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Can one remove the asavas without becoming an arahant?

yuttadhammo
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Bunihosilva
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    Hello and welcome to Buddhism.SE. What you have under the main question is not clear. We've put together some information to help you get started here. – Robin111 Jun 25 '15 at 18:39

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Can you remove the asavas without becoming an arahant?

I think that Wikipedia's article suggests not:

Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25) state in part that "Freedom from the 'Āsavas' constitutes Arahantship."

And

These points are collected and summarized by Bhikkhu Bodhi thus:

The āsavas or taints are a classification of defilements considered in their role of sustaining the forward movement of the process of birth and death. 

<p>The three taints mentioned in the Nikāyas are respectively synonyms for craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, and ignorance. [The fourth āsava, attachment to views, appears in the commentaries.] When the disciple's mind is liberated from the taints by the completion of the path of arhantship, he reviews his newly won freedom and roars his lion's roar: "Birth is destroyed, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done; there is no more coming back to any state of being."</p>

There's another question about asava here: What is effluent? The answer to that question is I think a good explanation, and it includes two references for further reading.

Community
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ChrisW
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Arahant is a person who successfully removed the asavas. Thus, you cannot become an arahant without removing the asavas. You cannot remove the asavas by not removing the asavas.

beginner
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