Saṃyukta Āgama (356)

Original text: 如是我闻。一时。佛住舍卫国祇树给孤独园。尔时。世尊告诸比丘。有四十四种智。谛听善思。当为汝说。何等为四十四种智。谓老死智。老死集智。老死灭智。老死灭道迹智。如是生有。取爱受触。六入处名色。识行智。行集智行灭智。行灭道迹智。是名四十四种智。佛说此经已。诸比丘闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。 

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: "There are forty-four kinds of wisdom. You should listen carefully and contemplate well; I shall now explain them to you. What are the forty-four kinds of wisdom? They are: the wisdom of knowing aging-and-death as it truly is (realizing it directly), the wisdom of knowing the arising of aging-and-death as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of aging-and-death as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of aging-and-death as it truly is; the wisdom of knowing birth as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the arising of birth as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of birth as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of birth as it truly is; the wisdom of knowing existence (bhava) as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the arising of existence as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of existence as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of existence as it truly is; the wisdom of knowing grasping (upādāna) as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the arising of grasping as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of grasping as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of grasping as it truly is; the wisdom of knowing craving as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the arising of craving as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of craving as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of craving as it truly is. 

The wisdom of knowing feeling (vedanā) as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the arising of feeling as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of feeling as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of feeling as it truly is; the wisdom of knowing contact (sparśa) as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the arising of contact as it truly is, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of contact as it truly is, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of contact as it truly is; the wisdom of knowing the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana) as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the arising of the six sense bases as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of the six sense bases as they truly are, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of the six sense bases as they truly are; the wisdom of knowing name-and-form (nāma-rūpa) as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the arising of name-and-form as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of name-and-form as they truly are, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of name-and-form as they truly are; the wisdom of knowing the six consciousnesses as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the arising of the six consciousnesses as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of the six consciousnesses as they truly are, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of the six consciousnesses as they truly are; the wisdom of knowing volitional formations (saṃskāra) as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the arising of volitional formations as they truly are, the wisdom of knowing the cessation of volitional formations as they truly are, and the wisdom of knowing the path leading to the cessation of volitional formations as they truly are. These are the forty-four kinds of wisdom that need to be known. 

All of these wisdoms refer to the wisdom of directly realizing the eleven links of dependent arising among the twelve links of dependent origination. To realize them directly, one must engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and contemplative observation truthfully and in accordance with principle within profound meditative concentration (samādhi); do not rely on emotional thinking and intellectual interpretation, for understanding the principle through mere intellectual interpretation has no real effect—it cannot subdue the afflicted mind, let alone eliminate the afflicted mind. As long as ignorance (avidyā) remains present, the cycle of birth and death cannot be stopped. Understanding it intellectually is not difficult; what is difficult is contemplative practice within samādhi, investigating within samādhi, thoroughly investigating the origins and course of each link, clearly recognizing the karmic seeds, and clearly recognizing that each link is a bond of birth and death, is suffering and empty, and is not the self. In this way, this year one can break open the chain of birth and death, undo, sever, and destroy the bonds, and one's own mind attains liberation and freedom.