Giving Up

“Mendicants, there are these three feelings.

What three?

Pleasant, painful, and neutral feeling.

The underlying tendency to greed should be given up when it comes to pleasant feeling. The underlying tendency to aversion should be given up when it comes to painful feeling. The underlying tendency to ignorance should be given up when it comes to neutral feeling. ^[1]

When a mendicant has given up these underlying tendencies, they’re called a mendicant without underlying tendencies, who sees rightly, has cut off craving, cast off the fetters, and by rightly comprehending conceit has made an end of suffering.

When you feel pleasure

without understanding feeling,

the underlying tendency to greed is there,

if you don’t see the escape.

When you feel pain

without understanding feeling,

the underlying tendency to aversion is there,

if you don’t see the escape.

As for that peaceful, neutral feeling:

he of vast wisdom has taught

that if you relish it,

you’re still not released from suffering.

But when a mendicant is keen,

not neglecting situational awareness,

that astute person

understands all feelings.

Completely understanding feelings,

they’re without defilements in this very life.

That knowledge master is firm in principle;

when their body breaks up, they can’t be reckoned.”