What is wisdom?

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Saengnapha
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by Saengnapha »

Unexist wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 7:49 am Senganppa said: wisdom is part of insight!
Did I say that? Please show me.
Unexist
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by Unexist »

Please forgive me, when I say, I don't said with intention to hurt anyone. But wisdom is rather easy to speak what it is not than to speak what it is!

If one really sees, by eyes of wisdom, there are directions if truth and untrue. In front(east) one sees name and form unbounded. But this is the insight into the freedom. Yeah! One is freed!

But one never forget that from which this insight occurs. If one sees rightly then caste your eyes upward(north) , may be at night can clearly percieve that which is not name nor form. It's real wisdom. Buddha term it Anatta. And he termed the Eastern insight of unbinding as Anitya. One has to be very careful between Anatta and Anitya.
nichiren-123
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by nichiren-123 »

Having thought about this for a while, I'd like to give my take on what I think wisdom is:

Wisdom is closely related to emotional intelligence. You can act based on emotional impulses or you can learn to act based on wisdom - that is acting from what you know to be the right thing, without being swayed by your emotions
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Aloka
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by Aloka »

.

Ajahn Sucitto discusses wisdom (pañña) in the following article:

The Unified Path to Freedom

It’s important to remember that the Buddhist path unifies in ethics, meditation and discerning wisdom: sīla, samādhi, and pañña. Sīla, or ethics, includes virtue, integrity, intentions, attitudes and inclinations of the mind that are skilful – and it excludes ones that are unskilful. Samādhi is the deepening stillness that we experience in meditation; it is a focus that is steady and firm. Pañña is wisdom, or discernment: the action of clearly understanding things in line with suffering and the cessation of suffering.

So Buddhist wisdom is something you do. It’s about applying the mind to find out how stress or suffering is caused, how the roots of it are laid down, and how suffering continues if these roots are not looked into. Even if the stress is not agonizing, and the suffering is just manageable discontent, we can either lay down the foundation to continue in the future suffering, refrain from doing that, or clear the premises and habits that trigger unskilful mental action.

Continues at the link:

http://ajahnsucitto.org/articles/the-un ... o-freedom/




:anjali:
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Sam Vara
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by Sam Vara »

nichiren-123 wrote: Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:27 pm 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?
I don't think that wisdom is some other unidentified factor that we need to identify in order to cut the root of craving. Rather, if we are able to cut the root of craving, then to that extent we are wise. I attended a dhamma talk a couple of days ago where the Ajahn said something along the lines that wisdom is what enables us to see reality clearly. We are prevented from seeing reality clearly because of our greed, hatred, and delusion getting in the way; so when we act to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion by not acting upon them and cultivating their opposites, we are exercising wisdom. The "cutting off" aspect of wisdom is seen again in the Milindapanha like this:
"Just as, your majesty, a barley-reaper takes a sheaf of barley in the left hand, takes a sickle in the right hand, and cuts the barley, even so, your majesty, does the spiritual aspirant take hold of the mind with attention, and cut off the defilements with wisdom. Indeed thus, your majesty, examination is the distinguishing characteristic of attention, and severing is the distinguishing characteristic of wisdom."
It is made clear that this "cutting off" leads to increased clarity, or seeing things properly:
"Previously, your majesty, I said 'severing is the distinguishing characteristic of wisdom,' and now furthermore illuminating is the distinguishing characteristic of wisdom."

"How, venerable sir, is illuminating the distinguishing characteristic of wisdom?"

"Wisdom arising, your majesty, dispels the darkness of ignorance, produces the illumination of insight, brings forth the light of knowledge, and makes manifest the noble truths; and further, the spiritual practitioner sees with complete understanding impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and corelessness."

"Give me an analogy."

"Just as, your majesty, a person might bring a lamp into a dark house, and with the lamp lit dispel the darkness, produce illumination, show the light, and make manifest forms, so too, your majesty, wisdom arising dispels the darkness of ignorance, produces the illumination of insight, brings forth the light of knowledge, and makes manifest the noble truths; and further, the spiritual practitioner sees with complete understanding impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and corelessness."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tip ... .kell.html
samsarictravelling
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by samsarictravelling »

nichiren-123 wrote: Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:27 pm 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 here is The Four Noble Truths, and the Dhamma in general, is my short reply.
User1249x
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by User1249x »

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
Discernment

As he was sitting there, he said to Ven. Sariputta, "Friend, 'One of poor discernment, one of poor discernment': Thus is it said. To what extent is one said to be 'one of poor discernment'?"

"'One doesn't discern, one doesn't discern': Thus, friend, one is said to be 'one of poor discernment.' And what doesn't one discern? One doesn't discern, 'This is stress.' One doesn't discern, 'This is the origination of stress.' One doesn't discern, 'This is the cessation of stress.' One doesn't discern, 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of stress.' 'One doesn't discern, one doesn't discern': Thus one is said to be 'one of poor discernment.'"

Saying, "Very good, friend," Ven. Maha Kotthita — delighting in & approving of Ven. Sariputta's statement — asked him a further question: "Discerning, discerning': Thus is it said. To what extent, friend, is one said to be 'discerning'?"

"'One discerns, one discerns': Thus, friend, one is said to be 'discerning.' And what does one discern? One discerns, 'This is stress.' One discerns, 'This is the origination of stress.' One discerns, 'This is the cessation of stress.' One discerns, 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of stress.' 'One discerns, one discerns': Thus one is said to be 'discerning.'"
Amanaki
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Re: What is wisdom?

Post by Amanaki »

Wisdom arise when you cultivate the dhamma. When morality highten because of your cultivation then wisdom arise within you.
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