[754] **"A friend who is eminent, possessed of ready wit (paṭibhāṇa)"**: a friend is eminent through virtue, through concentration (samādhi), through wisdom, through liberation (vimutti), and through the knowledge (ñāṇa) and vision of liberation.
**"Possessed of ready wit"**: there are three who possess ready wit: one possessed of ready wit through learning (pariyatti), one possessed of ready wit through questioning (paripucchā), and one possessed of ready wit through attainment (adhigama).
Who is one possessed of ready wit through learning? Here, someone has mastered the word of the Buddha — the discourses (sutta), the mixed prose and verse (geyya), the expositions (veyyākaraṇa), the verses (gāthā), the inspired utterances (udāna), the thus-said discourses (itivuttaka), the birth stories (jātaka), the marvelous accounts (abbhūtadhamma), and the question-and-answer texts (vedalla). For him, in dependence upon his learning, it becomes clear. This is one possessed of ready wit through learning.
Who is one possessed of ready wit through questioning? Here, someone is one who questions concerning the meaning, the method, the characteristic, the reason, and what is possible and impossible. For him, in dependence upon his questioning, it becomes clear. This is one possessed of ready wit through questioning.
Who is one possessed of ready wit through attainment? Here, someone has attained the four establishments of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna), the four right strivings, the four bases of success, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening (bojjhaṅga), the noble eightfold path (magga), the four noble paths, the four fruits of the ascetic life, the four analytic insights (paṭisambhidā), and the six superknowledges. By him the meaning is known, the dhamma is known, the language is known. When the meaning is known, the meaning becomes clear; when the dhamma is known, the dhamma becomes clear; when the language is known, the language becomes clear. Knowledge regarding these three is the analytic insight of ready wit (paṭibhāṇapaṭisambhidā). That Paccekasambuddha is furnished, fully furnished, endowed, fully endowed, provided, fully provided, and possessed of this analytic insight of ready wit; therefore the Paccekasambuddha is possessed of ready wit. For one who has no learning, no questioning, and no attainment — what will become clear to him? Hence, "a friend who is eminent, possessed of ready wit."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.