Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 46.45

Wise

Paññavantusutta — Cakkavattivagga

Setting
Continuing directly from SN 46.44
Speakers
An unnamed mendicant, questioning the Buddha directly
Form
The identical question-and-answer structure as SN 46.44, in direct antithesis
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, closing a matched definitional pair

Why this discourse

“Wise and clever” (paṇḍita and vyatta) receives the exact positive counterpart to SN 46.44's own definition — having developed and cultivated the seven awakening factors — confirming the pair's own deliberate antithetical structure.

Reading guide

A precise antithesis, word for word

Confirmed by direct comparison, this discourse uses the identical structure and vocabulary as SN 46.44, only reversing the negation (“haven't developed” becomes “have developed”) — a deliberate matched pair defining ordinary social vocabulary (witless/wise) in terms of this saṃyutta's own core teaching.

Key terms

paṇḍito vyattoti — “wise and clever” — an ordinary colloquial term of praise, here given the identical technical treatment as SN 46.44's own term of criticism
satta bojjhaṅge bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā — “because they've developed and cultivated the seven awakening factors” — the exact positive counterpart to SN 46.44's own negative definition
sati... upekkhā — the seven awakening factors, named in brief succession as the discourse's own reference point
paṇḍito vyattoti vuccati — “they're called wise and clever” — the discourse's own formal labeling convention, mirroring SN 46.44's own
pañcamaṁ — “the fifth” — the Pāli root's own closing numeral for this discourse

The text

The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Sir, they speak of a one ‘wise and clever’. How is a person who is wise and clever defined?” “Mendicant, they’re called wise and clever because they’ve developed and cultivated the seven awakening factors. What seven? The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity. They’re called wise and clever because they’ve developed and cultivated these seven awakening factors.”

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Self-check quiz

3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 3
How does this discourse's own definition compare to SN 46.44's own?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct comparison — a deliberate matched pair.
Question 2 of 3
What does this discourse define "wise and clever" as?
Correct: A. The direct positive antithesis of SN 46.44's own definition of "witless."
Question 3 of 3
What two ordinary Pāli terms for "wise" appear together in this discourse's own title term?
Correct: A. Two near-synonymous terms of praise, both redefined together in terms of the seven awakening factors.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0