Perceiving escape View in explorer

7 discourses
The contemplative perception that recognizes the way out of bondage after understanding gratification and danger, seeing cessation of a dissatisfactory experience as its true escape.
Also known as: observing the release, seeing the way out, contemplating the remedy, recognizing the way leading beyond suffering
Pāli: nissaraṇānupassī, nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti
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Perceiving drawback

Perceiving drawback

The contemplative perception that discerns the danger, inadequacy, and unsatisfactoriness of conditioned pleasures, leading the mind to turn away from clinging.

Also known as: observing the disadvantage, contemplating the unsatisfactoriness
Pāli: ādīnavānupassī
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Discernment

Discernment

Clear seeing that distinguishes what is wholesome from unwholesome, true from false.

Also known as: ability to make out distinctions, ability to discriminate, distinguish, clear seeing, penetrating internal vision
Pāli: viveka, vipassanā, nipaka, niccheyya
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Leads to
Giving up

Giving up

The mental quality of renunciation and release from attachment. It delights in simplicity and freedom rather than in sensual pleasure. Giving up is not loss but the joyful abandoning of burden, opening the way to peace and insight.

Also known as: renunciation, relinquishment, letting go, abandonment
Pāli: nekkhamma
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Formless

Formless

A meditative domain that transcends all perception of material form, progressing through the bases of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither-perception-nor-non-perception. These states represent refined levels of collectedness beyond attachment to physical phenomena.

Also known as: immaterial, surpassing forms
Pāli: arūpa
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Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and cessation of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Opposite
Perceiving gratification

Perceiving gratification

The contemplative perception that focuses on the attractive or pleasurable aspect of experience, fueling delight and attachment to sense pleasures.

Also known as: following pleasure, seeing enjoyment, sign of beautiful
Pāli: assādānupassī
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The Buddha describes the three elements of escape - renunciation, formless element and cessation.

Beings are infatuated with the four great elements because of the gratification found in them, become disenchanted with them because of the drawbacks found in them, and escape from them because there is an escape.

Only after fully understanding the gratification, drawback, and escape in the case of form, felt experience, perception, intentional constructs, and consciousness, the Buddha declared that he had attained the unsurpassed perfect awakening.

The Buddha describes how beings only become disenchanted with and escape from the five aggregates only when they have directly known their gratification, drawback, and escape as they truly are.

Before his awakening, the Bodhisatta reflected on the gratification in the world, the drawback in the world, and the escape from it.

The Buddha describes his quest for gratification in the world, drawback in the world, and the escape from it. He subsequently experientially realized gratification, drawback, and escape as they truly are, leading to his unshakable liberation.

Beings are infatuated with the world because of the gratification found in it, become disenchanted with it because of the drawback, and escape from it because there is an escape.