Wisdom of the Principle and Wisdom of Entailment (A Stream-Enterer)

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, comprehended, 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).

(Reference: SN 12.33)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the “wisdom of principle” and “wisdom of entailment” as has been shared in other discourses on the topic of Dependent Origination.

Wisdom of principle is understanding the truth of each individual statement and being able to see that truth through your own investigation. In this way, a Practitioner has developed “penetrative wisdom”. The wisdom they understand is deeply soaked into the mind because they are able to see the truth for themselves.

While a Teacher is there to provide guidance to learn, each Practitioner will need to do the work to see the truth for themselves leading to acquiring wisdom of principle.

Wisdom of entailment is being able to see the wisdom of connecting statements of truth. If this is true, then that is true. If this is false, then that is false. Wisdom of entailment is being able to deeply understand how one truthful statement leading to another truthful statement is a way of acquiring wisdom. One false statement leads to understand that the related statement is also false.

In this way, a Practitioner is able to further develop their penetrative wisdom which leads to the elimination of ignorance (unknowing of true reality) to awaken the mind to Enlightenment.

A Practitioner will need the ability to discover “wisdom by principle” and follow the logic of “wisdom of entailment” to understand the truth of The Natural Laws of Existence. A Stream-Enterer will have needed to develop these abilities to discover the truth and acquire wisdom to attain the first Stage of Enlightenment and to continue their journey to the fourth Stage of Enlightenment as an Arahant - the Enlightened mind.