Revisiting Direct Knowing & Renunciation

[Tep Sastri]

Hello Everyone!

The mind is often defiled by desire-passion (chanda-rāga, abhijjhā, lobha) for the six sense objects.  The mind that has been treated and trained by renunciation is free from all desire-passion.  Renunciation is also known as "freedom from sensual lust" (Nekkhamma).

Nekkhamma is one of the ten perfections (Pāramī)．Nekkhamma saṅkappa: thought free from lust, or thought of renunciation, is one of the 3 kinds of right thought (Sammā-saṅkappa), the 2nd link of the Noble Eightfold Path (magga), its antonym being kāmasaṅkappa: lustful thought．

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[Upakkilesa Samyutta,  SN 27.8, Tanha Sutta:] 

"Monks, any desire & passion with regard to craving for forms is a defilement of the mind. 

[Yo bhikkhave, rūpesu chandarāgo, cittasse'so upakkileso.]

"Any desire & passion with regard to craving for sounds... craving for aromas... craving for flavors... craving for tactile sensations... craving for ideas is a defilement of the mind. 

"When, with regard to these six bases, the defilements of awareness are abandoned,then the mind is inclined to renunciation. [Yato kho bhikkhave, bhikkhuno imesu chasu ṭhānesu cetaso upakkileso pahīno hoti, nekkhammaninnaṃ cassa cittaṃ hoti]

"The mind fostered by renunciation feels malleable for the direct knowing of those qualities worth realizing."  [Nekkhammaparibhāvitaṃ cittaṃ kammaniyaṃ khāyati abhiññā sacchikaraṇiyesu dhammesūti.]

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Best wishes