How do we attain the four discriminations in a future life? Do we have to memorize all the teachings in this life or is it enough to just study them and understand them deeply?
Much more than that. Accumulations of deep wisdom over countless lifetimes are needed.
see here also:
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This is what I found from the Aṭṭhasālinī, Commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇī:
Now, in the Vinaya, one who practices well, relying on the accomplishment of virtue, attains the three knowledges (tevijjā)—because their distinctions are stated there. In the Suttas, one who practices well, relying on the accomplishment of concentration, attains the six direct knowledges (chaḷabhiññā)—because their distinctions are stated there. In the Abhidhamma, one who practices well, relying on the accomplishment of wisdom, attains the four discriminations (paṭisambhidā)—because their distinctions are stated there. Thus, in these, one who practices well attains, in order, the success consisting of the three knowledges, the six direct knowledges, and the four discriminations.
This is what I found from the commentary to the Patisambhidamagga. This contains a lot of information about the Patisambhida Nanas.
Explanation of the Title: Paṭisambhidāmagga
The commentator now explains why this treatise is called Paṭisambhidāmagga.
“Tattha paṭisambhidānaṃ maggoti tannāmavisesito cāti…”
Since it was said, “It is specially designated by the name Paṭisambhidāmagga because it is the path of the Paṭisambhidās,” the nature of being the Paṭisambhidāmagga must first be explained.
There are four Paṭisambhidās (catasso paṭisambhidā):
Atthapaṭisambhidā – analytical knowledge of meaning
Dhammapaṭisambhidā – analytical knowledge of phenomena/causes
Niruttipaṭisambhidā – analytical knowledge of language and expression
Paṭibhānapaṭisambhidā – analytical knowledge of eloquence and ready wisdomThe means (upāya) for attaining (adhigama) these Paṭisambhidās is called Paṭisambhidāmagga, “the Path of Analytical Knowledge.”
In other words, it is the cause leading to the acquisition (paṭilābhahetu) of the Paṭisambhidās.
Why is this text the Path to Paṭisambhidā?
One might ask:
“How does this treatise become the path to those Paṭisambhidās?”
The answer is:
Because the teaching (desanā) here is expounded through many classifications (pabhedato desitā).
When the Dhamma is taught through numerous distinctions and divisions (nānābhedabhinnā desanā), it gives rise to the knowledge of Paṭisambhidā in noble disciples (ariyapuggala).
For ordinary people (puthujjana), it becomes a supporting condition (paccaya) for the future arising of Paṭisambhidā knowledge.
Therefore it has been said:
“A teaching given through detailed distinctions becomes the cause for the Paṭisambhidā-knowledge that separates and analyzes compact masses of concepts.”
Since this treatise teaches the Dhamma through many classifications and distinctions, it rightly receives the name:
Paṭisambhidāmagga — The Path of Analytical Knowledge.
What does “Paṭisambhidā” mean?
Tattha catassoti gaṇanaparicchedo
The word catasso simply indicates the number four.
Paṭisambhidāti pabhedā
The word paṭisambhidā means:
analysis,
discrimination,
distinction,
division into parts.However, these are not just any distinctions.
The Vibhaṅga says:
"Knowledge regarding meaning is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
Knowledge regarding dhammas is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
Knowledge regarding the language expressing those dhammas is Niruttipaṭisambhidā.
Knowledge regarding the knowledges themselves is Paṭibhānapaṭisambhidā."
Thus these are actually:
four divisions of knowledge (ñāṇa)
not four divisions of something else.
Therefore:
“Catasso Paṭisambhidā”
means“four kinds of analytical knowledge.”
Atthapaṭisambhidā
Definition
Knowledge capable of:
- discerning
- illuminating
- determining
the various distinctions of meaning (attha)
is called
Atthapaṭisambhidā.
This knowledge penetrates all the various aspects and classifications of meaning.
Dhammapaṭisambhidā
Knowledge capable of:
- discerning
- illuminating
- determining
the various distinctions of dhammas (dhamma)
is called
Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
Niruttipaṭisambhidā
Knowledge capable of:
- discerning
- illuminating
- determining
the distinctions in expressions, terminology, and language (nirutti)
is called
Niruttipaṭisambhidā.
Paṭibhānapaṭisambhidā
Knowledge capable of:
- discerning
- illuminating
- determining
the distinctions of inspired wisdom, eloquence, and ready understanding (paṭibhāna)
is called
Paṭibhānapaṭisambhidā.
What is “Attha”?
Tattha atthoti saṅkhepato hetuphalaṃ
In brief (saṅkhepato):
attha means
cause-and-effect result,
especially the result (phala) of causes.Why?
Because it is something that is reached, attained, or arrived at through its cause (hetu).
Hence it is called attha.
Five meanings of Attha
In detailed analysis (pabhedato), five things are called attha:
- Yaṃ kiñci paccayasamuppannaṃ
- anything produced by conditions
- Nibbāna
- Nibbāna
- Bhāsitattha
- the meaning of spoken words
- Vipāka
- resultant effects
- Kiriyā
- functional actions
These five dhammas should be understood as attha.
When one reviews (paccavekkhati) these meanings and gains analytical knowledge regarding them, that knowledge is called:
Atthapaṭisambhidā.
What is “Dhamma”?
Dhammoti saṅkhepato paccayo
Briefly:
Dhamma means
a cause,
condition,
supporting factor (paccaya).Why?
Because it establishes, produces, and brings about various results.
For that reason it is called:
dhamma.
Five meanings of Dhamma
In detailed analysis, five things are called dhamma:
- Any cause producing a result (phalanibbattako hetu)
- The Noble Path (ariyamagga)
- Spoken teaching (bhāsita)
- Kusala dhammas
- Akusala dhammas
These five are called dhamma.
When one analytically examines these dhammas and their distinctions, that knowledge is:
Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
The Four Noble Truths
“Dukkhe ñāṇaṃ atthapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge regarding suffering (dukkha) is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
“Dukkhasamudaye ñāṇaṃ dhammapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge regarding the origin of suffering (dukkhasamudaya) is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
“Dukkhanirodhe ñāṇaṃ atthapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge regarding the cessation of suffering (dukkhanirodha) is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
“Dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṃ dhammapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge regarding the path leading to the cessation of suffering (dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā) is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
“Hetumhi ñāṇaṃ dhammapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge of a cause (hetu) is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
“Hetuphale ñāṇaṃ atthapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge of the result of a cause (hetuphala) is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
“Ye dhammā jātā bhūtā sañjātā nibbattā abhinibbattā pātubhūtā…”
“Those dhammas that have arisen, come into being, been produced, generated, manifested…”
Knowledge regarding those arisen phenomena is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
Then:
“Yamhā dhammā te dhammā jātā…”Knowledge of the dhammas from which those phenomena arose is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
Aging and Death
“Jarāmaraṇe ñāṇaṃ atthapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge of aging and death (jarāmaraṇa) is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
“Jarāmaraṇasamudaye ñāṇaṃ dhammapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge of the origin of aging and death is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
“Jarāmaraṇanirodhe ñāṇaṃ atthapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge of the cessation of aging and death is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
“Jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṃ dhammapaṭisambhidā”
Knowledge of the path leading to that cessation is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
Birth
Likewise:
“Jātiyā ñāṇaṃ…”
Knowledge regarding birth (jāti) is Atthapaṭisambhidā.
The cause producing birth is Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
The same pattern continues for:
- Bhava (becoming)
- Upādāna (clinging)
- Taṇhā (craving)
- Vedanā (feeling)
- Phassa (contact)
- Saḷāyatana (six sense bases)
- Nāmarūpa (mind-and-matter)
- Viññāṇa (consciousness)
- Saṅkhārā (formations)
The arising side is treated as Dhamma, while the resulting side is treated as Attha.
“Idha bhikkhu dhammaṃ jānāti…”
“Here a bhikkhu knows Dhamma.”
He knows:
- Sutta
- Geyya
- Veyyākaraṇa
- Gāthā
- Udāna
- Itivuttaka
- Jātaka
- Abbhutadhamma
- Vedalla
These are the nine divisions of the Buddha’s teaching.
This is called:
Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
Atthapaṭisambhidā
Then:
“So tassa tasseva bhāsitassa atthaṃ jānāti…”
“He knows the meaning of each particular teaching.”
He understands:
“This is the meaning of this discourse.”
“This is the meaning of that discourse.”
This is called:
Atthapaṭisambhidā.
Example:
“Katame dhammā kusalā?”
“Which dhammas are wholesome?”
When a sense-sphere wholesome consciousness (kāmāvacara kusala citta) arises associated with joy (somanassa) and wisdom (ñāṇasampayutta), together with contact (phassa), feeling (vedanā), concentration, non-distraction (avikkhepa), and so forth—
these are called: Kusalā dhammā (wholesome dhammas).
Knowledge regarding those wholesome dhammas is: Dhammapaṭisambhidā.
Knowledge regarding their result (vipāka) is: Atthapaṭisambhidā.
“Tatra dhammaniruttābhilāpe ñāṇan” means: with regard to that meaning (attha) and that dhamma (dhamma), there is a natural expression (sabhāvanirutti), an unfailing conventional usage (abyabhicārivohāra). When one reviews (paccavekkhati) that utterance (abhilāpa), speech (bhāsana), or verbal expression (udīraṇa), taking as object the sound of that natural expression (sabhāvaniruttisadda), one knows concerning that expression: “This is a natural expression (ayaṃ sabhāvanirutti); this is not a natural expression (ayaṃ na sabhāvanirutti).” The knowledge that discerns distinctions within that natural expression, which is called the language of dhammas (dhammanirutti), namely the Māgadhikā language, the root language (mūlabhāsā) of all beings according to this commentary, is called Niruttipaṭisambhidā (Analytical Knowledge of Language).
Thus this Niruttipaṭisambhidā is said to have sound (sadda) as its object, not conceptual designation (paññatti) as its object. Why? Because, upon hearing a sound, one knows: “This is the natural expression; this is not the natural expression.” A person who has attained Paṭisambhidā knows, when the word “phasso” (“contact”) is spoken, “This is the natural expression.” But if one says “phassā” or “phassaṃ”, he knows, “This is not the natural expression.” The same principle applies to terms such as vedanā (feeling) and the others.
One might ask whether such a person also knows other linguistic forms, such as nouns (nāma), verbs (ākhyāta), prefixes (upasagga), particles (nipāta), and letters or syllables (byañjana). Certainly he does. For insofar as he can determine upon hearing a sound, “This is the natural expression; this is not the natural expression,” to that extent he can also know those forms. However, the commentator rejects the idea that this is the special function (kicca) of Paṭisambhidā itself. Instead, he explains how beings ordinarily learn language.
Beings learn language through acquisition. Parents place a young child upon a bed or seat, and while speaking among themselves and carrying out various activities, the child gradually learns to distinguish meanings, thinking: “By this word, this was meant; by that word, that was meant.” As time passes, the child comes to know the entire language. If the mother is Tamil-speaking (damiḷī) and the father is Andhra-speaking (andhako), then if the child first hears the speech of the mother, he will speak Tamil. If he first hears the speech of the father, he will speak the Andhra language. But if he hears neither of their speech, according to this traditional commentarial view, he would speak the Māgadhikā language.
Even a person born in a great forest (mahāarañña) where there is no village and no one at all speaking would, by his own natural disposition (attano dhammatāya), produce speech in Māgadhikā alone, according to the commentator. In hell (niraya), among animals (tiracchānayoni), among ghosts (pettivisaya), in the human world (manussaloka), and in the deva world (devaloka), Māgadhikā is said to predominate everywhere. The other languages—such as those of the Oṭṭas, Kirātas, Andhakas, Yonakas, and Damiḷas—change and vary. But this Māgadhikā language alone, which is identified with the true expression (yathābhucca), the language of Brahmā (brahmavohāra), and the language of the Noble Ones (ariyavohāra), does not change.
The Fully Self-Awakened Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) also established the Tipiṭaka, the Buddha’s teaching (buddhavacana), in the Māgadhikā language. Why? Because in this way the meaning (attha) can be grasped more easily. For those who have attained Paṭisambhidā, merely hearing the Buddha’s words preserved in Māgadhikā is already a lengthy process; as soon as the sound strikes the ear, the meaning appears through hundreds and thousands of methods (naya). But if the text is preserved in another language, it must be repeatedly studied and worked over in order to be learned. Even after learning much, an ordinary worldling (puthujjana) does not attain Paṭisambhidā merely through study, whereas a Noble Disciple (ariyasāvaka) who possesses Paṭisambhidā is never without it.
Paṭibhānapaṭisambhidā
“Ñāṇesu ñāṇan” (“knowledge regarding knowledges”) means the knowledge that, taking all-encompassing knowledge (sabbatthakañāṇa) as its object and reviewing it, discerns distinctions within that knowledge. Or, with respect to the three previously mentioned knowledges (Attha-, Dhamma-, and Nirutti-paṭisambhidā), it is the knowledge that extends over them in terms of their sphere (gocara), function (kicca), and other aspects. This is called Paṭibhānapaṭisambhidā, the Analytical Knowledge of Eloquence or Inspired Understanding.
The Four Paṭisambhidās and Their Two Levels
These four Paṭisambhidās should be understood as reaching their full differentiation in two domains (dvīsu ṭhānesu) and becoming clear and refined (visadā) through five causes. In what two domains do they reach full differentiation? In the domain of trainees (sekkhabhūmi) and in the domain of those beyond training (asekkhabhūmi).
Among great elders such as Venerable Sāriputta, Mahāmoggallāna, Mahākassapa, Mahākaccāyana, and Mahākoṭṭhita, and indeed among the eighty great disciples, the Paṭisambhidās reached their full development in the asekkhabhūmi, the stage of arahantship where training is complete. On the other hand, for figures such as Venerable Ānanda, the householder Citta, the lay follower Dhammika, the householder Upāli, and the laywoman Khujjuttarā, the Paṭisambhidās reached differentiation while still in the sekkhabhūmi, the stage of a noble disciple who is still training. Thus the four Paṭisambhidās attain their development in these two domains: the trainee stage and the stage beyond training.
These are the causes for attaining the four Patisambhidas, explained in the commentary to the Patisambhidamagga:
“By which five causes do the Paṭisambhidās become clear and refined (visadā)?” They become clear through five causes: adhigama (attainment), pariyatti (study of the teachings), savana (hearing the Dhamma), paripucchā (questioning and investigation), and pubbayoga (previous cultivation). Among these, adhigama means the attainment of arahantship. For one who has attained arahantship, the Paṭisambhidās become clear and refined. Pariyatti means the Buddha’s teaching (buddhavacana); for one who learns and masters it, the Paṭisambhidās become clear. Savana means hearing the True Dhamma (saddhamma); for one who listens carefully and attentively to the Dhamma, the Paṭisambhidās become clear. Paripucchā means inquiry into difficult points, meanings, and explanations found in the Pāḷi, commentaries, and related texts; for one who asks questions and investigates the meaning of what has been learned, the Paṭisambhidās become clear. Pubbayoga means practice carried out in the dispensations of previous Buddhas, consisting of meditation practice (yogāvacaratā) and the cultivation of insight (vipassanā) extending up to the vicinity of anuloma and gotrabhū knowledge. For one who possesses such previous cultivation, the Paṭisambhidās become clear. Thus the Paṭisambhidās become refined through these five causes.
Among these causes, however, pariyatti (study), savana (hearing), and paripucchā (questioning) are especially strong causes for the differentiation (pabheda) of the Paṭisambhidās. Pubbayoga is a powerful supporting condition for adhigama (realization). One may ask whether it is also a cause for the differentiation of the Paṭisambhidās. It is, but not in the same way. Study, hearing, and questioning may or may not have been undertaken previously; however, without the contemplation of conditioned phenomena (saṅkhārasammasana) performed through previous cultivation, both in former lives and in the present, Paṭisambhidā does not arise. These two groups of causes together support and clarify the Paṭisambhidās.
Some teachers give another list of conditions for Paṭisambhidā:
Pubbayogo bāhusaccaṃ, desabhāsā ca āgamo;
Paripucchā adhigamo, garusannissayo tathā;
Mittasampatti cevāti, paṭisambhidapaccayā.“Previous cultivation, extensive learning, knowledge of languages, scriptural mastery, questioning, realization, reliance upon teachers, and good friendship—these are conditions for Paṭisambhidā.”
Here, pubbayoga is as already explained. Bāhusacca means proficiency in various sciences, disciplines, and fields of knowledge. Desabhāsā means skill in many languages and forms of expression, especially expertise in Māgadhikā. Āgama means learning and mastering the Buddha’s teaching, even if only as little as a single chapter such as the Opammavagga. Paripucchā means asking for clarification even concerning the meaning of a single verse. Adhigama means attainment of any noble stage: stream-entry (sotāpatti), once-returning (sakadāgāmitā), non-returning (anāgāmitā), or arahantship (arahatta). Garusannissaya means dwelling in dependence upon teachers rich in learning and eloquence. Mittasampatti means obtaining noble and suitable friends of that kind.
Among these, Buddhas and Paccekabuddhas attain Paṭisambhidā through reliance upon only two factors: previous cultivation (pubbayoga) and realization (adhigama). Disciples (sāvakā), however, rely upon all these causes. Furthermore, there is no separate meditation subject (kammaṭṭhāna) specifically practiced for the attainment of Paṭisambhidā. Rather, for trainees (sekkha), Paṭisambhidā arises at the culmination of the fruits and liberations belonging to the trainee stage; for arahants (asekkha), it arises at the culmination of the fruits and liberations of the arahant stage. Just as the Ten Powers (dasa bala) arise for the Tathāgata through Buddhahood itself, so too the Paṭisambhidās arise for noble disciples through the noble fruits (ariyaphala) themselves.
Because this work is the path (magga) leading to these four Paṭisambhidās, it is called the Paṭisambhidāmagga. The treatise itself is called the Paṭisambhidāmaggappakaraṇa. It is termed a pakaraṇa (“treatise”) because within it profound meanings, distinguished by many classifications and analyses, are systematically explained.
This Paṭisambhidāmaggappakaraṇa is complete in both meaning (attha) and expression (byañjana). It is profound and concerned with profound meanings. It reveals supramundane realities (lokuttara), is connected with emptiness (suññatā), establishes special attainments arising from practice, and removes what opposes the practice. It is a treasury of precious knowledge for meditators (yogāvacara), and a source of excellence and brilliance for Dhamma teachers. For those frightened by saṃsāra, it points out the escape from suffering and generates reassurance by showing the path to liberation while destroying the causes opposed to it. It delights the hearts of the wise by explaining the deep meanings of many passages from the Suttas.
This treatise was spoken by the Venerable Sāriputta Thera, the Dhamma-General (Dhammasenāpati), whose mind was softened by great compassion for all beings and illuminated by the unobstructed light of omniscient knowledge belonging to the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened Buddha. Desiring that the great lamp of the True Dhamma should continue to shine unceasingly for five thousand years through the nourishment of explanation and exposition, and acting out of compassion for the world, he expounded it. Having heard it, the Venerable Ānanda included it in the First Great Recitation (Paṭhama Mahāsaṅgīti) exactly as he had heard it.
This work belongs, among the three Piṭakas—Vinayapiṭaka, Suttantapiṭaka, and Abhidhammapiṭaka—to the Suttantapiṭaka. Among the five Nikāyas—Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta, Aṅguttara, and Khuddaka—it belongs to the Khuddakanikāya. Among the nine divisions of the Buddha’s dispensation (sāsanaṅga), namely Sutta, Geyya, Veyyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Jātaka, Abbhutadhamma, and Vedalla, it is included principally under the categories of Geyya and Veyyākaraṇa.
The commentator then cites Venerable Ānanda’s famous verse:
“Dvāsīti buddhato gaṇhiṃ, dve sahassāni bhikkhuto;
Caturāsīti sahassāni, ye me dhammā pavattino.”“I learned eighty-two thousand teachings from the Buddha and two thousand from the bhikkhus; thus eighty-four thousand teachings have been transmitted to me.”
Among those eighty-four thousand Dhamma-aggregates (dhammakkhandha), this treatise is included within the two thousand learned from the bhikkhus and contains many hundreds of Dhamma-aggregates. It is divided into three sections (vagga): the Mahāvagga, Majjhimavagga, and Cūḷavagga. Each section contains ten groups, and altogether there are thirty discussions (kathā), beginning with the Ñāṇakathā and ending with the Mātikākathā. The commentator announces that he will now explain, in sequence, the meanings of the words and passages of this extensively arranged treatise. Because of its profundity and because it is intended for the welfare of the world and the long preservation of the Dhamma, it should be carefully studied, recited, taught, learned, and retained.
Finally, the commentator asks why the Ñāṇakathā (“Discussion of Knowledge”) is placed first among the thirty discussions. The reason is that knowledge (ñāṇa) is the beginning of practice because it purifies the defilements that obstruct the path. For the Blessed One said:
“Therefore, bhikkhu, first purify the wholesome states. And what is the beginning of wholesome states? Well-purified virtue and right view.”
Here “ujukā diṭṭhi” (“straight/right view”) refers to sammādiṭṭhi, right view, which is a form of knowledge (ñāṇa). Therefore the Ñāṇakathā is rightly placed at the very beginning of the treatise.
Furthermore, it has been said:
*“Therein, bhikkhus, Right View (sammādiṭṭhi) is the forerunner. And how, bhikkhus, is Right View the forerunner? One understands Right View as ‘Right View,’ and understands Wrong View (micchādiṭṭhi) as ‘Wrong View.’ This is his Right View. One understands Right Intention (sammāsaṅkappa) as ‘Right Intention,’ and Wrong Intention as ‘Wrong Intention.’ One understands Right Speech (sammāvācā) as ‘Right Speech,’ and Wrong Speech as ‘Wrong Speech.’ One understands Right Action (sammākammanta) as ‘Right Action,’ and Wrong Action as ‘Wrong Action.’ One understands Right Livelihood (sammāājīva) as ‘Right Livelihood,’ and Wrong Livelihood as ‘Wrong Livelihood.’ One understands Right Effort (sammāvāyāma) as ‘Right Effort,’ and Wrong Effort as ‘Wrong Effort.’ One understands Right Mindfulness (sammāsati) as ‘Right Mindfulness,’ and Wrong Mindfulness as ‘Wrong Mindfulness.’ One understands Right Concentration (sammāsamādhi) as ‘Right Concentration,’ and Wrong Concentration as ‘Wrong Concentration.’ This is his Right View.” (MN 117 and parallels)
Because, when Right View—which functions as the forerunner (pubbaṅgama)—has been established, one also comes to know the nature of wrong views as wrong views, the discussion of knowledge (Ñāṇakathā) was placed at the beginning in order first to purify and clarify the knowledge called Right View.
Furthermore, it is said:
“But, Udāyi, let the view concerning the past (pubbanta) be; let the view concerning the future (aparanta) be. I shall teach you the Dhamma: ‘When this exists, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be; with the cessation of this, that ceases.’” (MN 38)
Because, setting aside speculative views about the past and future, the Buddha here speaks only of knowledge of conditionality (idappaccayatā), the Discussion of Knowledge (Ñāṇakathā) is placed first.
Furthermore, it is said:
“Enough, Subhadda! Let be the question, ‘Did all those ascetics and brahmins realize the truth according to their own claims, or did none of them realize it, or did some realize it while others did not?’ I shall teach you the Dhamma, Subhadda. Listen carefully and attend closely; I shall speak.” (DN 16)
Because the Blessed One set aside the various doctrines and debates of the many ascetics and brahmins and instead taught the Noble Eightfold Path (ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo), and because within that Noble Eightfold Path the knowledge called Right View (sammādiṭṭhi-saṅkhāta ñāṇa) is chief, the Discussion of Knowledge is placed at the beginning.
Furthermore, it is said:
“Bhikkhus, there are these four factors of stream-entry (sotāpattiyaṅga): association with good persons (sappurisasaṃseva), hearing the true Dhamma (saddhammassavana), wise attention (yoniso manasikāra), and practice in accordance with the Dhamma (dhammānudhammapaṭipatti).”
And:
“Having faith, one approaches. Approaching, one associates closely. Associating closely, one lends ear. Having lent ear, one hears the Dhamma. Having heard the Dhamma, one remembers it. Remembering the Dhamma, one examines the meaning of those teachings with wisdom. Examining the meaning, the teachings become acceptable upon reflection. When they become acceptable upon reflection, desire (chanda) arises. Having desire, one strives. Striving, one weighs and investigates. Having weighed and investigated, one exerts himself. Being diligent, he realizes the ultimate truth (paramatthasacca) with the body and penetrates it with wisdom and sees it.” (MN 95, MN 107)
And again:
“Here a Tathāgata arises in the world … he teaches the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end…” (DN 2 and elsewhere)
Since many such passages from the Suttas show, in proper sequence, that knowledge beginning with knowledge born of hearing (sutamaya ñāṇa) comes first, therefore the Discussion of Knowledge is placed at the beginning.
This Ñāṇakathā is arranged in two ways: by summary statement (uddesa) and by detailed exposition (niddesa).
In the summary section, seventy-three kinds of knowledge (tesattati ñāṇāni) are listed in the form of a matrix (mātikā), beginning with:
“The wisdom connected with attentive listening (sotāvadhāna) is knowledge born of hearing (sutamaya ñāṇa).”
In the detailed exposition, those same seventy-three knowledges are explained at length. For example:
*“How is the wisdom connected with attentive listening knowledge born of hearing? The attentive listening that understands ‘These dhammas should be directly known (abhiññeyyā)’ is attentive listening; the wisdom that understands that is knowledge born of hearing.”
Thus the seventy-three kinds of knowledge that were first stated briefly are later explained in detail.
End of the Introductory Discussion
Ganthārambhakathā niṭṭhitā.
“The Introductory Discussion is finished.”