Elements of Extinguishment (ITI44)

So It Was Said 44

The Book of the Twos

Chapter Two

Elements of Extinguishment

This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

“There are, mendicants, these two elements of extinguishment.

What two?

The element of extinguishment with residue, and the element of extinguishment with no residue.

And what is the element of extinguishment with residue?

It’s when a mendicant is a perfected one, with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment.

Their five sense faculties still remain. So long as their senses have not gone they continue to experience the agreeable and disagreeable, to feel pleasure and pain.

The ending of greed, hate, and delusion in them

is called the element of extinguishment with residue.

And what is the element of extinguishment with no residue?

It’s when a mendicant is a perfected one, with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment.

For them, everything that’s felt, being no longer relished, will become cool right here.

This is called the element of extinguishment with no residue.

These are the two elements of extinguishment.”

The Buddha spoke this matter.

On this it is said:

“These two elements of extinguishment have been revealed

by the Clear-eyed One, the unattached, the unaffected.

One element pertains to this life—

that with residue though the leash to existence has ended;

and that with no residue, which pertains to what follows this life,

where all states of existence cease.

Those who have fully understood the unconditioned state—

their minds freed, the leash to existence ended—

attained to the heart of the Dhamma, they delight in ending,

the unaffected ones have given up all states of existence.”

This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.