There are three stages in the development of pañña, of wisdom.
The first is suta-maya pañña, wisdom acquired by hearing or reading the words of another.
This received wisdom is very helpful in order to set one in the proper direction. However, by itself it cannot liberate, because in fact it is only a borrowed wisdom. One accepts it as true perhaps out of blind faith, or perhaps out of aversion, in the fear that disbelieving will lead one to hell, or perhaps out of craving, in the hope that believing will lead one to heaven. But in any case, it is not one’s own wisdom.
The function of received wisdom should be to lead to the next stage: cinta-maya pañña, intellectual understanding.
Rationally one examines what one has heard or read, to see whether it is logical, practical, beneficial; if so, then one accepts it. This rational understanding is also important, but it can be very dangerous if it is regarded as an end in itself. Someone develops his intellectual knowledge, and decides that therefore he is a very wise person. All that he learns serves only to inflate his ego; he is far away from liberation.
The proper function of intellectual understanding is to lead to the next stage; bhavana-maya pañña, the wisdom that develops within oneself, at the experiential level.
This is real wisdom. Received wisdom and intellectual understanding are very useful if they give one inspiration and guidance to take the next step. However, it is only experiential wisdom that can liberate, because this is one’s own wisdom, based on one’s own experience.
An example of the three types of wisdom:
a doctor gives a prescription for medicine to a sick man. The man goes home, and out of great faith in his doctor, he recites the prescription every day; this is suta-maya pañña.
Not satisfied with that, the man returns to the doctor, and demands and receives an explanation of the prescription, why it is necessary and how it will work; this is cinta-maya pañña.
Finally the man takes the medicine; only then is his disease eradicated. The benefit comes only from the third step, the bhavana-maya pañña.
http://www.vridhamma.org/The-Discourse-Summaries
The first is suta-maya pañña, wisdom acquired by hearing or reading the words of another.
This received wisdom is very helpful in order to set one in the proper direction. However, by itself it cannot liberate, because in fact it is only a borrowed wisdom. One accepts it as true perhaps out of blind faith, or perhaps out of aversion, in the fear that disbelieving will lead one to hell, or perhaps out of craving, in the hope that believing will lead one to heaven. But in any case, it is not one’s own wisdom.
The function of received wisdom should be to lead to the next stage: cinta-maya pañña, intellectual understanding.
Rationally one examines what one has heard or read, to see whether it is logical, practical, beneficial; if so, then one accepts it. This rational understanding is also important, but it can be very dangerous if it is regarded as an end in itself. Someone develops his intellectual knowledge, and decides that therefore he is a very wise person. All that he learns serves only to inflate his ego; he is far away from liberation.
The proper function of intellectual understanding is to lead to the next stage; bhavana-maya pañña, the wisdom that develops within oneself, at the experiential level.
This is real wisdom. Received wisdom and intellectual understanding are very useful if they give one inspiration and guidance to take the next step. However, it is only experiential wisdom that can liberate, because this is one’s own wisdom, based on one’s own experience.
An example of the three types of wisdom:
a doctor gives a prescription for medicine to a sick man. The man goes home, and out of great faith in his doctor, he recites the prescription every day; this is suta-maya pañña.
Not satisfied with that, the man returns to the doctor, and demands and receives an explanation of the prescription, why it is necessary and how it will work; this is cinta-maya pañña.
Finally the man takes the medicine; only then is his disease eradicated. The benefit comes only from the third step, the bhavana-maya pañña.
http://www.vridhamma.org/The-Discourse-Summaries
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