On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the monks thus: "Bhikkhus, I shall teach you a discourse on the restraint of all the taints. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say." "Yes, venerable sir," the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
Buddha: "Bhikkhus, I say that the destruction of the taints is for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know and see. Who knows and sees what? Wise attention and unwise attention. When one attends unwisely, un-arisen taints (fermentation) arise and arisen taints increase. When one attends wisely, un-arisen taints do not arise and arisen taints are abandoned. There are 7 ways to remove taints: to be abandoned by seeing, those to be abandoned by restraining, those to be abandoned by using, those to be abandoned by enduring, those to be abandoned by avoiding, those to be abandoned by removing, and those to be abandoned by developing.
1. TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY SEEING
Buddha: "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by seeing? Here, bhikkhus, an untaught ordinary person, who has no regard for noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, who has no regard for true men and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, does not understand what things are fit for attention and what things are unfit for attention. Thus he attends to those things unfit for attention and he does not attend to those things fit for attention. What are the things unfit for attention that he attends to? They are things for which when he attends to them, the un-arisen taint of sensual desire arises and increases in him, the un-arisen taint of being arises and increases in him, the un-arisen taint of ignorance arises and increases in him. These are the things unfit for attention that he attends to.
And what are the things fit for attention that he does not attend to? They are things for which when he attends to them, the un-arisen taint of sensual desire does not arise in him and the arisen taint of sensual desire is abandoned, the un-arisen taint of being does not arise in him and the arisen taint of being is abandoned, the un-arisen taint of ignorance does not arise in him and the arisen taint of ignorance is abandoned. These are the things fit for attention that he does not attend to. By attending to things unfit for attention and by not attending to things fit for attention, both un-arisen taints arise in him and arisen taints increase.
This is how he attends unwisely and inappropriately: 'Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what did I become in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I become in the future?' He is also inwardly perplexed about the present thus: 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where will it go?'
When he attends unwisely in this way, one of six confused and deluded views arises in him, perceived by him as true ad established: - The view of 'self exists for me' - The view of 'no self exists for me' - The view 'I perceive self with self' - The view 'I perceive not-self with self' - The view 'I perceive self with not-self' - The view as this: 'It is this self of mine that speaks and feels and experiences here and there the result of good and bad actions; but this self of mine is permanent, eternal and not subject to change.' This speculative view, bhikkhus, is called the thicket of views, the wilderness of views, the contortion of views, the vacillation of views, the fetter of views. Fettered by the fetter of views, the untaught ordinary person is not freed from birth, ageing, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; he is not freed from suffering.
"Bhikkhus, a well-taught noble disciple, who has regard for noble ones and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, understands what things are fit for attention and what things are unfit for attention. Thus he does not attend to those things unfit for attention and he attends to those things fit for attention. "What are the things unfit for attention that he does not attend to? They are things such that when he attends to them, the un-arisen taint of sensual desire arises in him..and the arisen taint of ignorance increases. What are the things fit for attention that he attends to? They are things such that when he attends to them, the un-arisen taint of sensual desire does not arise in him.. and the arisen taint of ignorance is abandoned. By not attending to things unfit for attention and by attending to things fit for attention, un-arisen taints do not arise in him and arisen taints are abandoned. He attends wisely and is mindful of the four noble truths: "This is suffering'; 'This is the origin of suffering'; "This is the cessation of suffering'; and 'This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.' When he attends wisely in this way, three fetters are abandoned in him: personality view, doubt, and adherence to rules and observances (rituals). These are called the taints that should be abandoned by seeing.
TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY RESTRAINING
Buddha: "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by restraining (six senses)? Here a bhikkhu, reflecting wisely, abides with the eye faculty restrained. While taints, vexation, and fever might arise in one who abides with the eye faculty unrestrained, there are taints, vexation, or fever in one who abides with the eye faculty restrained. Similarly for the ear faculty restrained.. .with the nose faculty restrained.. .with the tongue faculty restrained.. .with the body faculty restrained.. .with the mind faculty restrained...While taints, vexation, and fever might arise in one who abides with the faculties unrestrained, there are no taints, vexation, or fever in one who abides with the faculties restrained. These are called the taints that should be abandoned by restraining.
TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY USING
Buddha : "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by using (4 requisites)? 1. Here a bhikkhu, reflecting wisely, uses the robe only for protection from cold, from heat, from contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, the sun, and creeping things and only for the purpose of concealing the private parts. 2. Reflecting wisely, he uses alms-food neither for amusement nor for intoxication nor for the sake of physical beauty but only for the endurance and continuance of this body (survival), for ending discomfort and for assisting the holy life, considering: 'Thus I shall terminate old feelings (hunger) without arousing new feelings (over-eating) and I shall be healthy and blameless and shall live in comfort.' 3. Reflecting wisely, he uses the lodging only for protection from cold, from heat, from contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, the sun, and creeping things, and only for the purpose of warding off the perils of climate and for enjoying retreat. 4. Reflecting wisely, he uses the medicine only for protection from arisen afflicting feelings and for the benefit of good health (cure illnesses). While taints, vexation, and fever might arise in one who does not use the requisites thus, there are no taints, vexation, or fever in one who uses them thus. These are called the taints that should be abandoned by using.
TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY ENDURING
Buddha: "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by enduring? Here a bhikkhu, reflecting wisely, bears cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, the sun, and creeping things; he endures ill-spoken, unwelcome words and arisen bodily feelings that are painful, disagreeable, distressing, and menacing to life. While taints, vexation, and fever might arise in one who does not endure such things, there are no taints, vexation, or fever in one who endures them. These are called the taints that should be abandoned by enduring.
TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY AVOIDING
Buddha: "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by avoiding? Here a bhikkhu, reflecting wisely, avoids a wild elephant, a wild horse, a wild bull, a wild dog, a snake, a stump, a bramble patch, a chasm, a cliff, a cesspit, a sewer. Reflecting wisely, he avoids sitting on unsuitable seats, wandering to unsuitable resorts and associating with bad friends because if he were to do that the wise companions in the holy life might suspect him of evil conduct. While taints, vexation, and fever might arise in one who does not avoid these things, there are no taints, vexation, and fever in one who avoids them. These are called the taints that should be abandoned by avoiding.
TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY REMOVING
Buddha: "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by removing? Here a bhikkhu, reflecting wisely, does not tolerate an arisen thought of sensual desire/ill-will/cruelty/evil unwholesome thoughts; he abandons it, removes it and annihilates it. While taints, vexation, and fever might arise in one who does not remove these thoughts, there are no taints, vexation, or fever in one who removes them. These are called the taints that should be abandoned by removing.
TAINTS TO BE ABANDONED BY DEVELOPING Buddha: "What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by developing? Here a bhikkhu, reflecting wisely, develops the mindfulness enlightenment factor, which is supported by seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, and ripens in relinquishment. He develops the investigation-of-states enlightenment factor...the energy enlightenment factor...the rapture enlightenment factor...the tranquility enlightenment factor...the concentration enlightenment factor...the equanimity enlightenment factor. While taints, vexation and fever might arise in one who does not develop these enlightenment factors, there are no taints, vexation, or fever in one who develops them. These are called the taints that should be abandoned by developing.
(CONCLUSION)
Buddha: "Bhikkhus, when for a bhikkhu has abandoned the taints that should be abandoned by seeing, by restraining, by using, by enduring, by avoiding, by removing, by developing then he is called a bhikkhu who dwells restrained with the restraint of all the taints. He has severed craving, fixing off the fetters and with the complete penetration of conceit he has made an end of suffering."
That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
In summary, in this sutta Buddha taught the monks how to remove taints (Asava) which are mental defilements that prevents one from liberation. He taught them how some taints are removed by seeing, by restraining, by using, by enduring, by avoiding, by removing, by developing. Only when taints are removed that one can end samsara.
References: 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The middle length discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)