Vijjāsutta

Saṁyutta Nikāya 56.18

Linked Discourses 56.18

2. Dhammacakkappavattanavagga

2. Rolling Forth the Wheel of Dhamma

Vijjāsutta

Knowledge

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“‘vijjā, vijjā’ti, bhante, vuccati.

“Sir, they speak of this thing called ‘knowledge’.

Katamā nu kho, bhante, vijjā;

What is knowledge?

kittāvatā ca vijjāgato hotī”ti?

And how is a knowing one defined?”

“Yaṁ kho, bhikkhu, dukkhe ñāṇaṁ, dukkhasamudaye ñāṇaṁ, dukkhanirodhe ñāṇaṁ, dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ—

“Knowing about suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.

ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhu, vijjā;

This is called knowledge.

ettāvatā ca vijjāgato hotīti.

And this is how a knowing one is defined.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhu, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.

That’s why you should practice meditation …”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.