Miscellaneous Topics – 2335
The 18 Attributes of the Buddha
The Four Kinds of Analytical Knowledge
It has been said above that as soon as the Buddha attained Perfect Awakening,
he became possessed of the four kinds of analytical knowledge. These four
knowledges are:
1. The analytic knowledge of meaning (
attha-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
).
2. The analytic knowledge of phenomena (
dhamma-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
).
3. The analytic knowledge of language (
nirutti-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
).
4. The analytic knowledge of intuition (
paṭibhāna-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
).
Paṭisambhidā
means multifarious, diverse, various. Analytic knowledge
(
paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
) means knowledge which is discriminating and
comprehensive.
1. The analytic knowledge of meaning (
attha-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
). Herein
meaning (
attha
) means: 1) Meanings that are dependent on conditions,
understanding the results of causes; 2) Nibbāna; 3) the meaning of words; 4) the
meaning associated with resultant thoughts (
vipāka
) with their mind and mental
concomitants, 5) the meaning associated with non-causative thoughts (
kiriya
)
with their mind and mental concomitants.
The Buddha became endowed with the above five kinds of meaning (
attha
) as
soon as he become a Buddha. Being endowed with the analytical knowledge of
meaning, the Buddha knew discriminately and comprehensively about
everything, and was able to expound these to others. The great non-causative
consciousness (
mahā-kiriya-ñāṇa
) associated with the four kinds of knowledge
that arise in the Buddha when his mind attends to the above five meanings, as
well as path and fruit that he knows when his mind attends to Nibbāna, are
called the analytic knowledge of meaning (
attha-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
) of the
Buddha.
Thus, the analytic knowledge of meaning (
attha-paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa
) of the
noble ones (
ariya
), who are still training themselves to become Arahats, such as
that of Ven. Ānanda, consists of the great meritorious consciousness (
mahā-
kusala-citta
), associated with the four kinds of knowledge that arises in
[1163]