Chapter 9 - The Three Knowledges

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.