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see for yourself, 
and which you don't need to 
enquire from others, 
is the mindfulness to overcome the 
craving that 
attaches the mind to this world. 
Dhotaka: I delight in the Buddha's 
explanation of 
how to overcome defilements. . . 
Buddha: Once knowing that 
craving of the high, 
middle or low level traps beings in 
the world, entertain 
no further craving. 
UpasEva: I find that I have no 
perceptable mental 
Blessing Thirty: Regular 
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Discussion of the Dhamma 341 
state. What mental state can I rely 
upon to bring 
me to liberation from this ocean? 
Buddha: You should take the 
absorption of the 
Sphere of Nothingness 
[AkificaririAyatana-jhAna] 
as the object of your meditation to 
cross the ocean, 
relinquishing sense-pleasure, 
overcoming doubt 
and seeing the end of craving be 
day and by night. 
UpasEva: Do those who cultivate 
the Sphere of 
Nothingness as their object of 
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meditation ever know 
fading out of that state? 
Buddha: There is no fading out 
from the state of 
the Sphere of Nothingness. 
UpasEva: If a person were to pass 
away while in 
the state of meditation on the 
Sphere of Nothingness 
would they stay in that realm or 
would their 
consciousness enter upon Nirvana? 
Buddha: Just as a flame which 
blows out in the 
wind gives no indication of the 
direction in which 
it has gone, those who have gone 
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beyond the body 
and mind constituents 
[nAma-rEpa] will extinguish 
with no further trace without 
further birth. 
UpasEva: Has that person really 
been extinguished 
or are they simply disembodied or 
do they 
become eternal beyond danger? 
Buddha: Those who enter upon 
ParinibbAna have 
no further defilements to cause 
them to be born, 
they will take no further birth. 
Nanda: If a sage [munE] exists in 
the world is he 
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one endowed with the absorptions 
[jhAna] or is it 
the way he earns his living that 
makes him a sage? 
Buddha: One is not called a sage 
because of what 
one has seen, heard or known. I 
say that he who 
frees himself from defilements, 
who has no further 
defilements, who is no longer 
concerned by craving 
can be referred to as a `sage'. 
Nanda: A large number of ascetics 
and brahmins 
claim to have become pure by 
what they have seen 
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or heard, by their discipline, 
torment or methodology 
do some of them really manage 
to overcome 
birth and aging? 
Buddha: I say that those ascetics 
and brahmins cannot 
overcome birth and aging by such 
practices. 
Nanda: If these brahmins and 
ascetics cannot overcome 
birth and aging, who in the human 
or devaworld 
can? 
Buddha: I do not say that is the 
case for all 
brahmins and ascetics are trapped 
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in birth and aging, 
but I say that only those brahmins 
and ascetics 
who can relinquish attachment to 
mental state accompanying 
all what they have seen or heard, 
their 
discipline, torment or 
methodology, knowing the 
harmfulness of craving to the 
extent that they have 
no further defilement, can 
overcome birth and aging. 
Hemaka: In the past I have been 
distracted by 
teachers who have speculated 
about events of the 
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future or the past. All that they 
have done is simply 
lip-service to true practice. I take 
no delight in 
their teachings — what I would 
really like to know 
is the thing that allows one to 
overcome craving? 
Buddha: Whosoever knows that 
Nirvana is what 
can reduce craving and 
contentment with 
pleasureable perceptions, that it is 
not impermanent, 
and knowing this has mindfulness, 
who sees 
the Dhamma and has extinguished 
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the defilements, 
will overcome the craving which 
leads to attachment 
to this world. 
Todeyya: How is the liberation of a 
person who 
has transcended the sensual, who 
has no more craving 
and who has overcome all doubt? 
Buddha: The liberation of such a 
person will be 
unalterable. 
Todeyya: Has such a person really 
overcome craving, 
possessed of true wisdom 
or 
have they just 
altered their wisdom to change the 
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perception of 
craving or Right View in the 
mind? 
Buddha: That person really has no 
further craving 
and has achieved true wisdom — it 
is not just 
wisdom to change the perception 
of craving. 
Kappa: What virtue can be a 
refuge to those amidst 
the suffering of aging and death in 
the same way 
that an island can be refuge to 
someone cast adrift 
in a sea of terrifying waves? 
Buddha: Nirvana, which is free of 
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defilements and 
concerns, free of craving and 
attachments, which is 
beyond aging and death is as an 
island refuge. 
Those who know Nirvana can be 
said to be endowed 
with mindfulness, have seen the 
Dhamma, 
extinguished the defilements and 
are longer under 
the power of the MAras, and no 
longer walk the 
path of the MAras. 
JatukaAAE: As one who has 
overcome defile342 
A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
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towards Enlightened Living 
ments and sensuality, may I know 
what is the virtue 
that allows one to overcome birth 
and aging in 
this very life? 
Buddha: If you can put an end to 
obsession with 
sensual pleasure, seeing the end of 
sense indulgence 
and concern with attachments, 
craving and views 
no longer ingrained in your mind, 
putting an end 
to any concern you ever had in 
your mind — not 
entertaining such concerns at heart, 
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your mind will 
be tranquil and the defilements 
which allow the 
MAra of death power over you 
will no longer exist. 
BhadrAvudha: What virtue can be 
of use to those 
who have come from afar to hear 
the Dhamma of 
the Buddha? 
Buddha: Those people should 
remove craving 
from themselves completely, 
because wherever 
craving causes people to attach to 
things or to the 
world the MAras will be able to 
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interfere 
knowing 
and seeing how beings become 
entrapped in 
the cycle (of existence), monks 
should cultivate 
mindfulness and not attach or have 
concern for 
anything in the world. 
Udaya: What is the liberating 
virtue to be known 
which can destroy ignorance and 
un-enlightenedness? 
Buddha: I say that the virtue to 
overcome the Five 
Hindrances, equanimity and 
mindfulness are the 
pure virtues which lead to 
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liberation and destroying 
of ignorance. 
Udaya: What binds one to the 
world — what is 
the release from the world — and 
relinquishing 
what is Nirvana attained? 
Buddha: Distractedness binds one 
to the world. 
The world can be escaped by 
mindfulness. By relinquishing 
craving is Nirvana attained. 
Udaya: What sort of mindfulness 
leads to the extinguishing 
of consciousness? 
Buddha: When one is not 
distracted by the inner 
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and outer feelings [vedanA], 
together with 
mindfulness can the consciousness 
be extinguished. 
PosAla: How should a person who 
has already 
clearly attained the form 
(absorptions) seeing inside 
and outside that nothing remains 
(attaining the 
Sphere of Nothingness) practise 
further? 
Buddha: He should investigate 
further in the phenomena 
arising together with that state of 
mind to 
attain the full absorption, in order 
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to bring the 
Brahma-faring to completion. 
MokharAja: How does the Buddha 
see the world 
(including the Brahma-world and 
deva-world) that 
death cannot see it? 
Buddha: The world must be seen 
with mindfulness, 
seeing the world as empty for 
death to be 
escaped. 
PiIgiya: I am old and afflicted by 
loss of strength, 
wrinkled skin, poor eyesight and 
hardness of hearing 
— what is the device for 
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overcoming birth and 
aging in this very life? 
Buddha: Having seen that others 
are reckless, suffering 
by their attachment to beauty —
you must 
not be reckless nor attached to 
beauty in order to 
take no further birth. 
PiIgiya: I have never known any of 
the ten directions 
— may the Buddha inform me of 
the virtue 
for release from birth and aging in 
this very life. 
Buddha: Having seen how living 
beings are caught 
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up in craving and their consequent 
suffering — assailed 
on all sides by aging — you should 
not be 
reckless, relinquishing craving in 
order to take no 
further birth. 
At the end of the discussion, all 
BAvarE's disciples 
and the 16,000 followers who they 
had gathered 
during their journey became 
arahants, except 
for PiIgiya who became a 
non-returner [anagAmi] 
because he was thinking of 
BAvarE as the Buddha 
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preached. PiIgiya took leave of the 
Buddha and 
returned to BAvarE to whom he 
recounted these 
events. At the end of his recital, 
the Buddha appeared 
before them in a ray of glory and 
preached  
to them. PiIgiya thereupon became 
an arahant and 
BAvarE a non-returner. 
E.6 Ex. How not to conduct a 
Dhamma Discussion! 
There were once a father and a son 
who were 
having a drink while they 
discussed the 
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