Part 9: Sermon on the āsravas

When he had completed this hymn of praise, Vāsava became silent, and the Blessed One, Suvidhi Svāmin, delivered a sermon.

“Certainly this existence is the depository of a burden of endless pain, and its source is āsrava, as a snake is the source of poison. Since people’s actions of mind, speech, and body, activities, karma good and bad, flow, they are called āsravas (channels). The mind dwelling on friendliness, etc.,^[1] begets karma of a pure nature; but subjected to passions and sense-objects produces impure. Truthful speech based on knowledge of the scriptures produces good karma; the reverse (falsehood) must be recognized as a source of bad. A person accumulates good by a well-controlled body; but bad by a body engaged in continual, undertakings that cause destruction to life. Passions, sense-objects, activities, negligence, and lack of self-control, wrong belief, painful and cruel meditation—these are causes of bad karma. Whatever is the source of collecting karmic matter, that is called āsrava; and karmas are eight with the divisions, knowledge-obscuring, etc. Whatever obstruction, contradiction, slander, destruction, injury^[1] and envy there are of knowledge and belief, and also of their sources, these are āsravas of knowledge- and belief-obscuring karma.

Worship of the gods, attendance on gurus, gifts to suitable persons, compassion, forbearance, control of passion, partial control, involuntary destruction of karma, purity, and penance without right knowledge are āsravas of good-feeling karma. Pain, sorrow, injury, torment, bewailing, and lamentation, (whether) present in one’s self, another or both, are āsravas of bad-feeling karma.

Slander of ascetics, the scriptures, the congregation, dharma, and of all gods,^[2] thought-activity of intense wrong-belief, denial of the omniscient (Tīrthaṅkaras), of the siddhas, and of gods, injury to a righteous man, teaching of a wrong path, inclination for worthless things, showing honor to persons lacking in self-control, unconsidered action, and disrespect to gurus, etc., are called āsravas of right-belief-deluding karma. Strong thought-activity of the soul from the rising of passions is called the āsrava of right-conduct-deluding karma.

Derision, mockery with lust, proneness to laughter, much talk, and talk about wretchedness are āsravas of laughter. Desire to see countries, etc., various pleasures and sports, and attracting another’s mind are called āsravas of indulgence. Envy, proneness to evil, destruction of others’ pleasure, and inciting to wrong-doing are āsravas of dissatisfaction. Though-activity of fear itself and making others afraid, terrifying, pitilessness, these are the āsravas of fear. Making public others’ sorrow, the rising up of one’s own sorrow, grieving, and indulgence in crying, etc., are āsravas of sorrow. Slander and censure of the fourfold congregation, and disgust with good conduct are āsravas of disgust. Jealousy, greediness for sense-objects, falsehood, excessive deceit, and devotion to enjoyment of other men’s wives are āsravas of feminine inclination. Contentment with one’s wife only, lack of jealousy, slight passions, and proneness to upright conduct are the āsravas of masculine inclination. Dove service to men and women, strong passions, intense desire, breaking of vows with heretics and women are āsravas of common-sex inclination.

Criticism of sādhus, placing obstacles in the way of people whose faces are turned to dharma, praise of the lack of control of people indulging freely in flesh and wine, frequently obstructing people who have partial self-control, describing the virtues of bad conduct and disparagement of good conduct, and the recital of passions and slight passions existing in others are āsravas of good-conduct-deluding karmas in general.

Injury to five-sensed beings, many undertakings and possessions, lack of kindness, flesh-eating, resolute hostility, cruel meditation, false-belief, the worst degree of passions, black, dark blue, and gray soul-colors, falsehood, theft, frequent.sexual indulgence, and unrestrained senses are āsravas of hell-age karma. Teaching of the wrong path, destruction of the right path, thinking of secret things, painful meditation,^[3] grief, deceit, undertakings and possessions, dark blue and gray soul-color,^[4] good conduct and vows with transgressions,^[5] and partial-vow-suppressing passions are āsravas of animal-age karma.

Few undertakings and possessions, innate humility and sincerity, gray and yellow soul-colors, devotion to pious meditation, total-vow-suppressing passions, moderate thought-activity, hospitality,^[6] worship of gods and gurus, speaking a greeting first, pleasant speech, assertion of pleasant things, and indifference to worldly affairs are āsravas of human-age karma. Restraint of love, partial-control, involuntary destruction of karma, association with virtuous friends, the custom of listening to dharma, liberality to suitable persons, penance, faith, non-injury to the three-jewels, thought-activity of rose and yellow soul-colors at the time of death, austerities without right-knowledge, self-mortification of fire and water, etc., and hanging, and indistinct tranquillity are āsravas of god-age karma.

Crookedness of mind, speech, body, deception of others, employment of deceit, false belief, slander, fickle-mindedness, debasing gold, etc., bearing false witness, causing changes in color, odor, flavor, touch, etc., destruction of body and limbs, work on machines and cages, work on false measures and weights, blame of others and self-praise, injury, lying, theft, unchastity, great undertakings and possessions, harsh and vulgar speech, pride from clean clothes, etc., garrulity, abuse, destruction of happiness, use of magic, production of curiosity on part of others by jokes and mockery, the giving of ornaments, etc. to courtesans, etc., the lighting of a forest-fire, the theft of perfume, etc. in disguise of a god, etc., sharp passions, destruction of shrines, rest-houses, groves and statues, and the making of charcoal, etc. are channels of bad bodymaking karma. The reverse of these things, and fear of sarhsāra, destruction of carelessness, acquisition of good character, forbearance, etc., respect and making welcome of religious men at sight are āsravas of good body-making karma.

Devotion to Arhats, siddhas, gurus, elders, very learned people, the sect, scriptural knowledge, ascetics, lack of negligence in daily duties, and in practice of the vows, reverence, practice in knowledge, penance, renunciation, frequent meditation, promulgation of doctrine, production of tranquillity in the church, service to sādhus, gaining of new knowledge, and purity of belief are āsravas of bodymaking karma of Tīrthakṛts. These twenty were possessed by the first and last Tīrthanāthas; one, two or three, or all by the other Jineśvaras.^[7]

Blame, contempt and ridicule, omitting existing merits, relating existing and non-existing faults of other people, praise of one’s self, telling one’s own existing and nonexisting merits, concealing one’s own faults, and pride in birth, etc. are āsravas of low-birth karma. The āsravas of high-birth karma are the opposite of those for low-birth karma, and absence of pride, reverence in speech, body, and mind.

Obstruction, either with or without trickery, in giving, receiving, power, enjoyment, and repeated enjoyment are āsravas of obstructive karma.

This boundless ocean of existence which arises from āsravas as described above must be crossed by the wise man by the boat of mendicancy.”

By that sermon of the Lord many were awakened, like night-blooming lotuses by the light of the moon, and took initiation by thousands. The Lord had eighty-eight gaṇabhṛts, Varāha, etc., and at the end of the (Lord’s) sermon, Varāha delivered a sermon. At the end of the gaṇabhṛt’s sermon gods and asuras went to their respective places, making an eight-day festival in Nandīśvara.