On the Five Modes of Abandoning (Pahāna)
In the phrase “pajahatha” (“you should abandon”), five kinds of pahāna are intended:
- Tadaṅga-pahāna – abandonment by the opposite factor
- Vikkhambhana-pahāna – abandonment by suppression
- Samuccheda-pahāna – abandonment by cutting off
- Paṭipassaddhi-pahāna – abandonment by pacification
- Nissaraṇa-pahāna – abandonment by complete release
1. Tadaṅga-pahāna (abandoning by its opposite factor)
This refers to abandoning greed by non-greed, abandoning unwholesome qualities by insight-knowledge (vipassanā-ñāṇa)—especially by discerning nāma-rūpa—because they oppose the defilements, just as light dispels darkness.
Examples include:
- abandoning defilements such as greed by generosity
- abandoning misconduct (e.g., killing) by virtue
- abandoning lack of faith by cultivating faith
- abandoning sakkāya-diṭṭhi by discerning nāma-rūpa
- abandoning uncaused or miscaused views by discerning conditionality
- abandoning doubt by crossing over other forms of doubt
- abandoning “I” and “mine” by seeing phenomena as mere aggregates (kalāpa)
- abandoning taking the non-path to be the path by discerning path and not-path
- abandoning annihilation-view by seeing arising
- abandoning eternalist-view by seeing decay
- abandoning misperception of danger as non-danger by seeing danger
- abandoning delight by seeing faults
- abandoning fascination by contemplating disenchantment
- abandoning the “unwillingness to be free” by knowledge producing the desire for release
- abandoning non-equanimity by upekkhā-ñāṇa
- abandoning “fixing in conditioned existence” by conformity-knowledge (anuloma)
- abandoning contrariness to Nibbāna by the attainment of Nibbāna
- abandoning the sign of conditioned formations by the change-of-lineage (gotrabhū)
This type of abandoning—by the opposite factor—is called Tadaṅga-pahāna, i.e., temporary abandoning.
2. Vikkhambhana-pahāna (abandoning by suppression)
This refers to suppressing defilements such as the hindrances by upacāra-samādhi and appanā-samādhi, just as weeds are submerged by pouring a pot of water over them, preventing their rising.
Hence it is abandoning by restraint or suppression.
3. Samuccheda-pahāna (abandoning by cutting off)
This is the complete cutting off of defilements—the side that produces craving. Stated in the canonical formula such as:
Because the Four Noble Paths are developed, the defilements in that person’s continuum are abandoned by that Path.
This is the abandonment achieved by the Four Noble Paths. It is eradication.
4. Paṭipassaddhi-pahāna (abandoning by pacification)
This is the pacification of the defilements at the moment of fruition (phala-samāpatti). At the Fruit-moment, defilements become utterly tranquil.
5. Nissaraṇa-pahāna (abandoning by escape)
This refers to the abandonment that is the escape from all conditioned constructions (saṅkhāra) by having entirely cast them off—i.e., Nibbāna as the final release.
Meaning in this Sutta
In this context, Samuccheda-pahāna is intended—abandoning that results in becoming a Non-returner (Anāgāmī) by abandoning the five lower fetters.
Thus, “pajahatha” means: “You should abandon—cut off, sever, and eliminate.”
Short Pāli Glossary (concise · intensive)
pahāna — abandonment; removal of a defilement tadaṅga-pahāna — abandoning by the opposite quality; temporary removal through insight or opposing factors vikkhambhana-pahāna — suppression by concentration (samādhi) samuccheda-pahāna — radical eradication at the Noble Path paṭipassaddhi-pahāna — pacification at the Fruition-moment nissaraṇa-pahāna — complete escape in Nibbāna vipassanā-ñāṇa — insight-knowledge nāma-rūpa — mentality-and-materiality anuloma-ñāṇa — conformity knowledge leading to Path gotrabhū-ñāṇa — change-of-lineage knowledge saṅkhāra-nimitta — the sign/mark of conditioned formations anāgāmī — non-returner sakkāya-diṭṭhi — personality-view nīvaraṇa — hindrances appanā / upacāra-samādhi — absorption / access concentration