[279] 10. Bhikkhus, it is in accordance with the Dhamma that I declare a person possessing the threefold knowledge (tevijja) to be a brahmin; I do not declare another to be so merely on account of his repeating what has been uttered. And how, bhikkhus, do I, in accordance with the Dhamma, declare a person possessing the threefold knowledge to be a brahmin, and not another merely on account of his repeating what has been uttered?
1. Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu recollects his manifold past abodes (pubbenivāsa), that is: one birth (jāti), two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of world-contraction (saṃvaṭṭakappa), many eons of world-expansion (vivaṭṭakappa), many eons of world-contraction and world-expansion: "There I was so named, of such a clan, of such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain (sukha-dukkha), such the end of my life span; passing away from there, I arose elsewhere; and there too I was so named, of such a clan, of such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life span; passing away from there, I was reborn here." Thus he recollects his manifold past abodes with their aspects and particulars. This is the first true knowledge (vijjā) he has attained: ignorance (avijjā) has been dispelled, true knowledge has arisen; darkness has been dispelled, light has arisen — as happens for one who dwells diligent, ardent (ātāpī), and resolute.
2. Furthermore, bhikkhus, with the divine eye (dibbacakkhu), purified and surpassing the human, a bhikkhu sees beings passing away and being reborn — inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate — and he understands beings as faring according to their kamma: "These worthy beings, endowed with misconduct by body, endowed with misconduct by speech, endowed with misconduct by mind, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong view, undertaking deeds based on wrong view — with the breakup of the body, after death, they have been reborn in the plane of misery (apāya), the bad destination, the lower realm, hell. But these worthy beings, endowed with good conduct by body, endowed with good conduct by speech, endowed with good conduct by mind, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right view, undertaking deeds based on right view — with the breakup of the body, after death, they have been reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world." Thus with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, … he understands beings as faring according to their kamma. This is the second true knowledge he has attained: ignorance has been dispelled, true knowledge has arisen; darkness has been dispelled, light has arisen — as happens for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.
3. Furthermore, bhikkhus, with the destruction of the taints (āsava), a bhikkhu realizes for himself with direct knowledge (abhiññā), in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind (cetovimutti) and liberation by wisdom (paññāvimutti), and having entered upon them, he dwells therein. This is the third true knowledge he has attained: ignorance has been dispelled, true knowledge has arisen; darkness has been dispelled, light has arisen — as happens for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.
Thus indeed, bhikkhus, do I, in accordance with the Dhamma, declare a person possessing the threefold knowledge to be a brahmin, and not another merely on account of his repeating what has been uttered.
One who has known his past abodes, and who sees heaven and the plane of misery,
who, moreover, has reached the destruction of birth — a sage (muni) consummate in direct knowledge:
by these three true knowledges one is a brahmin of threefold knowledge;
him I call one possessing the threefold knowledge, and not another who merely repeats what has been uttered.
This matter too was spoken by the Blessed One; thus have I heard. The tenth [sutta].
The fifth chapter.
[Variant readings in the Siam edition: 1. Burmese ed.: "veti" (for "vedi"). 2. European (PTS) ed.: "pubbenivāsaṃ yo vedi saggāpāyañca brāhmaṇaṃ paññāpemi na ca aññaṃ lapitalāpanamattena." 3. Burmese ed.: "atho."]
Its summary (uddāna):
Confidence (pasāda), life (jīvita), the outer robe (saṅghāṭi), fire (aggi), examination (upaparikkhā),
rebirth (upapatti), sensual pleasure (kāma), the good (kalyāṇa), giving (dāna), and "by Dhamma" (dhammena) — these are the ten.
The Book of Threes (Tikanipāta) is concluded.
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The Book of Fours (Catukkanipāta) of the Itivuttaka
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.