The Buddha teaches a repeated simile of great rivers slanting, sloping, and inclining to the east or ocean, showing how a mendicant who develops the seven awakening factors likewise inclines to extinguishment, applied across each river in this grouped discourse.

SN 46.77-88 The Ganges River, Etc.

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gaṅgā nadī pācīnaninnā pācīnapoṇā pācīnapabbhārā; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satta bojjhaṅge bhāvento satta bojjhaṅge bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satta bojjhaṅge bhāvento satta bojjhaṅge bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti …pe… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satta bojjhaṅge bhāvento satta bojjhaṅge bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro”ti.

(Yāva esanā pāḷi vitthāretabbā.)

Gaṅgāpeyyālavaggo navamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Cha pācīnato ninnā,
cha ninnā ca samuddato;
Dvete cha dvādasa honti,
vaggo tena pavuccatīti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gaṅgā nadī pācīnaninnā pācīnapoṇā pācīnapabbhārā;

“Mendicants, the Ganges river slants, slopes, and inclines to the east.

evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satta bojjhaṅge bhāvento satta bojjhaṅge bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro.

In the same way, a mendicant who develops and cultivates the seven awakening factors slants, slopes, and inclines to extinguishment.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satta bojjhaṅge bhāvento satta bojjhaṅge bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro?

And how does a mendicant who develops the seven awakening factors slant, slope, and incline to extinguishment?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti …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 kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satta bojjhaṅge bhāvento satta bojjhaṅge bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro”ti.

That’s how a mendicant who develops and cultivates the seven awakening factors slants, slopes, and inclines to extinguishment.”

(Yāva esanā pāḷi vitthāretabbā.)

(Tell in full for each of the different rivers as in SN 45.91–102.)

Gaṅgāpeyyālavaggo navamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Cha pācīnato ninnā,

cha ninnā ca samuddato;

Dvete cha dvādasa honti,

vaggo tena pavuccatīti.

Topics & Qualities:

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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Giving up

Giving up

The mental quality of renunciation and release from attachment. It delights in simplicity and freedom rather than in sensual pleasure. Giving up is not loss but the joyful abandoning of burden, opening the way to peace and insight.

Also known as: renunciation, relinquishment, letting go, abandonment
Pāli: nekkhamma
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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