14. The Four Right Strivings (ARV14)

Herein, monastics, what are the four right strivings?

Here, monastics, a monastic regarding bad and unwholesome thoughts that have arisen, generates desire for their abandoning, he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and strives rightly.

Regarding bad and unwholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen, he generates desire for their non-arising, he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and strives rightly.

He generates desire for the arising of wholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen, he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and strives rightly.

Regarding wholesome thoughts that have arisen he generates desire for their endurance, persistence, non-abandoning, multiplication, extension, development, and fulfilment, he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and strives rightly.

These, monastics, are the four right strivings.

Translated by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu, 2016

Based on the edition by Prof. N. H. Samtani in The Arthaviniścaya-sūtra & its commentary (Nibandhana) (Patna, 1971), updated to include the corrections he printed in that work on pp. 180–181, most of which were also printed in his translation of the same, Gathering the Meanings (Berkeley, 2002), on pp. 309–310.

Original translation with comments to be found at http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.