Overview
The Ganthā are conceptualized as tight psychological knots that bind the mental body (nāmakāya) to the physical body (rūpakāya), or alternatively, bind beings to the cycle of future rebirths. They demonstrate how specific mental defilements entangle a person in suffering.
The List
- Abhijjhā-kāyagantha - The Bodily Tie of Covetousness: The knot of greed, desiring the property of others and pulling objects toward oneself.
- Byāpāda-kāyagantha - The Bodily Tie of Ill-will: The knot of hatred and aversion, wishing harm upon others.
- Sīlabbataparāmāsa-kāyagantha - The Bodily Tie of Clinging to Rules and Vows: The knot of wrongly believing that ritualistic behaviors and vows alone can purify the mind.
- Idaṃsaccābhinivesa-kāyagantha - The Bodily Tie of Dogmatic Fanaticism: The knot of rigidly insisting “Only this is truth; everything else is foolishness,” closing the mind to reality.
Textual References
- Canonical: Gantha Sutta (SN 41.3) – Citta the Householder correctly identifies that the fetter and the sense bases are different things, utilizing the concept of binding ties.
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī – Analyzes these four ties as specific unwholesome mental factors operating in the consciousness stream.