➥ tevijja and vijjā.

• for vijjā:
  • final knowledge
  • Vedic knowledge
  • insightfulness into reality
  • occult knowledge
• for tevijja:
  • master of threefold Vedic knowledge
  • master of the three final knowledges
• for tiracchānavijjā:
  • base art
• vijjā: final knowledge
• tevijjaṁ: master of threefold knowledge
• tevijjā: masters of threefold Vedic knowledge
• tevijjo: master of the three final knowledges

Brahman: tevijja, master of threefold Vedic knowledge

A brahman who is a ‘master of the three Vedas’ (tiṇṇaṁ vedānaṁ pāragū) is called ‘a master of threefold Vedic knowledge’ (tevijja), though the definition includes other qualities, as follows:

• ’In what way, brahman, do brahmans declare a brahman to be a master of threefold Vedic knowledge?’

Yathākathaṁ pana brāhmaṇa brāhmaṇā brāhmaṇaṁ tevijjaṁ paññāpentī ti?

• ’In this regard, Master Gotama, a brahman is of pure ancestry on both sides of his family, of pure descent, unimpeachable and irreproachable with respect to birth as far back as the seventh generation.

Idha pana bho gotama brāhmaṇo ubhato sujāto hoti mātito ca pitito ca saṁsuddhagahaṇiko yāva sattamā pitāmahāyugā akkhitto anupakkuṭṭho jātivādena,

• he is a scholar [of the sacred texts]

ajjhāyako

• he knows by heart the sacred texts

mantadharo

• he is a master of the three Vedas

tiṇṇaṁ vedānaṁ pāragū

• together with its glossaries, rituals

sanighaṇḍukeṭubhānaṁ

• phonology, etymology

sākkharappabhedānaṁ

• and fifthly, the commentaries

itihāsapañcamānaṁ

• he is fully versed in linguistics, grammar, natural philosophy, and in the marks of a Great Man

padako veyyākaraṇo lokāyatamahāpurisalakkhaṇesu anavayo

In this way, Gotama, do brahmans declare a brahman to be a master of threefold Vedic knowledge

evaṁ kho bho gotama brāhmaṇā brāhmaṇaṁ tevijjaṁ paññāpentī ti. (AN i 166)

Arahant: tevijja, master of the three final knowledges

A bhikkhu who has attained the three final knowledges (tisso vijjā) is a ‘master of the three final knowledges’ (tevijja).

Tisso vijjā are called the ‘three final knowledges’ because they were the last knowledges to be realised before the Buddha’s enlightenment.

The three final knowledges are:

Tisso vijjā

• the final knowledge: the knowledge through recalling of past lives

pubbenivāsānussati ñāṇaṁ vijjā

• the final knowledge: knowledge of the transmigration of beings

sattānaṁ cutūpapāte ñāṇaṁ vijjā

• the final knowledge: the knowledge of the destruction of perceptually obscuring states.

āsavānaṁ khaye ñāṇaṁ vijjā. (DN iii 275)

Vijjā: insightfulness into reality

Vijjā is the opposite of avijjā (uninsightfulness into reality). This is dealt with sv Avijjā.

• The ignorant Everyman does not discern according to reality the origination of, vanishing of, sweetness of, wretchedness of, and deliverance from the five aggregates.

assutavā puthujjano rūpassa… viññāṇassa samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

…This is called uninsightfulness into reality

ayaṁ vuccatāvuso avijjā

… The learned noble disciple discerns these matters according to reality

sutavā ariyasāvako rūpassa… viññāṇassa assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti

… This is called insightfulness into reality

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso vijjā. (SN iii 173-4)

Vijjā: occult knowledge

Vijjā can mean ‘occult knowledge.’ For example, the householder Kevaḍḍha suggested that if bhikkhus performed superhuman displays of psychic power, it would win the faith of the unbelievers of Nāḷandā. The Buddha replied that if a bhikkhu displayed various kinds of psychic power, someone with faith and trust might see him doing so and tell someone who was sceptical and unbelieving. And that man would say:

• ‘There is something called Gandhāra occult knowledge, by means of which he wields various kinds of psychic power.

atthi kho bho gandhārī nāma vijjā tāya so bhikkhu anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhoti.

The Buddha concluded: ‘Seeing this wretchedness in displays of psychic power, I am revolted, appalled, and disgusted by them.’

Imaṁ kho ahaṁ kevaḍḍha iddhipāṭihāriye ādīnavaṁ sampassamāno iddhipāṭihāriyena aṭṭiyāmi harāyāmi jigucchāmi. (DN i 213-4)

Tiracchānavijjā: base art

Tiracchānavijjā means ‘base art.’ For example:

• Some ascetics and Brahmanists, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by such base arts and wrong means of livelihood such as these:

Yathā vā paneke bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā saddhādeyyāni bhojanāni bhuñjitvā te evarūpāya tiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti seyyathīdaṁ

… Determining lucky and unlucky gems, garments, staffs, swords, spears, arrows, bows, sticks…

maṇilakkhaṇaṁ vatthalakkhaṇaṁ daṇḍalakkhaṇaṁ satthalakkhaṇaṁ asilakkhaṇaṁ usulakkhaṇaṁ dhanulakkhaṇaṁ āvudhalakkhaṇaṁ

… The ascetic Gotama refrains from these kinds of base arts and wrong means of livelihood.

iti evarūpāya tiracchānavijjāya micchājīvā paṭivirato samaṇo gotamo ti. (DN i 9)

➥ vijjā: (main article see: tevijja)

Illustration: vijjā, final knowledge

Which three things should be realised for oneself?

Katame tayo dhammā sacchikātabbā?

The three final knowledges.

Tisso vijjā

• the final knowledge: the knowledge through recalling of past lives

pubbenivāsānussati ñāṇaṁ vijjā

• the final knowledge: knowledge of the transmigration of beings

sattānaṁ cutūpapāte ñāṇaṁ vijjā

• the final knowledge: the knowledge of the destruction of perceptually obscuring states.

āsavānaṁ khaye ñāṇaṁ vijjā. (DN iii 275)

Seven days after going forth [into the ascetic life] I attained the three final knowledges

sattāhaṁ pabbajitā tisso vijjā aphassayiṁ. (Thi 433)

Illustration: vijjā, final knowledge; vijjā, insightfulness into reality

I directed my mind to the knowledge through recalling of past lives;

pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmesiṁ.

… I recalled my manifold former lives with their aspects and particulars. This was the first final knowledge attained by me in the first watch of the night;

Iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarāmi. Ayaṁ kho me brāhmaṇa rattiyā paṭhame yāme paṭhamā vijjā adhigatā

Uninsightfulness into reality was dispelled, insightfulness into reality arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose

avijjā vihatā vijjā uppannā tamo vihato aloko uppanno

I directed my mind towards the knowledge of the transmigration of beings

sattānaṁ cutūpapātañāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmesiṁ.

… Thus with purified divine vision surpassing that of men, I saw beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, well-favoured and ill-favoured, fortunate and unfortunate, and discerned how beings fare according to their deeds.

Iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passāmi cavamāne uppajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāmi.

This was the second final knowledge attained by me in the middle watch of the night.

Ayaṁ kho me brāhmaṇa rattiyā majjhime yāme dutiyā vijjā adhigatā

Uninsightfulness into reality was dispelled, insightfulness into reality arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose

avijjā vihatā vijjā uppannā tamo vihato āloko uppanno

I directed my mind towards the knowledge of the destruction of perceptually obscuring states.

āsavānaṁ khayañāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmesiṁ.

… thus knowing, thus seeing, my mind was freed from the three states of perceptual obscuration.

Tassa me evaṁ jānato evaṁ passato kāmāsavā pi cittaṁ vimuccittha. Bhavāsavā pi cittaṁ vimuccittha. Avijjāsavā pi cittaṁ vimuccittha.

With release, there was the knowledge I was released. I knew that birth was destroyed. The religious life has been fulfilled. What had to be done has been done. There will be no further arising in any state of individual existence

Vimuttasmiṁ vimuttami ti ñāṇaṁ ahosi. Khīṇā jāti vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ nāparaṁ itthattāyāti abbhaññāsiṁ.

This was, brahman, the third final knowledge attained by me in the last watch of the night.

Ayaṁ kho me brāhmaṇa rattiyā pacchime yāme tatiyā vijjā adhigatā

Uninsightfulness into reality was dispelled, insightfulness into reality arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose.

avijjā vihatā vijjā uppannā tamo vihato āloko uppanno. (Vin.3.3-4)

➥ tevijjaṁ: (main article see: tevijja)

Illustration: tevijjaṁ, master of threefold knowledge; tevijjo brāhmaṇo, Brahman master of threefold Vedic knowledge

One who knows his past lives, who sees heaven and the plane of sub-human existence, and has attained the destruction of birth, is a sage who has achieved supernormal attainments.

Pubbenivāsaṁ yo vedi saggāpāyañca passati
Atho jātikkhayaṁ patto abhiññā vosito muni.

By these three final knowledges one is a Brahman master of threefold Vedic knowledge.

Etāhi tīhi vijjāhi tevijjo hoti brāhmaṇo

He is the [true] master of threefold Vedic knowledge, I declare, not the one who [merely] cites and recites

Tamahaṁ vadāmi tevijjaṁ nāññaṁ lapitalāpanan ti. (AN i 168)

Comment:

The Buddha here calls arahants ‘Brahman masters of threefold Vedic knowledge.’ We capitalise Brahman to indicate arahantship.

➥ tevijjā: (main article see: tevijja)

Illustration: tevijjā, masters of threefold Vedic knowledge; tevijjaṁ threefold knowledge

The brahman masters of threefold Vedic knowledge, when physically sitting they are spiritually sinking, and in spiritually sinking they arrive at dejection, all the while thinking they are crossing into some happier land.

tevijjā brāhmaṇā āsīditvā saṁsīdanti saṁsīditvā visādaṁ vā pāpuṇanti. Sukkhataraṇaṁ maññe pataranti.

Thus this threefold knowledge of such brahmans is called the threefold knowledge of a waterless desert, the threefold knowledge of a pathless jungle, the threefold knowledge of disasterous misfortune.

tasmā idaṁ tevijjānaṁ brāhmaṇānaṁ tevijjaṁ iraṇan ti pi vuccati tevijjaṁ vipinan ti pi vuccati tevijjaṁ vyasanan ti pi vuccatī ti. (DN i 248)

➥ tevijjo: (main article see: tevijja)

Illustration: tevijjo, master of the three final knowledges

Formerly I was Brahmā’s offspring, today I am a true Brahman, a master of the three final knowledges, endowed with profound knowledge, fully versed in profound knowledge, spiritually cleansed.

Brahmabandhu pure āsiṁ ajjamhi saccabrāhmaṇo
Tevijjo vedasampanno sottiyo camhi nahātako ti. (Thi 251)