Path of Freedom [Vimuttimagga]

ON DISTINGUISHING WISDOMCHAPTER THE TENTHQ. What is wisdom? What is its salient characteristic? What is itsfunction? What is its manifestation? What is its near cause? What are itsbenefits? What is the meaning of wisdom? Through what merits can wisdombe acquired ? How many kinds of wisdom are there ?A. The seeing, by the mind, of objects as they are—this is called wisdom. 1And again, the considering of advantage and non-advantage, and of thesublime, is called wisdom. It is according to the teaching of the Abhidhamma.WISDOM DEFINEDWhat is wisdom? This wisdom {pannd) is understanding (pannd). This1. Yathabhutandnadassana.—Cp. (a) S. Ill, 13: Samddhim bhikkhave bhavetha, samdhitobhikkhave bhikkhu yathabhutam pajdndti.(b) S. II, 31-2: Iti kho bhikkhave avijjupanisd sankhdrd,... pe ... bhavupanisd jdti,jdtupanisam dukkham, dukkhupanisd saddha, saddhupanisarh pdmojjam, pdmojjupanisd piti,pitupanisd passaddhi, passaddhupanisam sukharh, sukhupaniso samddhi, samddhupanisamyathabhutaiidndassanam, yathabhutahdnadassanupanisd nibbidd, nibbidupanisovirago, virdgupanisd vimutti, vimuttupanisam khaye hdnam. ( = Tassa kammatfhdnamnissaya dubbald piti uppajjati. Tad assa saddK upanisam pdmojjam, tarn balava-pitiyapaccayo hoti. Balavd piti daratha-patippassaddhiya paccayo: sd appand-pubbabhagasukhassa:tarn sukharh padaka-jjhana-samddhissa: so samddhind citta-kallatam janetvatarunavipassandya kammarh karoti. Ice* assa padaka-jjhana-samddhi taruna-vipassandyapaccayo hoti: taruna-vipassand balava-vipassandya: balava-vipassand maggassa: maggophalavimuttiya: phala-vimutti paccavekkhana-hdnassa ti.—Spk. II, 55-6).(c) A. IV, 336: Satisampajanne bhikkhave asati satisampajannavipannassa hatupanisamhoti hirottappam, hirottappe asati hirottappavipannassa hatupaniso hoti indriyasamvaro,indriyasamvare asati indriyasamvaravipannassa hatupanisam hoti silam, sile asatisilavipannassa hatupaniso hoti sammdsamddhi, sammdsamddhimhi asati sammdsamddhivipannassahatupanisam hoti yathabhutandnadassanam, yathabhutandnadassane asatiyathabhiltandnadassanavipannassa hatupaniso hoti nibbiddvirdgo, nibbiddvirdge asatinibbiddvirdgavipannassa hatupanisam hoti vimuttindnadassanam.(d) D. II, 313: Katamo ca bhikkhave sammd-samddhi ?Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu vivicc 1 eva kdmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkam savicdramvivekajam piti-sukham pathamajjhanarh upasampajja viharati. Vitakka-vicdrdnam vupasamdajjhattam sampasadanam cetaso ekodi-bhavam avitakkam avicdrarh samddhijam pitisukhamdutiyajjhanam upasampajja viharati. Pitiya ca virdgd upekhako viharati sato casampajdno, sukhan ca kdyena patisamvedeti yan tarn ariya dcikkhanti: 'upekhako satimdsukhavihdri tV tatiya-jjhanath upasampajja viharati. Sukhassa ca pahdnd dukkhassa capahdnd pubtf eva somanassa-domanassanam atthagamd adukkharh asukham upekhdsati-pdrisuddhimcatutthajjhanam upasampajja viharati. Ayam vuccati bhikkhave sammdsamddhi.(e) Vis Mag. 438: Kdn 'assa lakkhand-rasa-paccupatthana-padatthandni ti. Ettha panadhammasabhavapativedhalakkhand pannd; dhammdnam sabhavapaticchddaka-mohandhakaraviddhamsanarasd;asammohapaccupatthand; samdhito yathabhutam jdndti passati tivacanato pana samddhi tassa padatthanam.From the foregoing it will be seen that without samddhi (=four or any one of the jhanas)no development of pannd is possible. And it will be noted that this treatise as well asthe Vis. Mag., beginning with sila and by way of samddhi (jhana\ come to pannd inkeeping with the teaching of the seven purifications (Satta Visuddhi—M. I, 149-50) andof the three trainings (of higher virtue, higher thought and higher wisdom,—adhisila-sikkhd,adhicitta-sikkhd, adhipannd-sikkhd—D. Ill, 219).229