1"Bhikkhus, just as, when rain pours down in thick droplets on a mountain top, the water flows down along the slope and fills the cleft, gullies, and creeks; these being filled fill up the pools; these being filled fill up the lakes; these being filled fill up the streams; these being filled fill up the rivers; and these being filled fill up the great ocean; so too, for a noble disciple, these things—confirmed confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha, and the virtues dear to the noble ones—flow onwards and, having gone beyond, they lead to the destruction of the taints."[n.357] The simile of the water flowing down the slope is at SN12.23. Spk: "Having gone beyond: the beyond is Nibbāna; the meaning is, ‘having reached that.’ They lead to the destruction of the taints: it is not that they first go to Nibbāna and later lead (to the destruction of the taints); rather, they lead there as they go to Nibbāna."

1"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, uparipabbate thullaphusitake deve vassante taṁ udakaṁ yathāninnaṁ pavattamānaṁ pabbatakandarapadarasākhā paripūreti, pabbatakandarapadarasākhā paripūrā kusobbhe paripūrenti, kusobbhā paripūrā mahāsobbhe paripūrenti, mahāsobbhā paripūrā kunnadiyo paripūrenti, kunnadiyo paripūrā mahānadiyo paripūrenti, mahānadiyo paripūrā mahāsamuddaṁ paripūrenti; evameva kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa yo ca buddhe aveccappasādo, yo ca dhamme aveccappasādo, yo ca saṅghe aveccappasādo, yāni ca ariyakantāni sīlāni – ime dhammā sandamānā pāraṁ gantvā āsavānaṁ khayāya saṁvattantī"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.