“Mendicants, I do not see a single thing that, when it is developed and cultivated like this, leads to giving up the things that tighten the fetters like the seven awakening factors. What seven? The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity. And how are the seven awakening factors developed and cultivated so as to lead to giving up the things that tighten the fetters?
It’s when a mendicant develops the awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. That’s how the seven awakening factors are developed and cultivated so as to lead to giving up the things that tighten the fetters.
And what are the things that tighten the fetters? The eye is something that tightens the fetters. This is where these fetters, shackles, and attachments arise. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is something that tightens the fetters. This is where these fetters, shackles, and attachments arise. These are called the things that tighten the fetters.”