..续本文上一页ous activities, both in our worldly affairs and in our Dhamma duties, leading us on to the transcendent.

　　To summarize, there are two kinds of concentration:

　　1. That which gives rise to mundane knowledge: This is termed mundane concentration.

　　2. That which helps us to fulfill our duties on the level of the Dhamma, leading to vipassana-ñana or asavakkhaya-ñana, the knowledge that enables us — in accordance with the discernment and cognitive skills that arise — to abandon or cut off completely the mental currents that tend in the direction of the Fetters: This is termed transcendent concentration.

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　　The Third Heading: Discernment

　　Discernment is of three kinds —

　　1. Sutamaya-pañña: discernment that comes from studying.

　　2. Cintamaya-pañña: discernment that comes from reflecting.

　　3. Bhavanamaya-pañña: discernment that comes from developing the mind.

　　Discussion

　　1. Sutamaya-pañña is the discernment that comes from having listened a great deal, like the Venerable Ananda. Listening here, though, includes studying and taking interest in a variety of ways: paying attention, taking notes, asking questions, and taking part in discussions so as to become quick-witted and astute.

　　Education of all kinds comes down to two sorts: (a) learning the basic units, such as the letters of the alphabet, their sound and pronunciation, so as to understand their accepted usage; and (b) learning how to put them together — for instance, how to combine the letters so as to give rise to words and meanings — as when we complete our elementary education so that we won”t be at a loss when we”re called on to read and write in the course of making a living.

　　In the area of the religion, we have to study the letters of the Pali alphabet, their combinations, their meanings and pronunciation. If we don”t understand clearly, we should take an interest in asking questions. If we have trouble memorizing, we should jot down notes as a way of aiding our memory and expanding our concepts. In addition, we have to study by means of our senses. For example, when we see a visual object, we should find out its truth. When we hear sounds or words, we should find out their truth. When we smell an aroma, we should consider it to see what it comes from. We should take an interest in flavors so that we know what they come from, and in tactile sensations — the heat and cold that touch the body — by studying such things as the way weather behaves.

　　All of these forms of education are ways of giving rise to astuteness — both in the area of the world and in the area of the Dhamma — because they constitute a basic level of knowledge, like the primary education offered in schools.

　　2. Cintamaya-pañña refers to thinking and evaluating so as to learn the meaning and truth of one”s beginning education. This level of education draws out the meaning of the knowledge we have gained through studying. When we gain information we should reflect on it until we understand it so that we will be led by our sense of reason and not by gullibility or ignorance. This is like a person who has used his knowledge of the alphabet to gain knowledge from books to complete his secondary education. Such a person has reached the level where he can think things through clearly.

　　In the area of the Dhamma, the same holds true. Once we have learned the basics, we should research and think through the content of the Teaching until we give rise to an understanding so that we can conduct ourselves correctly in line with the methods and aims taught by the sages of the past. This level of discernment is what prepares us to conduct ourselves properly in line with the truths of the Doctrine and Discipline. This is class…

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