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Tevijjasutta

The Three Knowledges

Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:
This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

“Dhammenāhaṁ, bhikkhave, tevijjaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ paññāpemi, nāññaṁ lapitalāpanamattena.
“Mendicants, I define a brahmin in terms of the teaching as one who is master of the three knowledges, not the other who merely repeats what they are told.

Kathañcāhaṁ, bhikkhave, dhammena tevijjaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ paññāpemi, nāññaṁ lapitalāpanamattena?
How so?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁ—ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo tissopi jātiyo catassopi jātiyo pañcapi jātiyo dasapi jātiyo vīsampi jātiyo tiṁsampi jātiyo cattālīsampi jātiyo paññāsampi jātiyo jātisatampi jātisahassampi jātisatasahassampi anekepi saṁvaṭṭakappe anekepi vivaṭṭakappe anekepi saṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe: ‘amutrāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto. So tato cuto amutra udapādiṁ. Tatrāpāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto. So tato cuto idhūpapanno’ti. Iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati.
It’s when a mendicant recollects many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Ayamassa paṭhamā vijjā adhigatā hoti, avijjā vihatā, vijjā uppannā, tamo vihato, āloko uppanno, yathā taṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.
This is the first knowledge they achieved. Ignorance was destroyed and knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti: ‘ime vata bhonto sattā kāyaduccaritena samannāgatā vacīduccaritena samannāgatā manoduccaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ upavādakā micchādiṭṭhikā micchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā. Te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannā. Ime vā pana bhonto sattā kāyasucaritena samannāgatā vacīsucaritena samannāgatā manosucaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ anupavādakā sammādiṭṭhikā sammādiṭṭhikammasamādānā. Te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannā’ti. Iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti.
Furthermore, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, a mendicant sees sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds: ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They denounced the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never denounced the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to act out of that right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds.

Ayamassa dutiyā vijjā adhigatā hoti, avijjā vihatā, vijjā uppannā, tamo vihato, āloko uppanno, yathā taṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.
This is the second knowledge they achieved. Ignorance was destroyed and knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.
Furthermore, a mendicant realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.

Ayamassa tatiyā vijjā adhigatā hoti, avijjā vihatā, vijjā uppannā, tamo vihato, āloko uppanno, yathā taṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.
This is the third knowledge which they achieved. Ignorance was destroyed and knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.

Evaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, dhammena tevijjaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ paññāpemi, nāññaṁ lapitalāpanamattenā”ti.
That’s how I define a brahmin in terms of the teaching as one who is master of the three knowledges, not the other who merely repeats what they are told.”

Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.
The Buddha spoke this matter.

Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:
On this it is said:

“Pubbenivāsaṁ yoveti,
“One who knows their past lives,

saggāpāyañca passati;
sees heaven and places of loss,

Atho jātikkhayaṁ patto,
and has attained the end of rebirth,

abhiññāvosito muni.
is a sage of perfect insight.

Etāhi tīhi vijjāhi,
Because of these three knowledges

tevijjo hoti brāhmaṇo;
a brahmin is a master of the three knowledges.

Tamahaṁ vadāmi tevijjaṁ,
That’s who I call a three-knowledge master,

nāññaṁ lapitalāpanan”ti.
and not the other <j>who repeats what they are told.”

Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.
This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.

Dasamaṁ.

Pañcamo vaggo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Pasāda jīvita saṅghāṭi,

aggi upaparikkhayā;

Upapatti kāma kalyāṇaṁ,

dānaṁ dhammena te dasāti.

Tikanipāto niṭṭhito.