an.3.30 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Inverted

“Bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of persons found existing in the world. What three? The person with inverted wisdom, the person with lap-like wisdom, and the person with wide wisdom.

(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the person with inverted wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. After he has risen from his seat, he still does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Just as, when a pot is turned upside down, the water that had been poured into it runs off and does not remain there, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus…. After he has risen from his seat, he still does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. This is called the person with inverted wisdom.

(2) “And what is the person with lap-like wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. But after he has risen from his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Just as, when a person has various food stuffs strewn over his lap—sesamum seeds, rice grains, cakes, and jujubes—if he loses his mindfulness when rising from that seat, he would scatter them all over, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus…. But after he has risen from his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. This is called the person with lap-like wisdom.

(3) “And what is the person with wide wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. After he has risen from his seat, again he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Just as, when a pot is kept upright, the water that had been poured into it stays there and does not run off, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus…. After he has risen from his seat, again he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This is called the person with wide wisdom.

“These, bhikkhus, are the three kinds of persons found existing in the world.”

The person with inverted wisdom,
stupid and undiscerning,
often goes to visit bhikkhus
to hear them teach the Dhamma.

Yet this person cannot grasp
anything from the talk,
at its beginning, middle, and end,
for he utterly lacks wisdom.

The person with lap-like wisdom
is said to be better than the former.
He too often goes to visit bhikkhus
to hear them teach the Dhamma.

While sitting in his seat,
he grasps the phrasing of the talk,
at its beginning, middle, and end.
But after rising, he no longer understands,
but forgets what he had learned.

The person with wide wisdom
is said to be the best of these.
He too often goes to visit bhikkhus
to hear them teach the Dhamma.

While sitting in his seat,
he comprehends the phrasing,
at the beginning, middle, and end
of the talk given by the bhikkhu.

This person of the best intentions,
his mind undivided, retains what he hears.
Practicing in accordance with the Dhamma,
he can make an end of suffering.

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

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Upside-down

“These three kinds of people are found in the world.
What three?
One with upside-down wisdom, one with wisdom on their lap, and one with wide wisdom.
And who is the person with upside-down wisdom?
It’s someone who often goes to the monastery to hear the teaching in the presence of the mendicants.
The mendicants teach them Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And they reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
But even while sitting there, that person doesn’t pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
And when they get up from their seat, they don’t pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
It’s like when a pot full of water is tipped over, so the water drains out and doesn’t stay.
In the same way, someone often goes to the monastery to hear the teaching in the presence of the mendicants.
The mendicants teach them Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And they reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
But even while sitting there, that person doesn’t pay attention to the discussion in the beginning, middle, or end.
And when they get up from their seat, they don’t pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
This is called a person with upside-down wisdom.
And who is the person with wisdom on their lap?
It’s someone who often goes to the monastery to hear the teaching in the presence of the mendicants.
The mendicants teach them Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And they reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
While sitting there, that person pays attention to the discussion in the beginning, middle, and end.
But when they get up from their seat, they don’t pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
It’s like a person who has different kinds of food crammed on their lap—
such as sesame, rice, sweets, or jujube—
so that if they get up from the seat without mindfulness, everything gets scattered.
In the same way, someone often goes to the monastery to hear the teaching in the presence of the mendicants.
The mendicants teach them Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And they reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
While sitting there, that person pays attention to the discussion in the beginning, middle, and end.
But when they get up from their seat, they don’t pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
This is called a person with wisdom on their lap.
And who is the person with wide wisdom?
It’s someone who often goes to the monastery to hear the teaching in the presence of the mendicants.
The mendicants teach them Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And they reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
While sitting there, that person pays attention to the discussion in the beginning, middle, and end.
And when they get up from their seat, they continue to pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
It’s like when a pot full of water is set straight, so the water stays and doesn’t drain out.
In the same way, someone often goes to the monastery to hear the teaching in the presence of the mendicants.
The mendicants teach them Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And they reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
While sitting there, that person pays attention to the discussion in the beginning, middle, and end.
And when they get up from their seat, they continue to pay attention to the beginning, middle, or end of the discussion.
This is called a person with wide wisdom.
These are the three kinds of people found in the world.
A person with upside-down wisdom,
is stupid and cannot see,
and even if they frequently
go into the mendicants’ presence,
such a person can’t learn
the beginning, middle, or end
of the discussion,
for their wisdom is lacking.
The person with wisdom on their lap
is better than that, it’s said;
but even if they frequently
go into the mendicants’ presence,
such a person can only learn
the beginning, middle, and end
while sitting in that seat;
but they’ve only grasped the phrasing,
for when they get up their understanding fails,
and what they’ve learned is lost.
The person with wide wisdom
is better than that, it’s said;
and if they, too, frequently
go into the mendicants’ presence,
such a person can learn
the beginning, middle, and end
while sitting in that seat;
and when they’ve grasped the phrasing,
they remember it with the best of intentions.
That peaceful-hearted person,
practicing in line with the teaching,
would make an end of suffering.”