The Buddha teaches how a mendicant develops the seven awakening factors—mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity—depending on and grounded on ethics, relying on seclusion, fading away, and cessation.

SN 46.27 The Cessation of Craving

“Yo, bhikkhave, maggo paṭipadā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattati, taṁ maggaṁ taṁ paṭipadaṁ bhāvetha. Katamo ca, bhikkhave, maggo katamā ca paṭipadā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattati? Yadidaṁ satta bojjhaṅgā. Katame satta? Satisambojjhaṅgo …pe… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo. Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, satta bojjhaṅgā kathaṁ bahulīkatā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattanti?

upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ. Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, satta bojjhaṅgā evaṁ bahulīkatā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattantī”ti.

Sattamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Yo, bhikkhave, maggo paṭipadā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattati, taṁ maggaṁ taṁ paṭipadaṁ bhāvetha.

“Mendicants, you should develop the path and the practice that leads to the cessation of craving.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, maggo katamā ca paṭipadā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattati?

And what is the path and the practice that leads to the cessation of craving?

Yadidaṁ

satta bojjhaṅgā.

It is the seven awakening factors.

Katame satta?

What seven?

Satisambojjhaṅgo …pe… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo.

The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity.

Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, satta bojjhaṅgā kathaṁ bahulīkatā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattanti?

And how are the seven awakening factors developed and cultivated so as to lead to the cessation of craving?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ …pe…

It’s when a mendicant develops the awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion,

upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ.

and equanimity, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go.

Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, satta bojjhaṅgā evaṁ bahulīkatā taṇhānirodhāya saṁvattantī”ti.

This is how the seven awakening factors are developed and cultivated so as to lead to the cessation of craving.”

Sattamaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Craving

Craving

A driving ‘thirst’ that reaches out toward experiences, identities, or outcomes as the place to find satisfaction—“if only I had that.” It spins stories of lack, binds the mind to becoming, and invariably leads to suffering.

Also known as: wanting, yearning, longing, lit. thirst
Pāli: taṇha, abhijjhā
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Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending 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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Equanimity

Equanimity

A state of mental poise and balance, characterized by non-reactivity and composure in the face of agreeable or disagreeable experiences.

Also known as: mental poise, mental balance, equipose, non-reactivity, composure
Pāli: upekkha
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Investigation

Investigation

Investigation involves the process of a careful inquiry of mental states, qualities, and phenomena, examining their arising, persisting, and ceasing in order to understand their true nature and support the cultivation of wisdom and awakening.

Also known as: inquiry, contemplation, examination, analysis, exploration
Pāli: vicaya, vīmaṃsā, parikkhati
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Tranquility

Tranquility

A mental quality of calm and stillness that arises when the body and mind are unburdened by agitation.

Also known as: calmness, peacefulness, serenity
Pāli: passaddhi, santi, upasama, upasanta
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Last updated on July 27, 2026