Saṃyuktāgama (356)

Original text of the sūtra: 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 truly knowing (personally realizing) aging-and-death, the wisdom of truly knowing the arising of aging-and-death, the wisdom of truly knowing the cessation of aging-and-death, and the wisdom of truly knowing the path leading to the cessation of aging-and-death; the wisdom of truly knowing birth, the wisdom of truly knowing the arising of birth, the wisdom of truly knowing the cessation of birth, and the wisdom of truly knowing the path leading to the cessation of birth; the wisdom of truly knowing existence (bhava), the wisdom of truly knowing the arising of existence, the wisdom of truly knowing the cessation of existence, and the wisdom of truly knowing the path leading to the cessation of existence; the wisdom of truly knowing grasping (upādāna), the wisdom of truly knowing the arising of grasping, the wisdom of truly knowing the cessation of grasping, and the wisdom of truly knowing the path leading to the cessation of grasping; the wisdom of truly knowing craving, the wisdom of truly knowing the arising of craving, the wisdom of truly knowing the cessation of craving, and the wisdom of truly knowing the path leading to the cessation of craving. 

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

All of these wisdoms refer to the wisdom of personally realizing the eleven links of dependent origination among the twelve links of dependent origination. To personally realize them, 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 understanding, for understanding of the principles has no real effect—it cannot subdue the afflicted mind, let alone eradicate the afflicted mind. With ignorance still present, birth-and-death and saṃsāra cannot be brought to an end. 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 through the seeds that each and every link is a bond of birth-and-death, that all are suffering and empty, and that none is the self. In this way, the chain of birth-and-death is severed this very year, the bonds are opened, broken off, and destroyed, and one's own mind attains liberation and freedom.