[317] **"Craving (taṇhā)"**, in the exposition "Those who, having fully understood craving, are without taints (āsava) — those men, truly, I say, have crossed the flood (ogha)": this is craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for odours, craving for tastes, craving for tangibles, craving for mental objects.
**"Having fully understood"**: having fully understood craving by means of the three full understandings (pariññā): full understanding as the known (ñātapariññā), full understanding as scrutinization (tīraṇapariññā), and full understanding as abandoning (pahānapariññā).
What is full understanding as the known? One understands craving: "This is craving for forms, this is craving for sounds, this is craving for odours, this is craving for tastes, this is craving for tangibles, this is craving for mental objects" — thus one understands, one sees. This is full understanding as the known.
What is full understanding as scrutinization? Having made it known thus, one scrutinizes craving: one scrutinizes it as impermanent, as suffering (dukkha), as a disease, as a boil, … as affording no escape. This is full understanding as scrutinization.
What is full understanding as abandoning? Having scrutinized it thus, one abandons craving, dispels it, makes an end of it, and brings it to non-existence. For this was said by the Blessed One: "Bhikkhus, whatever desire and lust there is for craving — abandon that. Thus that craving will be abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, brought to non-existence, of a nature not to arise again in the future." This is full understanding as abandoning. Having fully understood craving by means of these three full understandings — thus, "having fully understood craving."
**"Without taints"**: there are four taints (āsava): the taint of sensuality, the taint of existence, the taint of views, and the taint of ignorance. Those for whom these taints have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, brought to non-existence, of a nature not to arise again in the future — they are called "without taints."
**"Those"**: the arahants whose taints are destroyed.
**"Those who, having fully understood craving, are without taints — those men, truly, I say, have crossed the flood"**: those who, having fully understood craving, are without taints have crossed the flood of sensuality, crossed the flood of existence, crossed the flood of views, crossed the flood of ignorance; they have crossed, crossed over, crossed beyond, passed, passed beyond, and transcended the entire course of saṃsāra — thus I say, declare, teach, make known, establish, disclose, analyze, elucidate, and reveal. Thus, "Those who, having fully understood craving, are without taints — those men, truly, I say, have crossed the flood." Therefore the Blessed One said:
I do not say (Nanda, said the Blessed One)
that all ascetics and brahmins are shrouded by birth and aging.
Those who, having abandoned all that is seen, heard, or sensed here,
and rites and vows as well,
having abandoned all the manifold things,
having fully understood craving, are without taints —
those men, truly, I say, have crossed the flood.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.