Re: Question about Wisdom (paññā)

Dear Ven. Bodhi,

Thanks for these references. I also have not been able to find paramattha as a complement to conventional reality in the early texts.

Dear Dmytro,

I agree that knowledge can be conceptual and that is one of the translations of prajñā or paññā. But in English we have the distinction between "wisdom" and "knowledge" which perhaps isn't implicit in Pāli? Wisdom in English has the connotation of insight, to my mind (which suggests epiphany, or sudden insight transcending analytical thought, that is vipassanā) whereas in Pāli pañña can mean both insight and knowledge. But I may be wrong on this as iin the expression sam-pajāno, which appears so often in the Satipaṭṭhāna, and jhānas, and which means full attention, perfect knowledge.

The question then is can wisdom result from a conceptual understanding or only through vipassanā insight? Which I guess is another way of saying what does paṅñā/pajānāti mean?

Mettā, Bryan

PS a fascinating study of the early writings is the Buddha's use of the verb jñā or -ññā. jānāti seems to be the general terms for "know". samjñā (sañjānāti) has the meaning of perceive or recognize, to name, and of course is one of the aggregates. parijānati, has the wisdom connotation (as in MN1 where the Buddha knows the elements completely to the end", pariññatantaṃ) and suggests a more complete knowing as does the double prefix sampajānāti/sampājāno, to know completely, know thoroughly and vijānāti/vijñāna/viññāna, has the meaning of knowing through distinguishing from which we get the word consciousness. abhijānāti also seems to be "ordinary" knowing as that's how the putthujana "knows" the elements in MN1.

From: "Bhikkhu Bodhi venbodhi@... [palistudy]" <palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: [palistudy] Question about Wisdom (paññā)

Dear Bryan and all,

We find “sammuti” used in a similar sense to its later philosophical usage in Bhikkhunīsaṃyutta no. 10 (SN I 135), where the bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā tells Māra:

Yathā hi aṅgasambhārā, hoti saddo ratho iti;

Evaṃ khandhesu santesu, hoti sattoti sammuti.

“Paramattha” is used fairly often in the suttas, but not in the sense of “ultimate reality.” Rather, it means “the supreme good” or “the supreme goal.” Here are two examples, from Suttanipāta, but for many others do a search in CST 4:

68. Āraddhavīriyo paramatthapattiyā, alīnacitto akusītavutti;

daḷhanikkamo thāmabalūpapanno, eko care khaggavisāṇakappo.

221. Aññāya lokaṃ paramatthadassiṃ, oghaṃ samuddaṃ atitariya tādiṃ;

Taṃ chinnaganthaṃ asitaṃ anāsavaṃ, taṃ vāpi dhīrā muni vedayanti.

Even in the Paṭisambhidāmagga, paramattha is still used in this sense, as in the definition of gambhīrapaññā, where it is equated with nibbāna: Gambhīre paramatthe nibbāne ñāṇaṃ pavattatīti – gambhīrapaññā. I do not know of any place in the early texts where it means “ultimate reality” in contrast to sammuti.

With metta,

Bhikkhu Bodhi

On 4/11/2017 12:16 PM, Bryan Levman bryan.levman@... [palistudy] wrote:

Dear Khanh Trong Huynh,

Wisdom in the Pāli scriptures is about penetrating the tilakkhaṇa, anicca, dukkha and anatta; by penetrating (paṭivedha), the Buddha was referring to the insight knowledge of vipassanā, not a conceptual understanding.

The two truths is not found in the suttas or vinaya of the Nikāyas to my knowledge. The first appearance is in the Milindapañha (around 100 BCE?) where where Nāgasena tells the king (p. 160): Sammuti mahārāja esā ahan ^-ti, mamāti, na paramattho eso (“It is a mere commonly received opinion, O king, that ‘This is I,’ or ‘This is mine,' it is not a transcendental truth”).

Buddhaghosa (fifth century CE) also brings up the concept in his commentary to the

Anaṅgaṇasutta sutta where he quotes some gāthās from an unknown source

“Duve saccāni akkhāsi Sambuddho vadataṃ varo.
sammutiṃ paramatthañ ca tatiyaṃ nūpalabbhati.
Saṅketavacanaṃ saccaṃ, lokasammutikāraṇā
paramatthavacanaṃ saccaṃ, dhammānaṃ bhūtakāraṇā.
Tasmā vohārakusalassa, lokanāthassa Satthuno
sammutiṃ voharantassa, musāvādo na jāyatī” ti.^{^[1]}

“Two truths he declared, the Buddha, most excellent of teachers, conventional and ultimate, there is no third. Words are agreed as true because of common consent of the world; absolute words are true because of the truth of the Dhamma. Thus the teacher, the world-leader, whose expressions are skilful, when speaking in conventional terms, does not lie.”

If anyone is aware of other references to the two truths in the early suttas or vinaya of the Nikāyas, please let us know,

Best wishes,

Bryan

[1] Ps 1, 138^11-16.

From: "KHANH TRONG HUYNH testsuda@... [palistudy]" <palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
To: Pali Study Group <palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 3:32 AM
Subject: [palistudy] Question about Wisdom (paññā)

Dear all,

It seems that when mentioning about the wisdom produced from developing (bhāvana) that could lead human being to emancipation, we mean the wisdom seeing the ultimate realities (paramattha) not the conventional (sammutti). However, in my opinion, there are probably several kinds of wisdom among which we could find some types only having conceptual realities as their objects.

One clear evidence is the wisdom accompanying with loving-kindness meditation state (mettā jhana). Because the object of the conciousness of this state is human beings - conventional realities, of course - so that wisdom must also grasp those realities too.

Nevertheless, I am wondering whether it makes sense that wisdom could aware the conceptual which is not actually reality. In this case, I think one reasonable answer is that: wisdom is the ability to see thing CLEARLY, UNMIXEDLY regardless thing is conceptual or ultimate. When it is directed to conceptual, it will see conceptual clearly (for example: we could aware the breath clearly when we have high concentration level in the meditation of mindfulness of breath), and when being directed to the ultimate, it could see the ultimate manifestly.

Another evidence is that we also call the psychic powers as kinds of wisdom - those wisdoms could not lead to release.

Please kindly share with me your knowledge about this matter,

Sincerely yours,

Huỳnh Trọng Khánh

-- 
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Chuang Yen Monastery
2020 Route 301
Carmel NY 10512
U.S.A.

Sabbe sattā averā hontu, abyāpajjā hontu, anighā hontu, sukhī hontu!
願眾生無怨，願眾生無害，願眾生無惱，願眾生快樂！
May all beings be free from enmity, free from affliction, free from distress. May they be happy!

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