The identical structure as SN 22.129, with knowledge replacing ignorance
Length
Very short — matching SN 22.129's own compression
Northern parallel
Shares its structure and criterion with SN 22.129
Difficulty
Approachable — best read directly after SN 22.129
Why this discourse
Completes the gratification/drawback/escape pair begun by SN 22.129: the identical triad, now defining knowledge with the learned noble disciple's true understanding replacing the unlearned ordinary person's failure to understand.
Reading guide
The inversion, in the same compressed form
"A learned noble disciple truly understands the gratification, the drawback, and the escape when it comes to form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness" — the identical triad and the identical compressed listing of all five aggregates, with only the subject and verb inverted from SN 22.129.
A second criterion, fully explored across a pair
Where the vagga's opening criterion (originate/vanish) took three discourses to fully present (combined, then split), this second criterion (gratification/drawback/escape) needs only two — a variation in economy that itself demonstrates this vagga's flexibility in how much space any given criterion requires.
Why briefer treatment suits an already-established triad
The originate/vanish criterion was new to this book at SN 22.126 and so warranted a fuller three-discourse introduction; the gratification/drawback/escape triad arrived already well established from SN 22.26-28 and needed only the minimal two-discourse pairing this vagga gives every criterion at minimum.
Moving to the fullest criterion in this vagga
Avijjāvagga turns next to SN 22.131-132, which combine origin and disappearance with the same gratification/drawback/escape triad into a single five-point formula — the fullest and most comprehensive criterion this vagga will apply to the ignorance/knowledge question.
Key terms
vijjā — knowledge — this discourse's own subject, completing SN 22.129's ignorance definition
assāda/ādīnava/nissaraṇa — gratification / drawback / escape — the shared triad across both discourses in this pair
viddasu — a knowing one — the person this discourse defines
sutavā ariyasāvako — a learned noble disciple — the subject who understands, replacing SN 22.129's "unlearned ordinary person"
pajānāti — understands — the inverted verb carrying the entire difference from SN 22.129
The text
The complete discourse, mirroring SN 22.129's structure exactly with knowledge replacing ignorance. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Varanasi. “Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘knowledge’. What is knowledge? And how is a knowing one defined?”
§2“Reverend, a learned noble disciple truly understands the gratification, the drawback, and the escape when it comes to form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. This is called knowledge. And this is how a knowing one is defined.”
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
How does this discourse relate to SN 22.129?
Correct: A. Completing the pair with the identical triad inverted.
Question 2 of 10
How many discourses does the gratification/drawback/escape criterion need to be fully presented in this vagga?
Correct: A. A more economical treatment than the vagga's opening criterion.
Question 3 of 10
Why does this criterion need fewer discourses than the originate/vanish criterion?
Correct: A. A criterion new to the book warranted fuller introduction; an established one needed only the minimal pairing.
Question 4 of 10
What is knowledge defined as, in this discourse?
Correct: A. The precise inversion of SN 22.129's definition of ignorance.
Question 5 of 10
What criterion does Avijjāvagga turn to next, after this pair?
Correct: A. The fullest and most comprehensive criterion this vagga will apply.
Question 6 of 10
Who are the two speakers in this discourse?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.129's own speaker pair.
Question 7 of 10
How many aggregates does this triad apply to?
Correct: A. Form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness, listed in sequence.
Question 8 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Matching SN 22.129's own setting.
Question 9 of 10
What does the varying number of discourses per criterion demonstrate about this vagga?
Correct: A. Three discourses for a new criterion, two for an already-established one.
Question 10 of 10
What subject replaces "unlearned ordinary person" in this discourse's definition?
Correct: A. The precise counterpart subject for someone who understands.
