➥ jāneyyāti:

• for jāneyyāti:
  • could gauge
  • should understand
  • could comprehend
  • would recognise
  • should consider
  • might consider
  • could know
  • knew
  • would know
  • might know
• jāneyyāsi: should understand; could comprehend; would recognise; should consider; might consider; would know; might know
• jāneyyātha: should consider; knew
• jāneyyaṁ: could know

Kālāma Sutta: yadā attanāva jāneyyātha

The Kālāma Sutta’s notoriety as the ‘freethinker's kit to truth’ is partly due to a frequent mistranslation of the prominent phrase in the sutta by ignoring the optative tense, thus:

• When you know for yourselves: 'These things are unwholesome… then you should abandon them.

Yadā tumhe kālāmā attanāva jāneyyātha ime dhammā akusalā… atha tumhe kālāmā pajaheyyātha. (AN i 190)

This flawed instruction would only be valid if the Buddha trusted an untrained disciple to know for himself what is unwholesome and wholesome. But if he could be trusted in this way, it would negate the rationale for a religious training system. We propose that the excerpt is more accurately and more rationally translated with ‘should consider.’ The context obliges one to translate yadā as ‘if’ not ‘when’:

• Kālāmas, if you yourselves should consider: “These teachings are unwholesome… you should abandon them.

Yadā tumhe kālāmā attanāva jāneyyātha ime dhammā akusalā… atha tumhe kālāmā pajaheyyātha. (AN i 190)

Saṅkhitta Sutta: jāneyyāsi

In the Saṅkhitta Sutta jāneyyāsi is a synonym of dhāreyyāsi, both words in the optative tense, and both with the meaning ‘to consider,’ not ‘to know’.

• Gotamī, things of which you might consider: ‘These things lead to non-attachment [to originated phenomena], not to attachment to originated phenomena… you can definitely consider this is [in accordance with] the teaching

ye ca kho tvaṁ gotami dhamme jāneyyāsi ime dhammā virāgāya saṁvattanti no sarāgāya… ekaṁsena gotami dhāreyyāsi eso dhammo. (AN iv 280)

Illustration: jāneyyāti, could gauge

Who am I, sir, to gauge the ascetic Gotama’s accomplishment in wisdom? Surely, he would be his equal who could gauge the ascetic Gotama’s accomplishment in wisdom.

Ko cāhaṁ bho ko ca samaṇassa gotamassa paññāveyyattiyaṁ jānissāmi. Sopi nūnassa tādisova yo samaṇassa gotamassa paññāveyyattiyaṁ jāneyyāti. (MN i 175)

➥ jāneyyāsi: (main article see: jāneyyāti)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, should understand

Should you not understand the meaning of what is said by me, you should ask me further about it: ‘How is this, Master Udena? What is the meaning of this?’

yassa ca pana me bhāsitassa attha na jāneyyāsi mamaṁyeva tattha uttariṁ paṭipuccheyyāsi: idaṁ bho udena kathaṁ imassa kvattho ti. (MN ii 158)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, could comprehend

My dear and noble friend, if you could comprehend the Blessed One’s virtue and knowledge [of things according to reality], you would never think that he should be abused and reviled.

Sace tvaṁ tāta bhadramukha tassa bhagavato sīlapaññāṇaṁ jāneyyāsi na tvaṁ tāta bhadramukha taṁ bhagavantaṁ akkositabbaṁ paribhāsitabbaṁ maññeyyāsī ti. (MN ii 210)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, would recognise

But, bhikkhu, have you ever seen that Blessed One? And if you saw him, would you recognise him?

Diṭṭhapubbo pana te bhikkhu so bhagavā. Disvā ca pana jāneyyāsī'ti. (MN iii 238)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, should consider

If, on reflection, you should consider that this act of body which I wish to do would lead my own harm, to the harm of others, or to the harm of both, that it is spiritually unwholesome, has an unpleasant result, and unpleasant karmic consequences, as far as possible you should avoid this type of bodily act.

Sace tvaṁ rāhula paccavekkhamāno evaṁ jāneyyāsi: yaṁ kho ahaṁ idaṁ kāyena kammaṁ kattukāmo idamme kāyakammaṁ attavyābādhāyapi saṁvatteyya paravyābādhāyapi saṁvatteyya ubhayavyābādhāyapi saṁvatteyya akusalaṁ idaṁ kāyakammaṁ dukkhudrayaṁ dukkhavipākanti. Evarūpaṁ te rāhula kāyena kammaṁ sasakkaṁ na karaṇīyaṁ. (MN i 415)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, might consider

Gotamī, things of which you might consider

ye ca kho tvaṁ gotami dhamme jāneyyāsi

• These things lead to non-attachment [to originated phenomena], not to attachment to originated phenomena

ime dhammā virāgāya saṁvattanti no sarāgāya

• lead to emancipation [from individual existence], not bondage [to individual existence]

visaṁyogāya saṁvattanti no saṁyogāya

• lead to a dwindling away of the five grasped aggregates, not to a proliferation of the five grasped aggregates

apacayāya saṁvattanti no ācayāya

• lead to fewness of needs, not abundance of needs

appicchatāya saṁvattanti no mahicchatāya

• lead to contentment, not to discontentment

santuṭṭhiyā saṁvattanti no asantuṭṭhiyā

• lead to physical seclusion, not to gregariousness

pavivekāya saṁvattanti no saṅgaṇikāya

• lead to right effort, not to indolence

viriyārambhāya saṁvattanti no kosajjāya

• lead to being easy to support, not to being difficult to support

subharatāya saṁvattanti no dubbharatāyā

You can definitely consider

ekaṁsena gotami dhāreyyāsi

• this is [in accordance with] the teaching

eso dhammo

• this is [in accordance with] the discipline

eso vinayo

• this is [in accordance with] the Teacher’s training system

etaṁ satthusāsanan ti. (AN iv 280)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, would know

If a fire was burning in front of you, would you know this fire was burning in front of you?

sace te purato aggi jaleyya jāneyyāsi tvaṁ ayaṁ me purato aggi jalatīti? . (MN i 486-7)

Illustration: jāneyyāsi, might know

Māgandiya, you do not have noble vision by which you might know [spiritual] health and see the Untroubled.

Taṁ hi te māgandiya ariyaṁ cakkhuṁ natthi yena tvaṁ ariyena cakkhunā ārogyaṁ jāneyyāsi nibbānaṁ passeyyāsī ti. (MN i 510)

➥ jāneyyātha: (main article see: jāneyyāti)

Illustration: jāneyyātha, should consider

Kālāmas, if you yourselves should consider:

Yadā tumhe kālāmā attanāva jāneyyātha

“These teachings are unwholesome;

ime dhammā akusalā

these teachings are blameworthy;

ime dhammā sāvajjā

these teachings are denounced by the wise;

ime dhammā viññugarahitā

when followed and taken up

ime dhammā samattā samādinnā

these teachings lead to harm and suffering,”

ahitāya dukkhāya saṁvattantīti

you should abandon them.

atha tumhe kālāmā pajaheyyātha. (AN i 190)

Illustration: jāneyyātha, knew

Nigaṇṭhas, friends, if you knew that you existed in the past, and that you did not not-exist… that being so, then it would be fitting for the venerable Nigaṇṭhas to declare… all suffering will be exhausted.

Sace tumbhe āvuso nigaṇṭhā jāneyyātha ahuvamheva mayaṁ pubbe na nāhuvamhā ti. evaṁ sante āyasmantānaṁ nigaṇṭhānaṁ kallamassa veyyākaraṇāya… sabbaṁ dukkhaṁ nijjiṇṇaṁ bhavissatī ti. (MN ii 215)

➥ jāneyyaṁ: (main article see: jāneyyāti)

Illustration: jāneyyaṁ, could know

Is there any absorption unabandoned in myself that might so preoccupy my mind that I could not know or see things according to reality?

atthi nu kho me taṁ pariyuṭṭhānaṁ ajjhattaṁ appahīnaṁ yenāhaṁ pariyuṭṭhānena pariyuṭṭhitacitto yathābhūtaṁ na jāneyyaṁ na passeyyanti. (MN i 323)