Mahāvedalla Sutta – Sañjānātī, Vijānāti, Pajānāti

Mahāvedalla Sutta provides the definitions of the terms sañjānātī, vijānātī, and pajānātī that we discussed in recent posts.

April 24, 2026

Introduction

1. The “Mahāvedalla Sutta (MN 43)” presents a dialogue between Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita and Venerable Sāriputta to clarify the meanings of several critical terms.

Pajānātī – Comprehension of the Noble Truths

2. At marker 2.2, the question is asked: “Kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, duppaññoti vuccatī’ ti?” OR “How is a puthujjana or an average person without wisdom (duppañño) defined?”

  • The answer (@marker 2.5) is: It is one who does not understand the Noble Truths:  ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.’
  • Note that ‘does not understand’ is conveyed by the word ‘nappajānāti‘ (na pajānāti). Thus, pajānāti means to ‘comprehend the Noble Truths,’ and the opposite is nappajānāti.
  • That answer is clarified at marker 3.5 by stating pajānāti means to ‘comprehend the Noble Truths.’
Vijānāti – To Incorrectly Comprehend With Viññāṇa

3. At marker 4.2, the question is asked: “How is viññāṇa defined?”

  • The answer is: “It’s called viññāṇa because it leads to wrong conclusions about the world, i.e., vijānātī.”
  • At marker 4.4: “And what does it incorrectly cognize? OR “Kiñca vijānāti?”
  • The answer is: “It incorrectly cognizes ‘pleasure’ and ‘pain’ and ‘neutral feeling’” OR “Sukhantipi vijānāti, dukkhantipi vijānāti, adukkhamasukhantipi vijānāti.” 
  • Note that the sutta does not even explain the meaning of vijānāti or why it is incorrect. That is explained in detail in other suttās. See “Vijānāti, Pajānāti, Abhijānātī – Better Levels of Human Understanding.”
  • Why is vijānātī ‘incorrect’? As discussed in the post above, saññā, vedanā, and viññāṇa are all components of the pañcupādānakkhandha. They arise via the mind attaching to a ‘rūpa‘ embellished with ‘kāma saññā,’ i.e., any ‘external rūpa‘ does not have color, taste, odor, musical overtones, or a pleasant touch. Thus, viññāṇa arises based on sañjānāti and leads to an expectation to acquire more of such ‘rūpa,’ and that expectation is ‘viññāṇa.’  
Vijānāti Can Be Improved With Paññā

4. However, a wise human can (with mundane contemplation/investigations with paññā) figure out – with viññāṇa – that sañjānāti does not reveal the true nature, i.e., the ‘rūpa‘ experienced is not the same ‘rūpa‘ in the external world. See “Vijānāti, Pajānāti, Abhijānātī – Better Levels of Human Understanding .” 

  • That capability is not there for animals; see “Sañjānāti – Animals Mostly Have This Level of Understanding.” That is because animals cannot invoke paññā. Their ‘unfortunate births’ prevent them from having the capability to ‘think rationally.’
  • In other words, humans can develop paññā because they have well-developed brains with a neocortex, but animals don’t.
  • Thus, animals operate on sañjānāti, and even most humans operate on vijānāti, which relies mostly on sañjānāti.
  • Only in the past two to three decades has modern science gradually come to realize that sañjānāti does not reveal the true nature of the external world. See “The Illusion of Perception (Saññā) – It Is Scientific Consensus.” However, most people are unaware of this recent finding, as explained in that post and in “Vijānāti, Pajānāti, Abhijānātī – Better Levels of Human Understanding.” In other words, most people today have not yet developed the capacity to cultivate paññā, as explained below.
  • Therefore, paññā can be cultivated with viññāṇa, and that, in turn, can improve vijānāti beyond the level of sañjānāti. That is why paññā and viññāṇa are related, as pointed out in the next verse.
Paññā Can be Cultivated via Viññāṇa

5. At marker 5.1, the question is asked: “Yā cāvuso, paññā yañca viññāṇaṁ—ime dhammā saṁsaṭṭhā udāhu visaṁsaṭṭhā? That means, “Wisdom (paññā) and viññāṇa—are these things mixed or completely separate?”

  • The answer is, “those two are mixed, not separate.” That is because one cannot get to the higher level of pajānāti without being able to comprehend things at the vijānāti level.
  • As we discussed in a previous post (“Sañjānāti – Animals Mostly Have This Level of Understanding“), animals can only comprehend the world through sañjānātī, not at the higher level of pajānāti.
  • Thus, an animal can never comprehend the Noble Truths. Only humans (or those in realms above the human realm) have the ability to comprehend the Noble Truths starting at the level of vijānāti and progressing to pajānāti.
  • At marker 6.4: By the use (bhāvetabbā) of paññā, one must fully comprehend (pariññeyyaṁ) viññāṇa. That is when one begins to use paññā. This is evident in the Abhidhamma, where paññā is a sobhana cetasika. One who has given up the ten wrong views (including not believing in rebirth) can cultivate paññā to a level where one will be able to comprehend the true nature of viññāṇa, i.e., that is always arises in a defiled state due to the ‘built-in kāma saññā.’
Vedanā and Saññā ‘Go Together’

6. At marker 7.1 – 7.6: vedanā is defined as “sukha, dukkha, and adukkhamasukha (neutral).”

  • At marker 8.2: The question asked: ‘How is perception (saññā) defined?‘ and the answer is ‘It’s called perception (saññā) because it is known via ‘sañjānāti’ (‘Sañjānāti sañjānātī’ti kho, āvuso, tasmā saññāti vuccati.)
  •  ‘And what does it perceive?’ (‘Kiñca sañjānāti?’). The answer is ‘It perceives blue, yellow, red, and white.’ 
  • The answer was given with an example. Seeing in colors (blue, yellow, red, white, etc.) is an example of sañjānāti or ‘knowing via the built-in perception.’ As we have discussed, ‘color’ does not exist in sunlight or in the objects we see, as recently confirmed by modeern science. See “Rūpa Samudaya – A ‘Colorful World’ Is Created by the Mind.” Color and light are both made up by the mind!
  • ‘Color impression’ arises in the mind as a ‘mind-made saññā‘ (kāma saññā for us humans). Understanding how we see a ‘colorful world’ even though the world is ‘colorless’ is critical to understanding Buddha’s deeper teachings. 
  • Note that the Buddha taught that color is a mind-made perception 2600 years ago, while modern science has only recently discovered that fact!
Vedanā, Saññā, Viññāṇa – Not Separate

7. At marker 9.1, the question is asked: “Yā cāvuso, vedanā yā ca saññā yañca viññāṇaṁ——ime dhammā saṁsaṭṭhā udāhu visaṁsaṭṭhā? That means, “vedanā, saññā, and viññāṇa—are these things mixed or completely separate?”

  • The answer is, “those three are mixed, not separate.” And you can never completely disentangle them so as to describe the difference between them. For you perceive (saññā) what you feel (vedanā), and you wrongly cognize (viññāṇa) what you perceive (saññā) with sañjānātī.
  • As discussed briefly in #3 above, the generation of pañcupādānakkhandha starts with the mind receiving a ‘rūpa‘ embellished with ‘kāma saññā‘ and generating a ‘sukha vedanā.’ Attaching to that ‘distorted rūpa‘ with the ‘sukha vedanā‘ leads to saṅkhāra (kamma) generation, and that defiled mond generates a desire to get more of such rūpa. That expectation is in viññāṇa. That is the relationship among vedanā, saññā, and viññāṇa.
  • Also see “Saññā Gives Rise to Most of the Vedanā We Experience.” As discussed there, most of the initial vedanā arise via saññā. Then, the mind generates and intensifies those initial, mild vedanā into much more intense samphassa-jā–vedanā. 
  • In comparison, vedanā felt by an Arahant stops at the initial manāpa/amanāpa levels without elevating to intense sukha/dukkha levels; see #14, #15 below.
Vijānāti Start Turning to Pajānāti With Paññā for a Sotapanna Anugāmi

8. At marker 11.1, to the question: “‘Neyyaṁ panāvuso, dhammaṁ kena pajānātī‘ ti?” OR ‘What is the procedure to correctly understand Dhamma with pajānātī?’  The answer was: “Neyyaṁ kho, āvuso, dhammaṁ paññācakkhunā pajānātī‘ ti” OR “One gets to the pajānātī level by developing paññā cakkhu or ‘wisdom eye’.”

  • Here, ‘Neyyaṁ’ means ‘the procedure’ and pajānātī is to comprehend dhamma (Buddha’s teachings) with paññā cakkhu. Even though the English translation does not make the distinction, pajānātī is not a superficial understanding but rather with paññā cakkhu (as a Sotapanna Anugami), which then turns to ‘dhamma cakkhu’ at the Sotapanna stage.
  • That is evident in the answer to the next question of “Paññā panāvuso, kimatthiyā’ ti?” OR “What is the meaning of paññā?” The answer was “Paññā kho, āvuso, abhiññatthā pariññatthā pahānatthā’ ti” OR “Paññā means full and complete understanding of Buddha’s teachings leading to giving up (of defilements).”
Paññā Cakkhu Turns to Dhamma Cakkhu at the Sotapanna Stage

9. Paññā still belongs to ‘this world’ and not Nibbāna. However, paññā is the ‘stepping stone’ from this world to Nibbāna. 

  • An average human does not even have the early stages of paññā until they reach mundane samma diṭṭhi by getting rid of the ten wrong views. The key to getting to mundane samma diṭṭhi is to get rid of uccheda diṭṭhi, or the belief that life ends with the death of the physical body. As we have discussed, that view is the same as believing thoughts/perceptions/feelings, etc., arise in the brain. (This is why a scientist with uccheda diṭṭhi cannot get to pajānātī even after realizing the faults with sañjānātī.)
  • When a puthujjana begins to comprehend the dangers of attachment to ‘things in this world,’ their paññā grows, and they progress to the Sotapanna Anugāmi stage.
  • Then, while in contemplation, they attain the Sotapanna stage by fully establishing Sammā Diṭṭhi in their minds. At that point, paññā is elevated to ñāna.

10. At marker 13.1, the question is asked: “Kati panāvuso, paccayā sammā diṭṭhiyā uppādāyā’ ti?” OR “How many conditions are there for the arising of sammā diṭṭhi?”

  • The answer is, “parato ca ghoso, yoniso ca manasikāro” OR “Learning Buddha’s teaching from another Noble Person (parato ghoso) and yoniso manasikāra.”
  • It is critical to understand what yoniso manasikāra means. 
  • What one learns from a Noble Person is yoniso manasikāra, i.e., the ‘birth place of defilements that lead to suffering.’ The word ‘yoni‘ literally means ‘the female birthing place’ (where babies are born from). A mind is defiled by attaching to ‘worldly pleasures’ seemingly associated with sensory inputs. However, the Buddha taught that sensory inputs are mirages and that an impression is created via ‘kāma saññā.’ As we have discussed, modern science has recently confirmed that. 
  • The connection between yoniso manasikāra and ‘kāma saññā‘ is discussed in “Buddhist Non-Attachment Is Based on Yoniso Manasikāra.” (Again, this is why a scientist with uccheda diṭṭhi cannot get to pajānātī even after realizing the faults with sañjānātī, as pointed out in #9 above.)
  • Saññā is a critical mental factor (cetasika) that lacks a direct English translation (even though it is commonly translated as “perception”). Saññā is necessary for the survival of any living being, but it also plays a critical role in perpetuating or extending the rebirth process, and thus, future suffering.
Mahāvedalla Sutta – Clarification of Sañjānātī, Vijānāti, Pajānāti

11. Now, let us review what we learned from the Mahāvedalla Sutta. It provides a good example of why some suttās need detailed explanations and why word-by-word translations can be quite misleading. Of course, in this specific case, the Sutta Central translator did not understand the drastic distinctions among the three terms sañjānātī, vijānāti, and pajānāti.

  • In contrast, it took me many posts to even explain what sañjānātī means, starting with the deeper meaning of saññā.
  • Please spend at least half a day going back and reading the posts on saññā to solidify understanding of sañjānātī. That is, if you can at least see a ‘glimpse of what I have been trying to convey.’
  • Then, read the following recent posts to solidify the understanding of vijānāti and pajānāti: “Sañjānāti – Animals Mostly Have This Level of Understanding ” and “Vijānāti, Pajānāti, Abhijānātī – Better Levels of Human Understanding.”
  • That wraps up the discussion of the essential parts of the Mahāvedalla Sutta, solidifying understanding of the dramatic distinctions among the three terms sañjānātī, vijānāti, and pajānāti.
  • Let me summarize the main points from the discussion.
Saññā and vedanā Dictate Our Sensory Experience

12. ‘Saññā’ and ‘vedanā’ are two Pāli words critical in understanding Buddha’s teachings. They define our sensory experience (the “vipāka aspect”). Based on that experience, we respond with thoughts, speech, and actions.

  • A key aspect of Buddha’s teachings is the following: Saññā forces the mind to present an external world consisting of ‘mind-pleasing,’ ‘mind-depressing,’ or ‘neutral’ sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touches.
  • Based on ‘mind-pleasing’ experiences, the mind automatically generates a sukha vedanā. That is how we attach to ‘mind-pleasing’ sensory inputs. Since they distract the mind and move it away from Nibbāna, the Buddha taught us to treat even a sukha vedanā as a dukkha vedanā.
  • There are other sensory inputs that signal a ‘dislike,’ and in response to those, the mind generates a dukkha vedanā. However, we attach to those too, with thinking of ways to ‘get rid of them.’ Since they inherently trigger dukkha vedanā AND move the mind away from Nibbāna, the Buddha taught us to treat them as if pierced by a spear twice.
  • All other sensory inputs do not generate a ‘like’ or ‘dislike,’ and those generate a ‘neutral or adukkamasukha vedanā.’ They mislead our minds (and still move the mind away from Nibbāna), and the Buddha taught us to understand them to be of ‘anicca nature.’ For example, when we see the ‘blue sky’, we may not attach to it; yet, we still believe the sky is inherently blue, while in reality, the sky is colorless! This is one example of ‘attaching with moha/avijja‘ even when raga and dosa are not present.

13. Since ALL sensory experiences mislead our minds, the Buddha taught us to consider any sensory input as ‘leading to suffering.’

Intense Kāma Sukha Are Mind- made 

14. Note that the mind of an Arahant would stay in ‘kāma dhātu‘ experiencing the kāma saññā but not attaching to it; see the chart in #6 of “Purāna and Nava Kamma – Sequence of Kamma Generation.”

  • An Arahant will see a colorful bouquet as such, just as any other human would.
  • They will also feel the ‘sweet taste of honey’ but only in a weak ‘manāpa‘ state. It does not grow into an intense kāma sukha as for a puthujjana. Thus, ‘manāpa‘ is a ‘agreeable sensation’ and is an early stage of ‘sukha vedanā’ (‘samphassa-jā-vedanā) felt by a puthujjana.
  • Arahants would also experience the opposite ‘amanāpa‘ (disagreeable) when presented with a disgusting sight or a taste. However, that also does not intensify into an intense dukkha vedanā, as it does for a puthujjana.

15. That is stated in the “Nibbānadhātu Sutta (Iti 44)“: ‘Their (Arahants‘) five sense faculties still remain. So long as their senses work, they continue to experience the agreeable and disagreeable (‘manāpāmanāpaṁ‘ or ‘manāpa‘ and ‘amanāpa’), to feel pleasure and pain (‘sukhadukkhaṁ‘).’ 

  • Thus, the initial sukha vedanā (manāpa) generated via ‘distorted saññā‘ is very weak. 
  • The more intense sukha vedanā that a puthujjana experiences is a ‘highly-magnified’ version. That ‘magnification’ occurs if the mind attaches to that sensory input with mind-generated ‘kāma guna.’ 
  • A preliminary discussion is in “Origin of Attachment – Rāga Triggered by Saññā.” I will expand that to explain the ‘mind-made’ magnification for a puthujjana, resulting in a perceived magnified ‘kāma sukha,‘ in an upcoming post. That explanation is in the “Pañcakaṅga Sutta (SN 36.19)” and “Indriyabhāvanā Sutta (MN 152).”
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