199: Beautiful Mental Factors 'Sobhana Cetasika' (Part 6) The Faculty of Wisdom

 In this episode, we explore the 25th and final beautiful mental factor — the Faculty of Wisdom (Paññindriya). Drawing from Buddhist teachings, we uncover the true meaning of paññā — “knowing rightly” — and how it differs from mere knowledge. Learn how wisdom arises through direct experience in meditation, dispels ignorance like light removing darkness, and serves as one of the five controlling faculties. This talk concludes our series on the 52 mental factors, explaining their nature, function, and how understanding them can transform both meditation practice and daily life. 

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SPEAKER_01: 0:02

Namo tasabhado rahato samabudassa namo tasabhagado rahato samma sambudasa nammo tasabhagado rahato samabudasa Tiravara Buddhism series Dhamma top number twenty-two Beautiful Mental Factors Sobhana Chita Sika Part six we are discussing about twenty-five beautiful mental factors. Those twenty-five are divided into four subgroup and the last and the fourth and the last subgroup has only one beautiful mental factor. So it is the twenty-fifth beautiful mental factor, and it is called the faculty of wisdom. The faculty of wisdom in Pali Pinyin Driya B A N N I N D R I A Piny Driya. To fully understand the meaning of this word, we need to understand another word called pinya, P A N N A pinya. And this word pinya is a combination of two words. PA PA means rightly or correctly. And another one is nya na. It means to know. So pinya it means knowing rightly or knowing correctly. That word pinya means literally. Knowing rightly, knowing correctly. Pinya. And this word pinya is used quite literally in several places. It conveys different kinds of knowing correctly. Different kinds based on the situations and condition. In general, to give an example, a yogi understand Dharma by listening, by reading, by discussing, analyzing, reflecting, using reason and logic. Yogi understand through that way. That kind of understanding or pinya. That's also called pinya. But to be precisely correct in terms of English, we'll use the word knowledge. Anything you gain from listening and reading and so on is knowledge. Pinya. More correctly, it's called Sutta pinya. Sutta means listening and reading. That is knowledge. However, understanding a pinya from the direct experience by practicing vipassana is called wisdom. So if one understands something through practicing vipassana meditation and experience directly, that kind of understanding is called wisdom. Again, pinya. So you have to know the meaning of pinya in context where it is used and what the situation is. And we call it wisdom from Buddhist perspective. These are definition trying to explain from the Buddhist point of view. And pinya. Never associate with unwholesome consciousness. Or rootless consciousness. So we understand pinya. What pinya means, and you have to understand what it conveys based on the condition it's arising in. Okay, let's go back a little farther to our talk and when we are talking about these beautiful mental factors. We had discussed aloba, non-greed, and adosa non-anger mental factors already. A loba, adosa, non-greed, non-anger mental factors. These two, these are the two of the three good roots or unwholesomeness. Sorry? Good roots, wholesomeness. So there are altogether six roots whether where wholesome and unwholesome condition can arise. Wholesome condition arises from non-greed, non-anger, non-delusion. Unwholesome condition arises from the roots of greed, anger, and delusion. Those are the sources. And in here we have already discussed the wholesome side. Non-greed and non-anger. But we haven't discussed the third one. Non-delusion. Because in this beautiful mental vectors, it is mentioned as pinyindriya. Pinyindriya. The last beautiful mental factor we are discussing. So Amoha is discussed under the word pinyindriya. Pinyandriya mean pinya plus Indriya. Pinya is wisdom Indriya is controlling faculty. Controlling faculty the wisdom. Binyindriak. The same as Amoha. So Amoha Nandalusion Biny Driya Faculty of Wisdom. Another word. Insight. And another word. Vimansat. Predominance wisdom. These words, four different words. Nandalusion, faculty of wisdom, insight, predominance wisdom. They have the same essence. They convey the same essence and are used under different settings in the scriptures. Let's see a little bit on each word. The word jnana is commonly found in association with the prepassana insight levels. Insight one, two, three, four, this insight, that insights. So that's where jnana is used with high frequency. Andoha non-delusion. Non-delusion is used when we explain, especially when we explain the six roots. Six roots, which are great anger and delusion, or non-greed, non-anger and non-delusion. Six roots that feed unwholesome and wholesome states. So that word is more often used under that context, non delusion or delusion. If you remember the talk on full predominance Eti Bada Chanda Wish, Uriya Ephot, Jita, Mind and Vimansat wisdom. Those are the four predominance. If you recall. And Vimansat or the wisdom. And under that condition, all other mental factors that associate with it bend to its leadership. It takes a total leadership role. It controls completely upon all others. And of course, Binyendriya. Binyendriya is used as one of the five controlling faculties. Which we have been practicing from day one. Five controlling mental faculties. Satha, faith and confidence, Uriya, effort, sati, mindfulness, samadhi, concentration, and pinya wisdom. Those five are called five controlling faculties. Pinya five indriya controlling faculties. So pinying driya means the faculty of the controlling faculty of wisdom. So that is where it used. Pinying Driya is used. This exercise as controlling faculty over the associated mental factors. And comprehending, understanding the true nature of the objects. When you comprehend the true nature of the object, when you understand the true nature of the object. This faculty is the playing as a faculty. This binya. So there are four different words most often used for wisdom. Binya. They have a specific distinct conveyance to the meaning. So let's go deeply or a deeper, more penetratively into this twenty-fifth beautiful mental factor. Call pinyendriya. First of all, pinyendriya as a beautiful mental factor. This faculty of wisdom as a mental factor. Through vipassana meditation. This is not here or there. This is not in the book. This is not in the words. This is arising as a mental state in a yogi's mind. Knowing the true nature of physical object or mental object. Mental knowing. Very specific and precise. Without mindfulness and concentration, this beautiful mental factor cannot arise. So it's a requirement, is mindfulness and concentration. But you can also express what it is in a general way. It's about knowing the full noble truth experientially. Not from reading or listening. And finally you can express as knowing or realizing nibbana. Nabana. That is pinyindriya. As a beautiful mental factor. It is a mental state. It arises in the yogi's mind while one is practicing vipassana meditation. So let's call it the word pinyendriya, one word wisdom. You know, when I say wisdom, you know what I mean. The characteristic of wisdom is penetrating or understanding things according to their true nature. Understanding things according to their true nature. Penetrating things into their true nature is the characteristics of wisdom. That's how you know you have wisdom or you don't have wisdom. Have I penetrated and understood this object as it really is?

unknown: 19:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 19:57

Let's take a little explanation there. There's a simple statement is light dispel darkness. In our very dark room, you bring in a light or a lamp. The darkness gone, the lights come in. And also we know wisdom dispel ignorance. Ignorance is not knowing. Wisdom is understanding. When you understand something, ignorance is gone. So wisdom is compared to light. And delusion, moha. Or ignorance. Away is compared to darkness. Light is wisdom, darkness is ignorance and delusion. So you can say the function of wisdom. The job of the wisdom is illuminating of the nature of the objects of observation. Like a lamp. However, when wisdom arises, delusion and ignorance are totally erased and wiped out. That's a function. And its manifestation. Wisdom manifested, manifests as a non-bewilderment. There's no more bewilderment. No more confusion. When one becomes very sure about an object or a thing, bewilderment is gone. It doesn't exist anymore. So it meant manifests as non-bewilderment. The proximate cause is the wise attention. Yoni saw manasikara. That's Yoni Sawmanasikara. So this will be fairly sufficient to understand what Binyandriya, that twenty-fifth beautiful mental factor. All wisdom. This brings to the end of the all twenty-five beautiful mental factors. And at the same time, we have completed all the fifty-two mental factors, Jita Sikat, which are the coloring products of consciousness. Let's have a little recap on it. The first group of beautiful mental factor is called common to another. And it has 13 mental factors and divided into two subgroups. The first subgroup has seven. And it is called universal. It is called universal because it arises with every consciousness. Whenever a consciousness arises, these sevens are there. That's why it's called universal. And they are called named, let's call it name. Those are the seven. Those seven one should be acutely aware and know about it like the back of your hand. Because they are with you every every moment arising, arising, arising. Because they arise with every type of consciousness. So the remaining six mental factors are called particulars. It arises with fifty-five types of consciousness. All these thirteens are neutral in nature, but they become wholesome or unwholesome based on with whom they associate it with, with what kind of consciousness they associate it with. It becomes wholesome or unwholesome. That's the first group. That's a key point. These fourteen are divided into five subgroups. And it arises with every unwholesome consciousness. Arises with every unwholesome consciousness. And they are delusion, shamelessness, and moral shamelessness, and moral fearlessness, and restlessness. Those four arises with every unwholesome consciousness. Delusion, moral shamelessness, moral fearlessness, and restlessness. The second subgroup has three mental factors. They arise with greed, rooted consciousness. And they are loba, greed. Mana, conceit. That's a second group. Second subgroup. And the third subgroup has four mental factors. Arise with anger rooted consciousness. And they are dosa aversion. Not wanting to share. And the fourth subgroup has two mental factors and is the sickness based group. It's called Tina Me Da, Sloth and Torpor. And the fifth subgroup. has a single mental factor. Vichikecha. Spiritual doubt. Associated with one of the delusion rooted consciousness. So that's a second group. Second groups are all unwholesome. And the third and the last group is called beautiful mental factors. There are 25 of them divided into four subgroups. The first subgroup has 19 universal beautiful mental factors. They call universal because they arises with every beautiful consciousness. You can try and figure out what their names are 19 of them. And so on but if you write it down yourself you remember even better the second subgroup has three mental factor and the heading is called weirdity abstinence. They are speech action and livelihood. The third subgrup has two mental factors called upamanya limitless and they are karuna compassion and mudita appreciative joy. And the fourth and the last subgroup is just single mental factor wisdom. If you add thirteen plus fourteen plus twenty-five fifty-two those are the fifty-two mental factors, Jita Sika, which variably associate with different kinds of consciousness. So with that we concluded the discussion on fifty-two mental factors, jidasika. These mental factors arise together with the consciousness. And they take the same object it is not that consciousness takes object A and mental factor takes object B. They take the same conscious same object. That is a commonality between consciousness and mental factors. So by understanding these things more specifically when you are practicing meditation you know what you are experiencing. And also even though you are not in an intense serious practice in a daily activities general awareness you know what your strengths are and you know what your weakness are and the weakness by knowing your weakness in terms of character function manifestation and the cause especially the proximate cause you can walk on it so that you can improve proximate cause the it's the immediate cause where this mental factor arises. Weakness means unwholesome consciousness and you can walk on that cause to erase that unwholesome consciousness. So they are useful in your daily life but you need to understand it fully so that you can really surgically cut them out in your daily activities not only in deep meditation. May all of you be able to practice mindfulness inside meditation and may you be able to erase uproot all unwholesome consciousness and eventually attain nipbana as soon as possible sadhu sadhu sadhu thank you very much