Koṭṭhikasutta

Bārāṇasiyaṁ viharanti isipatane migadāye. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāyanhasamayaṁ …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahākoṭṭhikaṁ etadavoca: “‘avijjā, avijjā’ti, āvuso koṭṭhika, vuccati. Katamā nu kho, āvuso, avijjā; kittāvatā ca avijjāgato hotī”ti?

At Varanasi. Sāriputta said to Mahākoṭṭhita: “Reverend Koṭṭhita, they speak of this thing called ‘ignorance’. What is ignorance? And how is an ignoramus defined?”

“Idhāvuso, assutavā puthujjano rūpassa assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. Vedanāya …pe… saññāya … saṅkhārānaṁ … viññāṇassa assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, avijjā; ettāvatā ca avijjāgato hotī”ti.

“Reverend, an unlearned ordinary person doesn’t truly understand the gratification, the drawback, and the escape when it comes to form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. This is called ignorance. And this is how an ignoramus is defined.”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahākoṭṭhikaṁ etadavoca: “‘vijjā, vijjā’ti, āvuso koṭṭhika, vuccati. Katamā nu kho, āvuso, vijjā; kittāvatā ca vijjāgato hotī”ti?

When he said this, Venerable Sāriputta said to him: “Reverend Koṭṭhita, they speak of this thing called ‘knowledge’. What is knowledge? And how is a knowing one defined?”

“Idhāvuso, sutavā ariyasāvako rūpassa assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. Vedanāya …pe… saññāya … saṅkhārānaṁ … viññāṇassa assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, vijjā; ettāvatā ca vijjāgato hotī”ti. Aṭṭhamaṁ.

“Reverend, a learned noble disciple truly understands the gratification, the drawback, and the escape when it comes to form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. This is called knowledge. And this is how a knowing one is defined.”