The Second Treatise on the Perfections – 2768 

 

They also know matters concerning worldly living: “This act will prolong one’s 
life; this act will shorten one’s life.” Such persons cannot be said to be entirely 
devoid of wisdom. One should cultivate association with them too. 

In item 5 also, by defining a wise person as one who is possessed of the 50 
characteristics of the knowledge of arising and falling (

udayabbaya-ñāṇa

), the 

commentator is referring by way of excellence (

ukkaṭṭha-naya

) only to the wise 

who are most highly advanced in insight meditation. 

But with regard to acquiring knowledge, the Buddha had expounded in the 
Chronicles of the Buddhas (

Buddha-vaṁsa

): “Taking the example of a monastic 

going on alms round to all the houses in serial order without discrimination, a 
learner should approach whoever can answer his questions, regardless of his 
social or educational status. Therefore, he should avoid only a totally ignorant 
one and approach all who can help him in his quest of knowledge.” 

In short, avoiding only those who are completely incapable of answering any 
questions, one should associate with those who can furnish him with even the 
slightest information he is seeking. 

[1612]

 

According to the Chronicles of the Buddhas (

Buddha-vaṁsa

), in acquiring 

wisdom, one should first ask and learn from the wise to develop wisdom through 
hearing (

suta-maya-paññā

). Then, if one is not clear about any point, one should 

reflect on it and think about it, and thus develop wisdom by means of thinking 
(

cintā-maya-paññā

). 

In the discourse to the Kālāmas (

Kesa-mutti-sutta

, AN 3.66), the Buddha was 

told by them that many teachers visited their place, that all of these visiting 
teachers praised only their own doctrines, denouncing and condemning others 
and that they had doubt and perplexity as to which doctrine to accept and follow. 
The Buddha’s reply to them may be summarized as “you should accept the 
doctrine which you find, after due consideration, to be free of fault.” 

This discourse shows that one should first acquire wisdom through hearing 
(

suta-maya-paññā

) by listening to the talks of teachers and then think over 

which doctrine is blameless by using wisdom by means of thinking (

cintā-maya-

paññā

). 

Moreover, in the Long Birth Story about Dhammapāla (

Mahā-Dhammapāla-

jātaka

, Ja 447), when the great teacher of Takkasilā went in person to the village 

of Dhammapāla to find out why the young people of the village did not die