<p>In Buddhism, 'wisdom' is something that cuts through &amp; eradicates mental defilements (of greed, hatred &amp; delusion), leading to the ending of suffering. Where as other types of knowledge do not. </p>

<p>To quote: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>And what is the faculty of wisdom (paññā)? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is wise, endowed with wisdom of
  arising &amp; passing away — noble, penetrating, leading to the right
  ending of suffering.</em></p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn48/sn48.010.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>SN 48.10</em></a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>The <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kalama Sutta</a> may help here since it lists other kinds of knowledge that are not wisdom: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by
  analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by
  the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for
  yourselves that, 'Certain mental qualities are unskillful; these qualities are
  blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these
  qualities, when adopted &amp; carried out, lead to harm &amp; to suffering' —
  then you should abandon them.</em></p>
  
  <hr>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>The Buddha taught them, and us, not to accept or believe anything immediately just because it fits with any of a number of criteria. He
  listed ten such criteria for them to be wary of, so they could avoid
  becoming anyone’s intellectual slave, even of the Buddha Himself. This
  principle enables us to choose for ourselves the teachings that are
  truly capable of quenching suffering (dukkha). The ten examples the
  Buddha gave in the Kalama Sutta follow.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>1. Ma anussavena:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t accept and believe something to be true just because it has been passed along and retold for many years. Such credulity is a
  characteristic of brainless people, of "sawdust brains," such as those
  in Bangkok who once believed that disasters would befall people born
  in the "ma" years. (The years of the small snake, big snake, horse,
  and goat — five through eight in the old twelve-year Thai cycle — all
  begin with "ma.")</em></p>
  
  <p><em>2. Ma paramparaya:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe in something merely because it has become a traditional
  practice. People tend to imitate what others do and then pass the
  habit along, as in the story of the rabbit that was terrified by a
  fallen mango (like Chicken Little’s falling sky). When the other
  animals saw the rabbit running at top speed, they were frightened too
  and ran after it. Most of them ended up tripping and tumbling off a
  cliff to their deaths. Any vipassana (insight) practice that merely
  imitates others, that just follows traditions, will bring similar
  results</em>.</p>
  
  <p><em>3. Ma itikiraya:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t accept and believe something simply because of reports and news of it spreading far and wide, whether through one’s village or
  throughout the whole world. Only fools are susceptible to such rumors,
  for they refuse to exercise their own powers of intelligence and
  discrimination.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>4. Ma Pitakasampadanena:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t accept and believe something just because it is cited in a pitaka (text). The word "pitaka," although most commonly used for
  Buddhist scriptures, can mean anything written or inscribed on a
  suitable writing material. The teachings memorized and passed on
  orally should not be confused with pitaka. A pitaka is a certain kind
  of conditioned thing made and controlled by human beings, which can be
  improved or changed by human hands. Thus, we cannot trust every letter
  and word we read in them. We need to use our powers of discrimination
  to see how these words can be applied to the quenching of suffering.
  There are discrepancies among the pitaka of the various Buddhist
  schools, so care is called for.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>5. Ma takkahetu:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe something solely on the grounds of logical reasoning
  (takka). Logic is merely one branch of knowledge that people use to
  try to figure out the truth. Takka or Logic is not infallible. If its
  data or inferences are incorrect, it can go wrong.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>6. Ma nayahetu:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe or accept something merely because it appears correct on the grounds of Naya or what is now called "philosophy." In
  Thailand, we translate the Western term philosophy as prajna. Our
  Indian friends cannot accept this because "naya" is just a point of
  view or opinion; it isn’t the supreme understanding properly referred
  to as panya or prajna. Naya or nayaya is merely a method of deductive
  reasoning based on hypotheses or assumptions. Such reasoning can err
  when the method or hypothesis is inappropriate.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>7. Ma akaraparivitakkena:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe or accept something simply because of superficial thinking, that is, because it appeals to what we nowadays call "common
  sense," which is merely snap judgments based on one’s tendencies of
  thought. We like to use this approach so much that it becomes
  habitual. Some careless and boastful philosophers rely on such common
  sense a great deal and consider themselves clever.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>8. Ma ditthinijjhanakkhantiya:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe accept something to be true merely because it agrees or fits with one’s preconceived opinions and theories. Personal views can be wrong and our methods of experiment and verification may be inadequate, neither of which lead us to the truth. This approach may seem similar to the scientific method, but can never actually be scientific, as its proofs and experiments are inadequate.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>9. Ma bhabbarupataya:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe something just because the speaker appears believable, perhaps due to creditability or prestige. Outside appearances and the actual knowledge inside a person can never be identical. We often find that speakers who appear creditable outwardly turn out to say incorrect and foolish things. Nowadays, we must be wary of computers because the programmers who feed them data and manipulate them may put in the wrong information, make programming errors, or use them incorrectly. Don’t worship computers so much, for doing so goes against this principle of the Kalama Sutta.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>10. Ma samano no garu ti:</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Don’t believe something simply because the monk (more broadly, any speaker) is "my teacher." The Buddha’s purpose regarding this important point is that nobody should be the intellectual slave of anybody else, not even the Buddha Himself. The Buddha emphasized this point often, and there were disciples, such as the Venerable Sariputta, who confirmed it in practice. They didn’t believe the Buddha’s words immediately upon hearing them; they only did so after reasoned reflection and the test of practice. See for yourselves whether there is any other religious teacher in the world who has given this highest freedom to his disciples and listeners! In Buddhism there is no dogmatic system that pressures us to believe without the right to examine and decide for ourselves. This is the greatest uniqueness of Buddhism that keeps its practitioners from being anybody’s intellectual slave. We Thais should never volunteer to follow the West as slavishly as we are doing now. Intellectual and spiritual freedom is best.</em></p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books5/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Help_The_Kalama_Sutta_Help.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Help! The Kalama Sutta, Help!</em></a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-27T00:45:09.097Z
2017-04-27T00:56:10.263Z
2017-04-27T00:56:10.263Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>Knowledge  = bahussutha,
intelligence  = panna,
wisdom  = knanam.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-27T14:29:13.330Z
Sometimes short answers are good, nevertheless 
Ravindranath Akila
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-27T21:13:33.247Z
Please bless us with more elaboration on an important topic for meditators  imho.
Lowbrow
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-27T07:02:14.017Z
2017-04-27T07:02:14.017Z
Shrawaka
<p>In Mahayana, intelligence and wisdom are not used interchangeably. Wisdom has various meanings, depending on the context. The issue is that different Tibetan words are translated 'wisdom.' I assume these Tibetan words correspond to different Sanskrit words as well.</p>

<p>In the Abhidharma, it says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>QUESTION: What is wisdom (<strong>shes rab</strong>)?</p>
  
  <p>RESPONSE: It strongly
  differentiates the qualities of things that are to be examined. It has
  the function of overcoming doubt. Just as it has been said above,
  wisdom is a knower that individually differentiates the faults and
  good qualities of things that are to be examined.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>However, wisdom (<strong>yeshe</strong>) refers to the cognizer realizing emptiness. There are also three types of wisdoms:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>There are three types of wisdom: the wisdom arisen from hearing, the
  wisdom arisen from thinking, and the wisdom arisen from meditation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The wisdom arisen from analytical meditation on emptiness is <strong>yeshe</strong>. It is the one we refer to when we speak of the higher training in wisdom. Or when we speak of cultivating the perfection of wisdom.</p>

<p>Intelligence refers to a mental factor that a student must have. It resembles <strong>shes rab.</strong>
In the Middle Length Lam Rim, Tsongkhapa says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Someone to whom good ways of explaining appear as faulty ones, due to
  not having the intelligence to distinguish them, is not a suitable
  vessel. Therefore one needs to have the intelligence that understands
  [what is to be abandoned, and what is to be adopted].</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-26T14:30:42.050Z
2017-04-26T14:30:42.050Z
Tenzin Dorje
<p>What is the Pali/Sanskrit term(s) for 'intelligence'? Is there another word(s) in Pali/Sanskrit for 'wisdom'? I hear 'intellect', 'intelligence' and 'wisdom' used interchangeably, is this correct? What is the relationship between intelligence and wisdom in Buddhism? Are they really the same thing or can they be the same thing or what? :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-26T14:18:02.267Z
I find this question quite useful.
Ravindranath Akila
<wisdom><knowledge><panna>
What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom in the Buddha's teaching?
# What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom in the Buddha's teaching?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-26)

What is the Pali/Sanskrit term(s) for 'intelligence'? Is there another word(s) in Pali/Sanskrit for 'wisdom'? I hear 'intellect', 'intelligence' and 'wisdom' used interchangeably, is this correct? What is the relationship between intelligence and wisdom in Buddhism? Are they really the same thing or can they be the same thing or what? :)

**Tags:** wisdom, knowledge, panna

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I find this question quite useful.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-04-26. Score: 3

In Mahayana, intelligence and wisdom are not used interchangeably. Wisdom has various meanings, depending on the context. The issue is that different Tibetan words are translated 'wisdom.' I assume these Tibetan words correspond to different Sanskrit words as well.

In the Abhidharma, it says:

> QUESTION: What is wisdom (**shes rab**)?
>
> RESPONSE: It strongly
> differentiates the qualities of things that are to be examined. It has
> the function of overcoming doubt. Just as it has been said above,
> wisdom is a knower that individually differentiates the faults and
> good qualities of things that are to be examined.

However, wisdom (**yeshe**) refers to the cognizer realizing emptiness. There are also three types of wisdoms:

> There are three types of wisdom: the wisdom arisen from hearing, the
> wisdom arisen from thinking, and the wisdom arisen from meditation.

The wisdom arisen from analytical meditation on emptiness is **yeshe**. It is the one we refer to when we speak of the higher training in wisdom. Or when we speak of cultivating the perfection of wisdom.

Intelligence refers to a mental factor that a student must have. It resembles **shes rab.**
In the Middle Length Lam Rim, Tsongkhapa says:

> Someone to whom good ways of explaining appear as faulty ones, due to
> not having the intelligence to distinguish them, is not a suitable
> vessel. Therefore one needs to have the intelligence that understands
> [what is to be abandoned, and what is to be adopted].


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-04-27. Score: 2

In Buddhism, 'wisdom' is something that cuts through & eradicates mental defilements (of greed, hatred & delusion), leading to the ending of suffering. Where as other types of knowledge do not.

To quote:

> *And what is the faculty of wisdom (paññā)? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is wise, endowed with wisdom of
> arising & passing away — noble, penetrating, leading to the right
> ending of suffering.*
>
> [*SN 48.10*](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn48/sn48.010.than.html)

The [Kalama Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html) may help here since it lists other kinds of knowledge that are not wisdom:

> *So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by
> analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by
> the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for
> yourselves that, 'Certain mental qualities are unskillful; these qualities are
> blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these
> qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering' —
> then you should abandon them.*
>
> ---

---

> *The Buddha taught them, and us, not to accept or believe anything immediately just because it fits with any of a number of criteria. He
> listed ten such criteria for them to be wary of, so they could avoid
> becoming anyone’s intellectual slave, even of the Buddha Himself. This
> principle enables us to choose for ourselves the teachings that are
> truly capable of quenching suffering (dukkha). The ten examples the
> Buddha gave in the Kalama Sutta follow.*
>
> *1. Ma anussavena:*
>
> *Don’t accept and believe something to be true just because it has been passed along and retold for many years. Such credulity is a
> characteristic of brainless people, of "sawdust brains," such as those
> in Bangkok who once believed that disasters would befall people born
> in the "ma" years. (The years of the small snake, big snake, horse,
> and goat — five through eight in the old twelve-year Thai cycle — all
> begin with "ma.")*
>
> *2. Ma paramparaya:*
>
> *Don’t believe in something merely because it has become a traditional
> practice. People tend to imitate what others do and then pass the
> habit along, as in the story of the rabbit that was terrified by a
> fallen mango (like Chicken Little’s falling sky). When the other
> animals saw the rabbit running at top speed, they were frightened too
> and ran after it. Most of them ended up tripping and tumbling off a
> cliff to their deaths. Any vipassana (insight) practice that merely
> imitates others, that just follows traditions, will bring similar
> results*.
>
> *3. Ma itikiraya:*
>
> *Don’t accept and believe something simply because of reports and news of it spreading far and wide, whether through one’s village or
> throughout the whole world. Only fools are susceptible to such rumors,
> for they refuse to exercise their own powers of intelligence and
> discrimination.*
>
> *4. Ma Pitakasampadanena:*
>
> *Don’t accept and believe something just because it is cited in a pitaka (text). The word "pitaka," although most commonly used for
> Buddhist scriptures, can mean anything written or inscribed on a
> suitable writing material. The teachings memorized and passed on
> orally should not be confused with pitaka. A pitaka is a certain kind
> of conditioned thing made and controlled by human beings, which can be
> improved or changed by human hands. Thus, we cannot trust every letter
> and word we read in them. We need to use our powers of discrimination
> to see how these words can be applied to the quenching of suffering.
> There are discrepancies among the pitaka of the various Buddhist
> schools, so care is called for.*
>
> *5. Ma takkahetu:*
>
> *Don’t believe something solely on the grounds of logical reasoning
> (takka). Logic is merely one branch of knowledge that people use to
> try to figure out the truth. Takka or Logic is not infallible. If its
> data or inferences are incorrect, it can go wrong.*
>
> *6. Ma nayahetu:*
>
> *Don’t believe or accept something merely because it appears correct on the grounds of Naya or what is now called "philosophy." In
> Thailand, we translate the Western term philosophy as prajna. Our
> Indian friends cannot accept this because "naya" is just a point of
> view or opinion; it isn’t the supreme understanding properly referred
> to as panya or prajna. Naya or nayaya is merely a method of deductive
> reasoning based on hypotheses or assumptions. Such reasoning can err
> when the method or hypothesis is inappropriate.*
>
> *7. Ma akaraparivitakkena:*
>
> *Don’t believe or accept something simply because of superficial thinking, that is, because it appeals to what we nowadays call "common
> sense," which is merely snap judgments based on one’s tendencies of
> thought. We like to use this approach so much that it becomes
> habitual. Some careless and boastful philosophers rely on such common
> sense a great deal and consider themselves clever.*
>
> *8. Ma ditthinijjhanakkhantiya:*
>
> *Don’t believe accept something to be true merely because it agrees or fits with one’s preconceived opinions and theories. Personal views can be wrong and our methods of experiment and verification may be inadequate, neither of which lead us to the truth. This approach may seem similar to the scientific method, but can never actually be scientific, as its proofs and experiments are inadequate.*
>
> *9. Ma bhabbarupataya:*
>
> *Don’t believe something just because the speaker appears believable, perhaps due to creditability or prestige. Outside appearances and the actual knowledge inside a person can never be identical. We often find that speakers who appear creditable outwardly turn out to say incorrect and foolish things. Nowadays, we must be wary of computers because the programmers who feed them data and manipulate them may put in the wrong information, make programming errors, or use them incorrectly. Don’t worship computers so much, for doing so goes against this principle of the Kalama Sutta.*
>
> *10. Ma samano no garu ti:*
>
> *Don’t believe something simply because the monk (more broadly, any speaker) is "my teacher." The Buddha’s purpose regarding this important point is that nobody should be the intellectual slave of anybody else, not even the Buddha Himself. The Buddha emphasized this point often, and there were disciples, such as the Venerable Sariputta, who confirmed it in practice. They didn’t believe the Buddha’s words immediately upon hearing them; they only did so after reasoned reflection and the test of practice. See for yourselves whether there is any other religious teacher in the world who has given this highest freedom to his disciples and listeners! In Buddhism there is no dogmatic system that pressures us to believe without the right to examine and decide for ourselves. This is the greatest uniqueness of Buddhism that keeps its practitioners from being anybody’s intellectual slave. We Thais should never volunteer to follow the West as slavishly as we are doing now. Intellectual and spiritual freedom is best.*
>
> [*Help! The Kalama Sutta, Help!*](http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books5/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Help_The_Kalama_Sutta_Help.htm)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-04-27. Score: 1

Knowledge = bahussutha,
intelligence = panna,
wisdom = knanam.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Sometimes short answers are good, nevertheless   
> **username_0**: Please bless us with more elaboration on an important topic for meditators  imho.  

---

