Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-5nwft Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-21T19:45:04.489Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 9 - The Three Knowledges

from Part III - The Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 October 2022

Roderick S. Bucknell
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Get access

Summary

Textual accounts of the three knowledges by means of which the Buddha attained enlightenment are brief. The first two, recollection of former existences and of the passing away and arising of beings, prepared the way for the third, destruction of the “taints” (āsavas), mastery of which achieved liberation. The focus of this chapter is on what attainment of these three knowledges entails and on how a meditator could transition from the highly concentrated state of the fourth jhāna to recollection of former existences. A little-known text suggests that concentration must be relaxed just enough to allow the arising of a “reviewing-sign”, a process explained by means of appropriate similes. The discussion concludes that, like a charioteer at a crossroads, the appearance of this image confronts the meditator with a choice: whether to enter one of the Buddhist heavens; develop supernatural powers; or seek liberation through pereforming the meditative practices required to attain the three knowledges.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×