The Forty-Four Cases of Wisdom

Monks, I will teach you forty-four cases of wisdom. Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak.

‘Yes, Venerable Sir’, those Monks replied.

The Perfectly Enlightened One said this:

Monks, what are the forty-four cases of wisdom?

(Group 1)

(1) Wisdom of aging-and-death,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 2)

(1) Wisdom of birth,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 3)

(1) Wisdom of existence,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 4)

(1) Wisdom of clinging,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 5)

(1) Wisdom of craving,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 6)

(1) Wisdom of feeling,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 7)

(1) Wisdom of contact,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 8)

(1) Wisdom of the six sense bases,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 9)

(1) Wisdom of name-and-form,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 10)

(1) Wisdom of consciousness,

(2) Wisdom of its cause,

(3) Wisdom of its elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to its elimination.

(Group 11)

(1) Wisdom of volitional formations,

(2) Wisdom of their cause,

(3) Wisdom of their elimination,

(4) Wisdom of the way leading to their elimination.

These, Monks, are the forty-four cases of wisdom.

And what, Monks, is aging-and-death?

The aging of the various beings in the various orders of beings, their growing old, brokenness of teeth, greyness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of vitality, degeneration of the sense bases: this is called aging. The passing away of the various beings from the various orders of beings, their perishing, breakup, disappearance, mortality, death, completion of time, the breakup of the aggregates, the laying down of the carcass: this is called death. Thus this aging and this death are together called aging-and-death.

With the arising of birth there is the arising of aging-and-death. With the elimination of birth there is the elimination of aging-and-death. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of aging-and-death; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple thus understands aging-and-death, its cause, its elimination, and the way leading to its elimination, this is his wisdom of the principle. By means of this principle that is seen, understood, immediately attained, fathomed, he applies the method to the past and to the future thus: ‘Whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in the past directly knew aging-and-death, its cause, its elimination, and the way leading to its elimination, all these directly knew it in the very same way that I do now. Whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in the future will directly know aging-and-death, its cause, its elimination, and the way leading to its elimination, all these will directly know it in the very same way that I do now’. This is his wisdom of entailment.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple has purified and cleansed these two kinds of wisdom - wisdom of the principle and wisdom of entailment - he is then called “A Noble Disciple”.

Who is accomplished in view, (who is) accomplished in vision, who has arrived at these true Teachings, who sees these true Teachings, who possesses a trainee’s wisdom, (who possesses) a trainee’s true wisdom, who has entered the stream of The Teachings, a Noble One with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless (Enlightenment).

And what, Monks, is birth?

The birth of the various beings into the various realms of beings, their being born, descent [into the womb], production, the coming together of the aggregates, the obtaining of the sense bases. This is called birth.

With the arising of existence there is the arising of birth. With the elimination of existence there is the elimination of birth. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of birth; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. When, Monks, a Noble Disciple thus understands birth, its cause, its elimination, and the way leading to its elimination, this is his wisdom of the principle. By means of this principle that is seen, understood, immediately attained, fathomed, he applies the method to the past and to the future thus: ‘Whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in the past directly knew birth, its cause, its elimination, and the way leading to its elimination, all these directly knew it in the very same way that I do now. Whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in the future will directly know birth, its cause, its elimination, and the way leading to its elimination, all these will directly know it in the very same way that I do now’. This is his wisdom of entailment.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple has purified and cleansed these two kinds of wisdom - wisdom of the principle and wisdom of entailment - he is then called “A Noble Disciple”.

Who is accomplished in view, (who is) accomplished in vision, who has arrived at these true Teachings, Who sees these true Teachings, who possesses a trainee’s wisdom, (who possesses) a trainee’s true wisdom, who has entered the stream of The Teachings, a Noble One with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless (Enlightenment).

And what, Monks, is existence? …..

And what, Monks, is clinging? …..

And what, Monks, is craving? …..

And what, Monks, is feeling? …..

And what, Monks, is contact? …..

And what, Monks, are the six sense bases? …..

And what, Monks, is name-and-form? …..

And what, Monks, is consciousness? …..

(Discourses for Existence, Clinging, Craving, Feeling, Contact, The six sense bases, Name-and-Form and Consciousness are identical with the discourses for Aging-and-death and Birth except for the subject title.)

And what, Monks, are the volitional formations?

There are these three kinds of volitional formations (choices/decisions): the bodily volitional formation, the verbal volitional formation, the mental volitional formation. These are called the volitional formations.

With the arising of ignorance (unknowing of true reality) there is the arising of volitional formations. With the elimination of ignorance (unknowing of true reality) there is the elimination of volitional formations. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of volitional formations; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple thus understands volitional formations, their cause, their elimination, and the way leading to their elimination, this is his wisdom of the principle. By means of this principle that is seen, understood, immediately attained, fathomed, he applies the method to the past and to the future thus: ‘Whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in the past directly knew volitional formations, their cause, their elimination, and the way leading to their elimination, all these directly knew it in the very same way that I do now. Whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in the future will directly know volitional formations, their cause, their elimination, and the way leading to their elimination, all these will directly know it in the very same way that I do now’. This is his wisdom of entailment.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple has purified and cleansed these two kinds of wisdom - wisdom of the principle and wisdom of entailment - he is then called “A Noble Disciple”.

Who is accomplished in view, (who is) accomplished in vision, who has arrived at these true Teachings, who sees these true Teachings, who possesses a trainee’s wisdom, (who possesses) a trainee’s true wisdom, who has entered the stream of The Teachings, a Noble One with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless (Enlightenment).

(Reference: SN 12.33)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the forty-four (44) cases of wisdom which requires a detailed understanding of each condition of Dependent Origination.

A Practitioner will need to understand each part of Dependent Origination.

1.) What it is?

2.) Its cause?

3.) Its elimination?

4.) The way leading to its elimination?

The Chapters in this book and through seeking guidance with a Teacher will help you to develop your understanding of each of these forty-four (44) cases of wisdom.