5. Paññā (‘wisdom’) as a Light and a Sharp Sword

In the previous section, I have just presented and discussed the word paññā which, according to Sasaki (1992), came to mean the subject’s knowing (pajāna), whereas ñāna came to mean the object to be known (ñāta) . Thus, as pointed out by Sasaki (1992: 92) ñāna is the object, while paññā belongs to the subject. The endeavour to attain ñāna thus presupposes paññā. This section continuously focuses on studying and analyzing paññā ‘wisdom, inner eye’ based mainly on the Suttas taught by the Buddha in the Five Nikāyas.

The Pāli word paññā is derived from the verbal root ñā (Skt: jñā), meaning ‘to know’, preceded by the prefix pa (Skt: pra), which merely gives the root meaning a more dynamic nuance. So paññā/prajñā means knowing or understanding, not as a possession, but as an action: the act of knowing, the act of understanding, the act of discerning. What is meant by paññā, however, is a type of understanding superior to that which occurs when one understands a difficult passage in an economics textbook or the implications of a legal argument, for instance. Paññā signifies the understanding that arises through spiritual training, illuminates the real nature of things, and culminates in the mind’s purification and liberation.

The idea of paññā/prajñā as the principal tool on the path to enlightenment, however, did not originate with the prajñāpāramitā literature but is already deeply embedded in the teachings of Early Buddhism. The Nikayas take paññā not only as a point of doctrine but as a rich theme for imagery. Thus, speak of paññā respectively as a light and a knife. It is the supreme light because it illuminates the true nature of things and dispels the darkness of ignorance. It is a knife -a sharp butcher’s knife -because it cuts through the tangled mass of the defilements and thereby opens the way to liberation.

Let us look the below Suttas illustrating wisdom as a Light and as a Knife:

Wisdom as a Light

There are, O monks, these four lights. What four? The light of the moon, the light of the sun, the light of fire, and the light of wisdom. Of these four lights, the light of wisdom is supreme. (Aṅguttara Nikāya, Sutta number 4:143)

Wisdom as a Knife

Sisters, suppose a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to kill a cow and carve it up with a sharp butcher’s knife. Without damaging the inner mass of flesh and without damaging the outer hide, he would cut, sever, and carve away the inner tendons, sinews, and ligaments with the sharp butcher’s knife. Then having cut, severed, and carved all this away, he would remove the outer hide and cover the cow again with that same hide. Would he be speaking rightly if he were to say: ‘This cow is joined to this hide just as it was before’?

No, Venerable sir. Why is that? Because if that skilled butcher or his apprentice were to kill a cow... and cut, sever, and carve all that away, even though he covers the cow again with that same hide and says: ‘This cow is joined to this hide just as it was before’, that cow would still be disjoined from that hide.

Sisters, I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. This is the meaning: ‘The inner mass of flesh’ is a term for the six internal bases. ‘The outer hide’ is a term for the six external bases. ‘The inner tendons, sinews, and ligaments’ is a term for delight and lust. ‘The sharp butcher’s knife’ is a term for noble wisdom -the noble wisdom that cuts, severs, and carves away the inner defilements, fetters, and bonds. (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number146: 11, 12)

According to Bhikkhu Bodhi (2005), contemporary Buddhist literature commonly conveys two ideas about paññā that have become almost axioms in the popular understanding of Buddhism. The first is that paññā is exclusively nonconceptual and nondiscursive, a type of cognition that defies all the laws of logical thought; the second, that paññā arises spontaneously, through an act of pure intuition as sudden and instantaneous as a brilliant flash of lightning. These two ideas about paññā are closely connected. If paññā defies all the laws of thought, it cannot be approached by any type of concepttual activity but can arise only when the rational, discriminative, conceptual activity of the mind has been stultified. And this stopping of conceptualization, somewhat like the demolition of a building, must be a rapid one, an undermining of thought not previously prepared for by any gradual maturation of understanding. Thus, in the popular understanding of Buddhism, paññā defies rationality and easily slides off into “crazy wisdom,” an incomprehensible, mind-boggling way of relating to the world that dances at the thin edge between super-rationality and madness.

Paññā, as pointed out by Bhikkhu Bodhi (2005: 302), “is directed to specific domains of understanding. These domains, known in the Pāli commentaries as “the soil of wisdom” (pannabhumi) , must be thoroughly investigated and mastered through conceptual understanding before direct, nonconceptual insight can effectively accomplish its work. To master them requires analysis, discrimination, and discernment. One must be able to abstract from the overwhelming mass of facts certain basic patterns fundamental to all experience and use these patterns as templates for close contemplation of one’s own experience.”

Meditation is normally considered as a discipline of mental training aimed at a twofold task: stilling the mind and generating insight. The still mind, calm and collected, is the foundation for insight. The still mind observes phenomena as they arise and pass away, and from sustained observation and probing exploration arises ‘the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena’ (adhipaññādhamma-vipassanā). As wisdom gathers momentum, it penetrates more and more deeply into the nature of things, culminating in the full and comprehensive understanding called enlightenment (sambodhi).

In his (2005) Bhikkhu Bodhi states that the conditional basis for wisdom is laid down in the three-tier structure of the Buddhist training. In the three divisions of the Buddhist path, moral discipline functions as the basis for concentration and concentration as the basis for wisdom. Thus the immediate condition for the arising of wisdom is concentration. As the Buddha often says: “Develop concentration, monks. One who is concern-treated sees things as they really are.” To “see things as they really are” is the work of wisdom; the immediate basis for this correct seeing is concentration. Since concentration depends on proper bodily and verbal conduct, moral discipline too is a condition for wisdom (Bhikkhu Bodhi 2005: 302-3).

Truly, the presence of paññā means the disappearance of the ignorant darkness in order to produce the light of understanding. It is, therefore, called in image as paññācakkhu, ‘the eye of wisdom’, referring to the sense that it is an organ of spiritual vision (see Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 43.11), and the faculty which apprehends the truth of Buddhist teachings not a mere understanding of doctrines but ‘coming-to-know’ and ‘coming-to-be’. When one possesses such the eye of wisdom, he can truly see and know rise and disappearance of things (dhamma) that is very noble and penetrative and capable of leading to the complete destruction of suffering. Such faculty is just the wisdom of insight and of the path, capable of penetrating the rise and fall of the five aggregates. It is the path wisdom that pierces through and eradicates the mass of craving, ill will and delusion. It is the insight wisdom that pierces through them temporarily and leads to penetration by the path (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number53.17; 85.58).

The grasping of the Five Aggregates (pañcakkhandhā) (see Samyutta Nikāya, Sutta number 22) arises from the perception of selfness that is the original cause of one’s psychological response towards things. Man often looks at things through craving, ill will and delusion. If he regards attractive forms, then his craving for them arises. Conversely, if he regards unattractive forms, then his displeasure thought arises. With normal forms, his delusion will be present. The cause, which leads troubles and suffering to a man is, exactly can say, these three unwholesome factors: craving, ill will and delusion. In order to wipe out these troubles and suffering, one needs use ‘the eye of wisdom’ to look things and phenomena as them really are without interference of greed, hatred and illusion. And what is called a man is the grasping of the five aggregates that consists of the body factor and the consciousness factor joining together. In the Dhātuvibhanga Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 140), the Buddha points out six elements being present in a man, namely earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness. Doing an analysis each element in it’s both internal and external, one would see there is no entity called the ‘I’, the ‘mine’ or the ‘my self’ in it. In fact, there is no eternal reality after changing forms. The nature of existence is relation. All things are emptiness of an absolute reality and they exist only in relation to conditions. Therefore, the truth of a man is impermanent, selfless and hence suffering.

From the specified evidence, one should see things as they really are with proper wisdom: “This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself.” With such insight, on seeing a form with the eye, hearing a sound with the ear, smelling a odour with the nose, tasting a flavour with the tongue, touching a tangible with the body, and cognizing a mind-object with the mind, one does not lust after it if it is pleasing, also not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favouring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-norpleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him, With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 38.40). He becomes disenchanted with the six external objects (form, sound, odour, flavour, tangible, and mind-object), makes the mind dispassionate towards them, and hence becomes free from craving, removes defilements, finally leads to the complete destruction of suffering (see Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 28.6, 11, 16, 21, 62.8-12, 140.13-8; 14.1, 37).

In the Noble Eightfold Path, the first two factors; that is, right view (sammā diṭṭhi) and right intention (sammā sankappa) are grouped under the aggregate of wisdom that is established on the base of the aggregate of concentration. Wisdom, thus, is based on concentration. Only one who is in concentration can know and see things as they really are. It is because that objects are not what they appear to be. Their true reality is opposed to their appearance to commonsense and only by wisdom one is able to go beyond the deceptive appearance which covers up the own-being of things in order to penetrate to the depth reality of all things themselves. In its essence, wisdom is the strength of mind which permits itself to contact with the true reality. Delusion, folly, confusion, ignorance and self-deception are, obviously, the opposites of wisdom. The Buddha for this reason always advises bhikkhus not to neglect the wisdom born of concentration and insight to penetrate through to the wisdom of the fruit of Arahantship: one should preserve truthful speech in order to realize nibbāna, the ultimate truth. One should cultivate the relinquishment of defilements in order to accomplish the relinquishing of all defilements by the path of Arahantship. And one should train in the pacification of defilements in order to pacify all defilements by the path of Arahantship. Thus the wisdom born of serenity and insight are spoken of as the preliminary foundations for achieving the foundations of supreme noble wisdom namely the knowledge of the destruction of all suffering, the wisdom pertaining to the fruit of Arahantship (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 140.12; 25; see specially Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 9, Right View).

The Majjhima Nikāya often mentions the word paññāvimutta (liberated-by-wisdom) to refer a person whose taints are destroyed by his seeing with wisdom. Such paññāvimutta includes those who attain Arahantship either as dry-insight meditators (sukkha-vipassaka) or after emerging from one or another of the four jhānas (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 70.16). When a noble disciple attains Arahantship means the destruction of taints is often described as entering upon and abiding in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless (anāsava). The Majjhima Commentary gives the clear explanation that “mind and wisdom signify, respectively, the concentration and wisdom associated with the fruit of Arahantship. Concentration is called ‘deliverance of mind’ (cetovimutti) because it is liberated from lust; wisdom is called ‘deliverance by wisdom’ (paññāvimutti) because it is liberated from ignorance. The former is normally the result of serenity (samatha), the later the result of insight (vipassanā). But when they are coupled and described as taintless, they jointly result from the destruction of the taints by the supramundane path of Arahantship” (The Middle length Discourses of the Buddha, n. 83). It is noticeable that there is a clear distinction between the ‘librated-by-wisdom’ (paññāvimutta) one and the ‘attained-to-view’ (diṭṭhipatta) one. Unlike the ‘librated-by-wisdom’ one who destroyed all taints by his seeing with wisdom, in the one attained-to-view only some of his taints are destroyed. He has understood the Four Noble Truths, has reviewed, and examined by wisdom the teachings of the Tathāgata. This type includes six individuals from the stream-enterer to the one on the path of Arahantship but without possession of the immaterial attainments.

The Sutta Mahāsīhanāda (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 12) mentions four terms: sati, gati, dhiti, and paññāveyyattiya in which sati is as the ability to grasp in mind a hundred or a thousand phrases as they are being spoken; gati is as the ability to bind them and retain them in the mind; dhiti is as the ability to recite back what has been grasped and retained; and paññāveyyattiya is as the ability to discern the meaning and logic of those phrases (The Middle length Discourses of the Buddha, n 197). The term/word paññāveyyattiya is also repeated in Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number27.2; 99.30 as praise of the Tathāgata’s wisdom.

As presented and analyzed as well as discussed on paññā, the Buddhist Pāli Suttas always use the simile of a sharp sword or a knife (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number46), and a light (Samyutta Nikāya, Sutta number 4) to symbolize the noble wisdom. Since the keen sword and the light of wisdom are able to not merely break up the darkness of the ignorance, but cut, sever, and carve away the inner defilements, fetters, and bonds. Generally, paññā plays a very important role in the Buddhist practice path. It is also a primary condition enabling the practitioner to penetrate the ultimately reality, nibbāna, as in Stutta Anupada (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 111.2), the Buddha praises the venerable Sāriputta that “Sāriputta is wise, Sāriputta has great wisdom; Sāriputta has wide wisdom; Sāriputta has joyous wisdom; Sāriputta has quick wisdom; Sāriputta has keen wisdom; Sāriputta has penetrative wisdom.”

And in the Saṃyutta Nikaya, the venerable Sāriputta explained to the wanderer Jambukhādaka as he asked him about Nibbāna as follows:

“Friend Sāriputta, it is said, ‘Nibbāna, Nibbāna’. What now is Nibbāna?”

“The destruction of lust, the destruction of hatred, the destruction of delusion: this, friend, is called Nibbāna.

“But, friend, is there a path, is there a way for the realization of this Nibbāna?”

“There is a path, friend, there is a way for the realization of this Nibbāna.”

“And what, friend, is that path, what is that way for the realization of this Nibbāna?”

“It is, friend, this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the path, friend, this is the way for the realization of this Nibbāna.”

“Excellent is the path, friend, excellent is the way for the realization of this Nibbāna. And it is enough, friend Sāriputta, for diligence.”

(Samyutta Nikāya, Sutta number 38:1)