Abandoning by Factor-Substitution

[mmmkile]

I came across this passage in The Discourse on the Root of Existence, translated and explained by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

“Thus personality view is abandoned by the defining of mentality-materiality, the views of acausality and wrong causal relationships by the discernment of conditions, uncertainty in regard to this by the subsequent transcending of doubts, the assumption of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ by the insight-comprehension of groups… This is called ‘abandoning by factor-substitution.’”

It feels like a whole path of practice is being outlined here. not just what to let go of, but how, and by what means. Each defilement is countered not by force, but by insight or knowledge.

I wonder how others understand “abandoning by factor-substitution.” Have you come across similar lists or teachings in other suttas? How do you relate to this approach in your own practice?

Grateful for any reflections, corrections, or pointers to related texts.

[Source: The Discourse on the Root of Existence, Bhikkhu Bodhi – ‎The Discourse on the Root of Existence by Bhikkhu Bodhi on Apple Books]

[Christopher]

It’s a great discussion topic.

As I see it, substitution with opposites falls under the training of right effort, specifically overcoming unwholesome states and generating wholesome ones.

Here are a few suttas where this comes up:

Extinguish unwholesome qualities by cultivating their wholesome counterparts. (MN 8)

Abandon what’s unwholesome and devote yourself to wholesome states (analogy: cleaning up sāla-tree grove). (MN 21, I 124)

With the support of [wholesome action/state], [unwholesome counterpart] is to be abandoned. (MN 54, I 360)

Rely on happiness, sadness, and equanimity connected with renunciation to abandon happiness, sadness, and equanimity connected with the household life. Rely on happiness connected with renunciation to abandon sadness connected with renunciation. Rely on the equanimity connected with renunciation to abandon the joy connected with renunciation. (MN 137, III 220)

Rely on equanimity connected with unity to abandon equanimity connected with diversity. Rely on non-identification (atammayataṃ) to abandon equanimity connected with unity (second sentence only in Pāli version). (MN 137, III 220)

Encountering sensual pleasures can trigger dissatisfaction with the path and lust for the sensual pleasures. No one else can resolve this but oneself. One should dispel the dissatisfaction and arouse delight in the path. (SN 8.1, I 185)

There’s also Ānanda’s advice to Vaṅgīsa on how to overcome the sensual lust that was obsessing his mind:

It is through an inversion of perception
That your mind is engulfed by fire.
Turn away from the nimitta of beauty
Provocative of sensual lust.

See saṇkhāras as alien,
As dukkha, not as self.
Extinguish the great fire of lust;
Don’t burn up again and again.

Develop the mind on asubha,
Focused (ekaggaṃ), unified well;
Direct your mindfulness to the body,
Be engrossed in nibbidā.

Develop the signless
And discard the tendency to conceit.
Then, by breaking through conceit,
You will be one who fares at peace. (SN 8.4, I 188)

For me, this kind of substitution has long been the main thrust of my daily life practice. Initially, the substitution is of very basic things, like refraining from breaking the precepts. Then it moves into replacing coarser defilements, like ill will, with wholesome counterparts, like metta or forbearance. As understanding and insight grows with continued practice, it moves into replacing deluded perception with wise perception, as in the poem above. The mind gradually gets more and more purified of those things that cause dukkha to arise.

Of course, to substitute effectively, we also need right view to understand what’s the good stuff to cultivate and what’s the bad stuff to let go of, and we need right mindfulness to monitor the current situation—what’s there, what needs doing, what works well to replace the bad stuff with the good stuff. MN 117 talks about how these 3 states (right view, right effort, and right mindfulness) work together to power the development of each aspect of the eightfold path.

[mikenz66]

@mmmkile

“Thus personality view is abandoned by the defining of mentality-materiality, the views of acausality and wrong causal relationships by the discernment of conditions, uncertainty in regard to this by the subsequent transcending of doubts, the assumption of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ by the insight-comprehension of groups… This is called ‘abandoning by factor-substitution.’”

It feels like a whole path of practice is being outlined here. not just what to let go of, but how, and by what means. Each defilement is countered not by force, but by insight or knowledge.

Yes, this is an exposition of the insight knowledges by the Commentary. From an old BPS PDF:

[mmmkile]

Excellent citations. Thank you for sharing your practice!

[Adutiya]

@mmmkile

It feels like a whole path of practice is being outlined here. not just what to let go of, but how, and by what means. Each defilement is countered not by force, but by insight or knowledge.

As for the defilements being countered by insight or knowledge, I think that the countering discernment comes from both knowledge and samatha.
SN 5.2 says "…when the mind is serene, and knowledge is present as you rightly discern the Dhamma. "
SN 45.159 is a relevant sutta too.
Venerable Sujato’s book A Swift Pair of Messengers focuses on these.

[mmmkile]

Thanks for the book recommendation!

[Mkoll]

Here’s a rough copy-paste of a “factor-substitution list” from my notes.

Poison, To Be Abandoned	Antidote, To Be Relied On	Suttas
6 kinds of renunciate happiness nekkhammasitāni somanassāni	6 kinds of renunciate equanimity nekkhammasitā upekkhā	MN 137
6 kinds of renunciate sadness nekkhammasitāni domanassāni	6 kinds of renunciate happiness nekkhammasitāni somanassāni	MN 137
6 kinds of worldly equanimity gehasitā upekkhā	6 kinds of renunciate equanimity nekkhammasitā upekkhā	MN 137
6 kinds of worldly happiness gehasitāni somanassāni	6 kinds of renunciate happiness nekkhammasitāni somanassāni	MN 137
6 kinds of worldly sadness gehasitāni domanassāni	6 kinds of renunciate sadness nekkhammasitāni domanassāni	MN 137
Agitated uddhatā	Unagitated anuddhatā	MN 8
Anger & irritation kodhūpāyāso	Non-anger & non-irritation akodhūpāyāso	MN 54
Anger kodhanā	Non-anger akkodhanā	MN 8
Arrogance, pride, haughtiness, self-importance atimāna	Non-arrogance, non-pride, non-haughtiness, non-self-importance anatimāna	MN 8, MN 54
Attached to one’s views, holding them tight, refusing to let go sandiṭṭhiparāmāsī ādhānaggāhī duppaṭinissaggī	Not attached to one’s views, not holding them tight, letting them go easily asandiṭṭhiparāmāsī anādhānaggāhī suppaṭinissaggī	MN 8
Beautiful things in the world lokacitra	Perception of non-delight in the whole world sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā	AN 7.49
Conceit asmimāna	Perception of impermanence aniccasaññā	AN 9.3
Conscienceless, shamelessness ahirikā, anottāpī	Having conscience, having wise shame hirimanā, ottāpī	MN 8
Contentious paḷāsī	Non-contentious apaḷāsī	MN 8
Covetousness abhijjhālū	Non-covetousness anabhijjhālū	MN 8
Craving for tastes rasataṇhāya	Perception of the repulsiveness of nutritment āhāre paṭikūlasaññā	AN 7.49
Cruelty, harm vihesā, hiṃsā	Compassion, non-cruelty karuṇā, avihesā, ahiṃsā	MN 62, DN 34, MN 8
Deceitfulness māyāvī	Non-deceitfulness amāyāvī	MN 8
Denigration makkhī	Non-denigration amakkhī	MN 8
Desire for life jīvitanikanti	Perception of death maraṇasaññā	AN 7.49
Deviousness saṭhā	Non-deviousness asaṭhā	MN 8
Discontent arati	Sympathetic joy muditā	MN 62
Dissatisfaction anabhiratiṁ	Satisfaction abhiratiṁ	SN 8.1
Divisive speech pisuṇā vācā	Non-divisive speech apisuṇā vācā	MN 8, MN 54
Doubt vicikiccha	Wise attention to wholesome & unwholesome dhammas kusalākusalā dhammā sāvajjānavajjā dhammā hīnapaṇītā dhammā kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgā dhammā	SN 46.51
Doubt vicikicchī	Crossed over doubt tiṇṇavicikicchā	MN 8
Dullness & drowsiness thinamiddha	Wise attention to the elements of energy, persistence, & exertion ārambhadhātu, nikkamadhātu, parakkamadhātu	SN 46.51, AN 8.80
Envy issukī	Non-envy anissukī	MN 8
Equanimity based on diversity upekkhā nānattā nānattasitā	Equanimity based on unity upekkhā ekattā ekattasitā	MN 137
Faithless, unconfident, without conviction assaddhā	Faithful, confident, with conviction saddhā	MN 8
Fault-finding & offending nindāroso	No fault-finding & offending anindāroso	MN 54
Form rūpa	Formless arūpa	DN 34
Gains, honor, & fame lābhasakkārasiloka	Perception of impermanence aniccasaññā	AN 7.49
Hard to admonish dubbacā	Easy to admonish suvacā	MN 8
Harsh speech pharusavācā	Non-harsh speech pharusāya vācāya paṭiviratā	MN 8
Have bad friends pāpamittā	Have good friends kalyāṇamittā	MN 8
I-making, mine-making, & conceit for the conscious body & all external signs saviññāṇake kāye bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānāpagataṁ	Perception of not-self in what is suffering dukkhe anattasaññā	AN 7.49
Idle chatter samphappalāpī	Non-idle chatter samphappalāpā paṭiviratā	MN 8
Ill-will byāpāda	Goodwill, non ill-will mettā, abyāpādo	MN 62, AN 9.3, SN 46.51, DN 34
Intense greed giddhilobho	No intense greed agiddhilobho	MN 54
Killing living beings pāṇātipāta	Not killing living beings apāṇātipāta	MN 8, MN 54
Laziness kusītā	Energy āraddhavīriyā	MN 8
Lust rāga	Unattractiveness asubha	AN 9.3, SN 46.51, AN 7.49
Lying musāvāda	Truthfulness saccavācā	MN 8, MN 54
Negligence pamattā	Diligence appamattā	MN 8
Not recognizing the danger in sloth, laziness, slackness, negligence, lack of commitment, & failure to review ālasye kosajje vissaṭṭhiye pamāde ananuyoge apaccavekkhaṇāya	Perception of suffering in what is impermanent anicce dukkhasaññā	AN 7.49
Obstinate thaddhā	Non-obstinate atthaddhā	MN 8
Overcome with dullness & drowsiness thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhitā	Rid of dullness & drowsiness vigatathinamiddhā	MN 8
Personal existence sakkāya	Cessation of personal existence sakkāyanirodhe	DN 34
Resentment upanāhī	Non-resentment anupanāhī	MN 8
Resistance paṭigha	Equanimity upekkhā	MN 62
Restlessness & remorse uddhaccakukkuccassa	Wise attention to the peaceful mind cetaso vūpasamo	SN 46.51
Sensuality kāma	Renunciation nekkhamma	DN 34
Stealing adinnādāna	Not stealing dinnādāna	MN 8, MN 54
Stinginess, selfishness maccharī	Non-stinginess, non-selfishness amaccharī	MN 8
Thinking vitakka	Mindfulness of breathing ānāpānasati	AN 9.3
Unchastity, sex abrahmacāri, methunadhammasamāpattiyā	Chastity, perception of unattractiveness brahmacāri, asubhasaññā	AN 7.49
Unlearned appassutā	Learned bahussutā	MN 8
Unmindful muṭṭhassatī	Mindful upaṭṭhitassatī	MN 8
Unwise duppaññā	Wise paññāsampannā	MN 8
Wrong [01] view micchādiṭṭhī	Right view sammādiṭṭhī	MN 8
Wrong [02] intention micchāsaṅkappā	Right intention sammāsaṅkappā	MN 8
Wrong [03] speech micchāvācā	Right speech sammāvācā	MN 8
Wrong [04] action micchākammantā	Right action sammākammantā	MN 8
Wrong [05] livelihood micchāājīvā	Right livelihood sammāājīvā	MN 8
Wrong [06] effort micchāvāyāmā	Right effort sammāvāyāmā	MN 8
Wrong [07] mindfulness micchāsatī	Right mindfulness sammāsatī	MN 8
Wrong [08] concentration micchāsamādhi	Right concentration sammāsamādhī	MN 8
Wrong [09] knowledge micchāñāṇī	Right knowledge sammāñāṇī	MN 8
Wrong [10] liberation micchāvimuttī	Right liberation sammāvimuttī	MN 8

[thistle]

Wow, this is well-organized! Thanks for sharing!

[Jasudho]

Lots of wonderful responses here.

Another example is in MN20:

“Take a mendicant who is focusing on some subject that gives rise to bad, unskillful thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion. That mendicant should focus on some other subject connected with the skillful. As they do so, those bad thoughts are given up and come to an end. Their mind becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi. It’s like a deft mason or their apprentice who’d knock out or extract a large peg with a finer peg…”

…Along with other skillful methods.