasures, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling.
This is how the escape from sensual pleasures is explained.
Take another case where a mendicant focuses on ill will, but their mind isn’t eager …
But when they focus on good will, their mind is eager …
Their mind is in a good state … well detached from ill will.
They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of ill will, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling.
This is how the escape from ill will is explained.
Take another case where a mendicant focuses on harming, but their mind isn’t eager …
But when they focus on compassion, their mind is eager …
Their mind is in a good state … well detached from harming.
They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of harming, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling.
This is how the escape from harming is explained.
Take another case where a mendicant focuses on form, but their mind isn’t eager …
But when they focus on the formless, their mind is eager …
Their mind is in a good state … well detached from forms.
They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of form, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling.
This is how the escape from forms is explained.
Take a case where a mendicant focuses on identity, but their mind isn’t eager, confident, settled, and decided about it.
But when they focus on the ending of identity, their mind is eager, confident, settled, and decided about it.
Their mind is in a good state, well developed, well risen, well freed, and well detached from identity.
They’re freed from the distressing and feverish defilements that arise because of identity, so they don’t experience that kind of feeling.
This is how the escape from identity is explained.
Delight in sensual pleasures, ill will, harming, form, and identity don’t linger within them.
That’s why they’re called a mendicant who is without underlying tendencies, who has cut off craving, untied the fetters, and by rightly comprehending conceit has made an end of suffering.
These are the five elements of escape.”