What is wisdom?

[nichiren-123]

I read a dhammapada quote (340) earlier:

Everywhere these streams are swirling,
up-bursting creepers (craving) rooted firm.
Seeing the craving-creeper there
with wisdom cut its root!

And this raises a question for me: What does 'wisdom' mean as a buddhist concept?

What exactly are we using to cut the roots of craving?

[2600htz]

Hello:

Wisdom in buddhism means understanding the 4 noble truths and dependent origination.
Shortly stated: "understanding what is stress and how to experience the cessation of stress".

Regards.

[CedarTree]

I read a dhammapada quote (340) earlier:

Everywhere these streams are swirling,
up-bursting creepers (craving) rooted firm.
Seeing the craving-creeper there
with wisdom cut its root!

And this raises a question for me: What does 'wisdom' mean as a buddhist concept?

What exactly are we using to cut the roots of craving?

Wisdom is almost an ability. The ability of other well developed factors to than see through delusion.

Wisdom penetrates into Dharma and see's things as they are.

Wisdom in Theravada is usually presented in the context of the five spiritual faculties. It is the fifth and the others are the developed factors needed for it's utilization.

hope this helps friend

[Caodemarte]

Hello:

Wisdom in buddhism means understanding the 4 noble truths and dependent origination.
Shortly stated: "understanding what is stress and how to experience the cessation of stress".

Regards.

It can also be understood as non-conceptual insight.

[befriend]

It can mean seeing clearly things like impermanence unsatisfactoriness and non self.

[BasementBuddhist]

Knowledge is knowing a Tomato is a fruit

Wisdom is knowing not to put it in fruit salad.

[paul]

"The training in wisdom centers on the development of insight (vipassana-bhavana), a deep and comprehensive seeing into the nature of existence which fathoms the truth of our being in the only sphere where it is directly accessible to us, namely, in our own experience. Normally we are immersed in our experience, identified with it so completely that we do not comprehend it. We live it but fail to understand its nature. Due to this blindness experience comes to be misconstrued, worked upon by the delusions of permanence, pleasure, and self. "---"The Noble Eightfold Path", Bikkhu Bodhi.

[TreeSleeper]

Wisdom, the Highest Virtue. Wisdom, with it, you will free yourself.

Wisdom means to "see" things in a new way. It can also mean to realize something.

The purpose of "wisdom contemplation" is to come to this new way of "seeing".
Such as when one is investigating the body, seeing it as suffering, loathsome, ugly, in pieces, impermanent, and not-self, one will eventually "see" the body in these ways. You will see that body as disgusting, something which is a burden, something that is destructible. One may see other peoples bodies as just "bodies" and not people. Inanimate object walking around. Other people may take on a "disgusting" appearance, like one is looking at a dead body. The purpose is to drop attachments, once you see in this way, you'll know for certain that the body is not self.

Or if one investigates sight, one can realize and see that everything is just a collection of colors and shapes. There's no depth to anything or distance in seeing. Everything is just there all at the same time. The mountains are as near to you as your nose so you don't really need to go hiking or seeking "far" away things. It's already near you. That's another kind of "seeing" one can come to through wisdom.

Another level of wisdom is when you realize a solution to a problem through thought based reasoning. Once you have an insight into how some aspect of your mind works or why suffering is arising , that "wisdom" will cut off that cause of suffering.

One can investigate, what is the body? What is sense-consciousness? Why do I feel painful and pleasant feelings? Why do I crave things? Etc. If one manages to investigate properly, real insights can be acquired, and attachment will fall away.

[cjmacie]

In a book by B. Gunaratana, I was once s/w surprised to read a definition of 'wisdom' as basically an established realization of anicca (inconstancy). Arguably that infers, leads to total relinquishment of tanha, upadana, etc., and towards ultimate unbinding.

[justindesilva]

From what I understand wisdom is understanding life and its involvement with Loba, Dosa, moha. For this achievement we have to perceive life with sila of disciplining the word and action while achieving an insight in to data through Samadhi. Samadhi of course is an achievement to be gained with meditation samatha and insight. All these are explained in the dammacakkapavattsna sutta and further explained in other sutta of tripitaka.
Wisdom brings in enlightenment to get rid of dukka and experience anatta in to the state if nibbana.

[Bundokji]

This is what i imagine it to be. Wisdom is when you no longer driven by desire and pride. It is the end of stubbornness.

[bodom]

"And what does it mean to be consummate in discernment? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is discerning, endowed with discernment of arising and passing away — noble, penetrating, leading to the right ending of stress. This is called being consummate in discernment.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

[phil]

I think it is always a sorting out of harmful and non-harmful, beneficial and non-beneficial etc, staring with concepts of whether people are behaving in a wise way or not, and boiling down through the development of panna to sorting out in the same way the factors that operate in the moment. I think the former (non-harmful behaviour in our dealings with other people) provides a shelter for the more penetrative, liberating wisdom (i.e consummate in discernment) to develop and even if most of us (certainly me) never seem to go beyond that starting point it is still basis for a life well-lived.

[user99]

Wisdom is to so ALWAYS bee a kind human beeing.
Wisdom is to know whats wrong and stupid to do and never do wrong or stupid things.

[Idappaccayata]

I think I've heard thanissaro say that mundane wisdom- wisdom of an unenlightened person is "The ability to give up an immediate happiness for a greater, long term happiness"

[Polar Bear]

If by renouncing a lesser happiness one may realize a greater happiness, let the wise man renounce the lesser, having regard for the greater. - Dhammapada

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .budd.html

I believe this principle, if adopted and made much of, will gradually lead one all the way to the happiness that is Nibbāna.

[mal4mac]

I read a dhammapada quote (340) earlier:

Everywhere these streams are swirling,
up-bursting creepers (craving) rooted firm.
Seeing the craving-creeper there
with wisdom cut its root!

And this raises a question for me: What does 'wisdom' mean as a buddhist concept?

What exactly are we using to cut the roots of craving?

From what I've read, we should use insight to cut the roots of craving. This is recognition of the suffering, impermanence, and no self of anything that comes to mind.

For instance you may crave to go to bed with a particular woman, but she isn't interested in you. By observing this craving you see (i) the suffering this unsatisfied craving causes; (ii) that such sexual satisfaction is not at all necessary to your well being, it is no part of your best self; (iii) it is impermanent. One moment you crave this woman, the next you are thinking of dinner, or (best of all) you are deep in meditation and not holding on to any impermanent thing.

The last paragraph is how I try and apply wisdom, and I do often find myself suffering less, so it is (at least) a somewhat wise move on my part to do this kind of thing. The more experienced here might like to chip in and extend/correct my understanding. For instance, I am not sure my understanding of "no self" is water tight! I try to look at things like "lust for a particular unattainable women" as not part of my ultimate/best/core self (and even consider this "best self" as impermanent.) I hope this is a reasonable staging post on the way to to seeing that I have, really, no self at all.

With "with wisdom cut its root" we have a metaphor, from the Buddha himself, of his insight being like a knife. I think my insight is a much more blunt instrument. That is, I look at upsetting objects of consciousness, I try (gently) to let go, try to see, or otherwise determine, impermanence/no self/suffering, and hope the upsetting object will just melt away like dank fog. So it's more like seeking creepers with a dim torch, tearing away the very few pieces I can tear with my bare hands, and just deciding to put up with the tougher creepers, and hope they eventually just go away.

This alleviates suffering somewhat, I think, but it's a slow process, and the same old creepers keep on coming back.

So how do we get this insight that cuts like a knife? How do we get rid of these creepers once and for all? How do we cut back down to the root?

[Unexist]

Wisdom is that which cut assunder the tree of Samsara, literally the unbinding of name&form.

It's like pool of cool degree of water, instantly poured into the blazing fire. Afterwards fire is extinguished and burnt ashes(name) and evaporated smoke(form) can be clearly seen. It's a state of freedom or Nirvana or declutched or primeval state.

Wisdom really means "How" that unbinding occur.

And that how is Eightfold path or stream of cool water or satguru or pure counsiousness.

But remember that stream is only temporary, only for it's purpose to cut the root cause. Afterwards the doctor departs when pateint been healed by relief from every disease.

Hope this simple understanding help! May all living being happy and arrive to unbinding.

[Saengnapha]

I read a dhammapada quote (340) earlier:

Everywhere these streams are swirling,
up-bursting creepers (craving) rooted firm.
Seeing the craving-creeper there
with wisdom cut its root!

And this raises a question for me: What does 'wisdom' mean as a buddhist concept?

What exactly are we using to cut the roots of craving?

From what I've read, we should use insight to cut the roots of craving. This is recognition of the suffering, impermanence, and no self of anything that comes to mind.

For instance you may crave to go to bed with a particular woman, but she isn't interested in you. By observing this craving you see (i) the suffering this unsatisfied craving causes; (ii) that such sexual satisfaction is not at all necessary to your well being, it is no part of your best self; (iii) it is impermanent. One moment you crave this woman, the next you are thinking of dinner, or (best of all) you are deep in meditation and not holding on to any impermanent thing.

The last paragraph is how I try and apply wisdom, and I do often find myself suffering less, so it is (at least) a somewhat wise move on my part to do this kind of thing. The more experienced here might like to chip in and extend/correct my understanding. For instance, I am not sure my understanding of "no self" is water tight! I try to look at things like "lust for a particular unattainable women" as not part of my ultimate/best/core self (and even consider this "best self" as impermanent.) I hope this is a reasonable staging post on the way to to seeing that I have, really, no self at all.

With "with wisdom cut its root" we have a metaphor, from the Buddha himself, of his insight being like a knife. I think my insight is a much more blunt instrument. That is, I look at upsetting objects of consciousness, I try (gently) to let go, try to see, or otherwise determine, impermanence/no self/suffering, and hope the upsetting object will just melt away like dank fog. So it's more like seeking creepers with a dim torch, tearing away the very few pieces I can tear with my bare hands, and just deciding to put up with the tougher creepers, and hope they eventually just go away.

This alleviates suffering somewhat, I think, but it's a slow process, and the same old creepers keep on coming back.

So how do we get this insight that cuts like a knife? How do we get rid of these creepers once and for all? How do we cut back down to the root?

Insight takes you to the point of seeing anicca, the inability to maintain anything (some call it impermanence) in all experience, how dissatisfying it really is, and the inability find any refuge or agency in any of it. The cutting of roots is a figurative metaphor. Insight does not cut the roots. Insight is still part of the anicca, the mental formations. It is with disenchantment and dispassion, that one turns away from this endeavor of becoming and the dream of existence.

It seems that most people need to exhaust all their strategies to attain nibbana before disenchantment and dispassion can take place. Somehow, there is still the belief that there is a doer and a done, a task to be completed. This has to abate.

[Unexist]

Senganppa said: wisdom is part of insight!

Many people hold wisdom to non-wisdom. Truth to untruth. Wisdom is Mark to cut the delusion.

Here my friend said it is part of it i.e. root. Upsurd vain the talk later, when the patient been healed he forget the doctor, how mean? The doctor is wisdom or eithfold path or purity and virtue or heavenly path or the lamp who destroy darkness.

When one is surrender to wisdom or Eightfold path or Purity, it happen, and afterwards one forget the path? How cruel is the nature?

For example; A man's face is stucked in beneath the water, he nevertheless cry for help to come out. A helping hand of wisdom came, and hold his head to pull out of the water. Now after that he clearly sees his face is out! So he joyfully run hither and tither, claiming, oh I have got pulled up my face from water, hail to me! Utterly forgot A helping hand?

Now the question, was a helping hand part of the water? Or part of face?
Ask yourself and feel it!