2026-04-15

AN 10.107 Dhovanasutta

Atthi, bhikkhave, dakkhiṇesu janapadesu dhovanaṁ nāma. Tattha hoti annampi pānampi khajjampi
bhojjampi leyyampi peyyampi naccampi gītampi vāditampi.

Atthetaṁ, bhikkhave, dhovanaṁ; 'netaṁ natthī'ti vadāmi. Tañca kho etaṁ, bhikkhave, dhovanaṁ
hīnaṁ gammaṁ pothujjanikaṁ anariyaṁ anatthasaṁhitaṁ na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya
na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati.

Ahañca kho, bhikkhave, ariyaṁ dhovanaṁ desessāmi, yaṁ dhovanaṁ ekantanibbidāya ... saṁvattati, yaṁ dhovanaṁ āgamma jāti- jarā- maraṇadhammā sattā maraṇena parimuccanti. ... Katamañca taṁ, bhikkhave, ariyaṁ dhovanaṁ ... ?

Sammādiṭṭhikassa, bhikkhave, micchādiṭṭhi niddhotā hoti;
ye ca micchādiṭṭhipaccayā aneke pāpakā akusalā dhammā sambhavanti te cassa niddhotā
honti; sammādiṭṭhipaccayā ca aneke kusalā dhammā bhāvanāpāripūriṁ gacchanti.

Sammāsaṅkappassa, bhikkhave, micchāsaṅkappo niddhoto hoti ... sammāsatissa, bhikkhave, micchāsati niddhotā hoti ..
sammāsamādhissa, bhikkhave, micchāsamādhi niddhoto hoti ... Sammāñāṇissa, bhikkhave, micchāñāṇaṁ niddhotaṁ hoti ... Sammāvimuttissa, bhikkhave, micchāvimutti niddhotā hoti; ye ca micchāvimuttipaccayā aneke pāpakā akusalā dhammā sambhavanti te cassa niddhotā honti; sammāvimuttipaccayā ca aneke kusalā dhammā bhāvanāpāripūriṁ gacchanti. Idaṁ kho taṁ, bhikkhave, ariyaṁ dhovanaṁ.

sammā-ñāṇa, sammā-vimutti:

(MN 117) Sammādiṭṭhissa, bhikkhave, sammāsaṅkappo pahoti ... sammāsamādhissa sammāñāṇaṁ pahoti, sammāñāṇassa sammāvimutti pahoti. Iti kho, bhikkhave, aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgato sekkho, dasaṅgasamannāgato arahā hoti.

(Aj Thanissaro) In one of right view, right resolve comes into being. ... In one of right concentration, right knowledge comes into being. In one of right knowledge, right release comes into being. Thus the learner is endowed with eight factors, and the arahant with ten.

Commentary

Sattame dhovananti aṭṭhidhovanaṁ. Tasmiñhi janapade manussā ñātake mate na jhāpenti, āvāṭaṁ pana khaṇitvā bhūmiyaṁ nidahanti. Atha nesaṁ pūtibhūtānaṁ aṭṭhīni nīharitvā dhovitvā paṭipāṭiyā ussāpetvā gandhamālehi pūjetvā ṭhapenti. Nakkhatte patte tāni aṭṭhīni gahetvā rodanti paridevanti, tato nakkhattaṁ kīḷanti.

In the seventh (sutta), 'washing' is 'bone-washing'. In that region, the people do not cremate their deceased relatives, but rather dig a pit and inter them in the ground. Then, after the bodies have decomposed, they remove the bones, wash them, arrange them in order, honor them with fragrant garlands, and set them in place. When the auspicious occasion arrives, they take up those bones, weep and lament, and then celebrate the festival. (Claude AI)

Bone washing rituals are practiced in various cultures, including the Toraja people of Indonesia, who exhume and clean their deceased relatives every three years as part of the Ma'Nene ceremony. Similar practices are also found among certain communities in southern India and among the Cantonese in East Asia, where bones are collected and cleaned after a period of burial.

Snp 4.3 Duṭṭhaṭṭhakasutta

Dhonassa hi natthi kuhiñci loke, Pakappitā diṭṭhi bhavābhavesu;
Māyañca mānañca pahāya dhono, Sa kena gaccheyya anūpayo so.

Upayo hi dhammesu upeti vādaṁ, Anūpayaṁ kena kathaṁ vadeyya;
Attā nirattā na hi tassa atthi, Adhosi so diṭṭhimidheva sabbanti.

Mahāniddesa 3

(The Mahāniddesa, the first part of the Niddesa of the Khuddaka Nikāya, is a commentary, attributed to Ven. Sāriputta, on the Aṭṭhakavagga of the Sutta Nipāta.)

Dhonā vuccati paññā ... Kiṅkāraṇā dhonā vuccati paññā? Tāya paññāya kāyaduccaritaṁ dhutañca dhotañca
sandhotañca niddhotañca; vacīduccaritaṁ ... manoduccaritaṁ dhutañca ... sabbe kilesā, sabbe duccaritā,
sabbe darathā, sabbe pariḷāhā, sabbe santāpā, sabbākusalābhisaṅkhārā dhutā ...
Atha vā sammādiṭṭhiyā micchādiṭṭhi dhutā ...

Mānoti ekavidhena māno -- yā cittassa unnati. Duvidhena māno -- attukkaṁsanamāno, paravambhanamāno.
Tividhena ... Yo evarūpo māno maññanā maññitattaṁ unnati unnāmo dhajo sampaggāho ketukamyatā
cittassa -- ayaṁ vuccati māno. Māyañca mānañca pahāya dhono'ti.

Ways of conceit

Conceit in one way --- conceit is the exaltation of the mind.

In two ways --- conceit of self-exaltation, and conceit of disparaging others.

In three ways --- the conceit "I am superior," the conceit "I am equal," and the conceit "I am inferior."

In four ways --- one generates conceit through gain, through fame, through praise, and through pleasure.

In five ways --- one generates conceit thinking "I obtain agreeable forms," "I obtain agreeable sounds ... odors ... tastes ... tactile objects."

In six ways --- one generates conceit through the endowment of the eye, through the endowment of the ear ... of the nose ... of the tongue ... of the body ... of the mind.

In seven ways --- conceit (māna), excessive conceit (atimāna), conceit upon conceit (mānātimāna), self-deprecating conceit (omāna), overestimating conceit (adhimāna), the conceit "I am" (asmimāna), and wrong conceit (micchāmāna).

In eight ways --- one generates conceit through gain, self-deprecating conceit through loss; conceit through fame, self-deprecating conceit through disgrace; conceit through praise, self-deprecating conceit through blame; conceit through pleasure, self-deprecating conceit through pain.

In nine ways --- toward one who is superior, the conceit "I am superior," "I am equal," or "I am inferior"; toward one who is equal, the conceit "I am superior," "I am equal," or "I am inferior"; toward one who is inferior, the conceit "I am superior," "I am equal," or "I am inferior."

In ten ways --- here someone generates conceit on account of birth, clan, status as a son of a good family, beauty of complexion, wealth, learning, sphere of work, sphere of craft, field of knowledge, scriptural learning, quick-wittedness, or on account of some other basis.

Whatever such conceit, conceiving, the state of having conceived, exaltation, haughtiness, the holding up of a flag, the desire for a banner of the mind --- this is called conceit.

"Having abandoned deceit and conceit, the Purified One" --- the Purified One, having abandoned, having given up, having removed, having made an end of, having brought to non-existence deceit and conceit --- this is the meaning of "having abandoned deceit and conceit, the Purified One."

(Claude AI)

Snp 4.6 Jarāsutta

Udabindu yathāpi pokkhare, Padume vāri yathā na limpati;
Evaṁ muni nopalimpati, Yadidaṁ diṭṭhasutaṁ mutesu vā.

Dhono na hi tena maññati, Yadidaṁ diṭṭhasutaṁ mutesu vā;
Nāññena visuddhimicchati, Na hi so rajjati no virajjatīti.

Mahāniddesa 6

Nāññena visuddhimicchatīti. Dhono aññena asuddhimaggena micchāpaṭipadāya aniyyānikapathena aññatra satipaṭṭhānehi aññatra sammappadhānehi aññatra iddhipādehi aññatra indriyehi aññatra balehi aññatra bojjhaṅgehi aññatra ariyā aṭṭhaṅgikā maggā suddhiṁ visuddhiṁ parisuddhiṁ muttiṁ vimuttiṁ parimuttiṁ na icchati na sādiyati na pattheti na piheti nābhijappatīti -- nāññena visuddhimicchati.