What is "blunt" (mudu) & keen (tikkha) teaching?

Textual Scholarship
2

Dear Citta
we need some background to understand this.
As you know the followers of the Buddha can be classified as 4 types as per the Abhdhamma - Puggala-Pannati.

(see uploaded file)

p.58

  1. What sort of person is quick in acquiring (Ugghàtitannu)?
    The person who comprehends the doctrine at the time of its pronouncement is said to be quick in acquiring.
  2. What sort of person learns by exposition (Vipancitannu)?
    The person to whom comprehension of the doctrine comes when the meaning of what is briefly uttered is analysed in detail.
  3. What sort of person is one who may be led (Neyya)?
    The person to whom comprehension of the doctrine comes by recitation, questioning, and earnest attention and by serving, cultivating and waiting upon lovely friends is one who may be led.
  4. What sort of person is one with whom the word is the chief thing (Padaparama)?
    The person to whom comprehension of doctrine would not come in this life, however much he may hear and say and bear in mind or recite, is said to be one with whom the word is the chief thing.
    Puggala-pannatti_Scan (1).pdf (2.5 MB)

Obviously we are either Padaparama or Neyya. The padaparama may attain next life or a future life, so they should strive to laydown the foundations now by considering and studying etc.

The Netti-pakarana (587):

Tattha Bhagava tikkhindriyassa samatham upadassati, majjhindriyassa Bhagava samathavipassanam upadissati, mudindriyassa Bhagava vipassanam upadassati.

Herein the Blessed one teaches samatha to one of keen faculties; The blessed one teaches samatha and insight to one of medium faculties and the blessed one teaches insight [alone] to one of blunt faculties.

Those with great accumulations or merit can develop by way of samatha - they master jhanas and then develop vipassana. Or ones with medium accumulations of merit can attain via samatha and vipassana.
For the ones with blunt faculties they are taught by insight alone i.e the sukkhavipassaka.

on p.15 of The Guide (english translation of the Netti).

[How it is taught]
41. Herein, the Blessed One teaches escape to a person who gains knowledge by what is condensed( Ugghàtita),
he teaches disappointment and escape to a person who gains knowledge by what is expanded (Vipancita)
he teaches gratification, disappointment, and escape, to a person who is guidable (neyya)

This for us who are Neyya at best we need to contemplate and understand many aspects of the teaching

2 Likes