ཟག་པ། | Glossary of Terms

Definition in this text:

A term of Jain origin, meaning “inflow.” It refers to having uncontrolled thoughts as a result of being influenced by sensory objects and thus being sullied or defiled. It is also defined as “outflows,” hence the Tibetan zag pa, “leak,” as the mind flows out toward the sensory objects.

Definition in this text:

Also translated here as “contamination.”

Definition in this text:

A term meaning literally “to flow toward” or “stream outward.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Unwavering, out of the six wounds that are the entrances” (āsayanti saṃsāre āsravanti bhavāgrādyāvadavīciṃ ṣaḍbhir āyatana­vraṇair ityāsravāḥ, Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya on 5.40, Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The “Summit of Existence” is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called “Unwavering” is the lowest; the six entrances here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal entrances in the scheme of twelve entrances.

Definition in this text:

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Unwavering, out of the six wounds that are the entrances” (āsayanti saṃsāre āsravanti bhavāgrādyāvadavīciṃ ṣaḍbhir āyatana­vraṇair ityāsravāḥ, Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya on 5.40, Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The “Summit of Existence” is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called “Unwavering” is the lowest; the six entrances here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal entrances in the scheme of twelve entrances.

Definition in this text:

Literally “outflows,” these are mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them.

Definition in this text:

A flaw or taint, often used synonymously with “affliction.”

Definition in this text:

The metaphor explaining outflows (āsrava), rendered as “contaminated,” is a house with a faulty roof. But it does not simply mean that something from the outside, hatred or greed, drips in on the pristine mind of a person. Rather the drips come from within the person. They arise from unskillful mindsets that give rise to the afflictions, hence “outflows” rather than “inflows.”

Definition in this text:

Mental defilements that flow out toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them.

Definition in this text:

Mental afflictions can be called outflows since they “flow out,” i.e., they are caused by certain dharmas (said to be “with outflows”).

Definition in this text:

Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them.

Definition in this text:

For a definition given in this text, see UT23703-093-001-1578.

Definition in this text:

A term of Jain origin, literally meaning “inflows” or “influx.” It refers to the uncontrolled flow of thoughts toward sensory objects and the resulting contamination of the individual. It is also defined as “outflows,” as reflected in the Tibetan zag pa (“leak”).

Definition in this text:

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Unwavering, out of the six wounds that are the entrances” (āsayanti saṃsāre āsravanti bhavāgrādyāvadavīciṃ ṣaḍbhir āyatana­vraṇair ityāsravāḥ, Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya on 5.40, Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The “Summit of Existence” is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called “Unwavering” is the lowest; the six entrances here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal entrances in the scheme of twelve entrances.

Definition in this text:

Mental affliction.

Definition in this text:

Mental contaminants or “outflows” that negatively influence interaction with the external world; they are (1) the contaminant of sensuality (kāmāśrava), (2) the contaminant of existence (bhavāśrava), (3) the contaminant of ignorance (avidyāśrava), and (4) the contaminant of views (dṛṣṭyāśrava).

Definition in this text:

A term of Jain origin, meaning “inflows.” It refers to uncontrolled thoughts as a result of being influenced by sensory objects and thus being sullied or defiled. It is also defined as “outflows,” hence the Tibetan zag pa (“leaks”) as the mind is “flowing out” toward the sensory objects.

Definition in this text:

Literally “outflows,” these are mental defilements that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them.

Definition in this text:

Literally “outflows,” these are mental defilements that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them.

Definition in this text:

Also translated here as “defilement.” For the four contaminants, see UT22084-057-006-398.

Definition in this text:

Most of the explanations of the term āsrava derive it from the root sru (“to flow,” “to ooze”) and understand the preverb ā- variously either as “flowing in,” “flowing out from,” or simply emphasizing the action of flowing. The Tibetan translation also translates the sense of the root but does not explicitly render the preverb; zag pa is attested as a translation of several other Sanskrit terms that mean “to flow,” “to ooze,” etc. (sravaḥ, srāvaṇam, syandī, etc.; see Negi vol. 12, p. 5353). The derivation from ā + sru follows clear grammatical principles (vyākaraṇa); furthermore, there is another derivation from the root ās (“to sit,” “to remain”), which is in accordance with etymology by sound association (nirukti).

Vasubandhu offers two alternatives: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Unwavering, out of the six wounds that are the entrances” (āsayanti saṃsāre āsravanti bhavāgrādyāvadavīciṃ ṣaḍbhir āyatana­vraṇair ityāsravāḥ, Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya on 5.40, Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The “Summit of Existence” is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called “Unwavering” is the lowest; the six entrances here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal entrances in the scheme of twelve entrances.

The Pāli tradition offers similar derivations. For example, the commentary on The Sutta on All the Āsavas explains the term āsava in the following ways:

“They flow (āsavanti), thus they are āsavas: even from the eye, up to even from thought, they ooze, they come about‍—this is what is being said here” (āsavantīti āsavā, cakkhutopi . . . pe . . . manatopi sandanti pavattantīti vuttaṃ hoti, Aṭṭhakathā on the Sabbāsavasutta.) (This explanation matches quite closely the second one in the Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya.) The “up to” here reproduces the pe, an abbreviation meant to convey an incomplete list. The complete list would be “even from the eye, even from the ear, even from the nose, even from the tongue, even from the body, even from thought”‍—i.e., the list of the six internal entrances.

“Alternatively, from the dhammas to the gotrabhū, from space to the Summit of Existence, they flow, thus they are āsavas. Entering inside these dhammas and this space, they come about‍—this is the sense; for this ā- has the sense of ‘entering inside’ ” (dhammato yāva gotrabhuṃ okāsato yāva bhavaggaṃ savantīti vā āsavā | ete dhamme etañ ca okāsaṃ anto karitvā pavattantīti attho. antokaraṇattho hi ayaṃ ākāro || Aṭṭhakathā on the Sabbāsavasutta).

“ ‘Liquor and so forth are āsavas’ in the sense that they stay in one place for a long time; since they are ‘like the āsavas,’ these are ‘āsavas.’ For, in this world, liquor and so forth that stay in one place for a long time are called āsavas. And if they are āsavas in the sense that they stay in one place for a long time, these indeed are worthy of being so. For, it has been said, ‘A prior limit, bhikkhus, is not found for ignorance, wherein one could say that “before this there was no ignorance,” and so forth’ ” (cirapārivāsiyaṭṭhena madirādayo āsavā | āsavā viyātipi āsavā. lokasmiñ hi cirapārivāsikā madirādayo āsavāti vuccanti || yadi ca cirapārivāsiyaṭṭhena āsavā | eteyeva bhavitum arahanti | vuttañ hetaṃ purimā bhikkhave koṭi na paññāyati avijjāya ito pubbe avijjā nāhosītiādi || Aṭṭhakathā on the Sabbāsavasutta A.Ni.10.61).

“Alternatively, they ooze, they ooze forth, future suffering of saṃsāra‍—thus they are āsavas” (āyataṃ vā saṃsāradukkhaṃ savanti pasavantītipi āsavā, Aṭṭhakathā on the Sabbāsavasutta).

From all this, we conclude that (1) the derivation from the root sru (“to flow” etc.) is in some ways primary, and it follows principles of grammar (vyākaraṇa) rather than those of etymology by sound association (nirukti), as Yaśomitra clarifies is the case for the etymology from ās (“to sit” etc.); (2) the value of the preverb ā- was understood variously (“from,” “out of,” or as an intensifier), thus it is impossible to decide whether to render it as “in,” “out,” etc.; (3) translators who chose zag pa to render āsrava were most likely aware of both the above points.

Considering all the above, we have opted for “fluxes” rather than “influences” or “outflows.”

Definition in this text:

Literally “inflow.” These are karmic influences that prompt an individual to act in a certain way, leading to the accumulation of karma.

Definition in this text:

Literally, “inflows,” these are negative karmic influences.

Definition in this text:

A term of Jain origin. It refers to uncontrolled thoughts, being distracted by objects, and hence its meaning of “leaks.”

Definition in this text:

This term refers to negative mental thoughts and patterns rooted in the three poisons that affect the way individuals interact with the world. They are often illustrated by the image of an infected, leaking sore.