Part 4 - Twenty gateways of acquisition of knowledge and non-knowledge

Q. 98. Bhante! Are the souls on the way to the hells endowed with knowledge or with non-knowledge?

A. 98. Gautama! They are endowed with knowledge, also with non-knowledge, three types of knowledge, as a rule, and upto three types of non-knowledge.

Q. 99. Bhante! Are the souls on the way to animal life endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 99. Gautama! They are endowed with two types of knowledge, and two types of non-knowledge, as a rule.

Q. 100. Bhante! Are the souls on the way to human life endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 100. Gautama! Upto three types of knowledge, but, as a rule, with two types of non-knowledge. Those on the way to heavenly life are similar to those on the way to infernal life.

Q. 101. Bhante! Those on the way to being perfected?

A. 101. They are like the perfected beings.

Q. 102. Bhante! Are the living beings with sense organs endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 102. Gautama! Upto four types of knowledge, and upto three of non-knowledge.

Q. 103. Bhante! Are the one-organ beings endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 103. They are similar to the earth bodies. Two, three and four organ beings have, as a rule, two types of knowledge, and two of non-knowledge. Five organ beings are like beings with sense organs.

Q. 104. Bhante! Are those who have no sense organ endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 104. They are like the perfected beings (see 101).

Q. 105. Bhante! Are the living beings with a body endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 105. Gautama! Upto five types of knowledge and three of non-knowledge. Earth bodies, till plant life, are not endowed with knowledge, but with non-knowledge, and these are, as a rule, two, viz., perceptual and scriptural. Mobile beings are like those with a body.

Q. 106. Bhante! Are those without a body endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 106. They are like the perfected beings (see 101).

Q. 107. Bhante! Are the minute beings (i.e., diminutive form of life) endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 107. They are like the earth bodies.

Q. 108. Bhante! Are the coarse beings (i.e., visible form of life) endowed with knowledge, etc,?

A. 108. They are like those with a body.

Q. 109. Bhante! What about the no-minute no-coarse-beings?

A. 109. They are like the perfected beings.

Q. 110. Bhante! Are the beings with full attainments, endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 110. They are like those with a body.

Q. 111. Bhante! Are the infernal beings with Full attainments endowed with knowledge?

A. 111. As a rule, they are endowed with three types of knowledge, and three of non-knowledge, like the infernal beings, and like this, till the Stanitakumāras. Earth bodies are like those with one organ of sense, and like this, till those with four organs of sense (see 103).

Q. 112. Bhante! Are the five-organ animals with full attainments endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 112. Gautama! They have upto three types of knowledge, and upto three types of non-knowledge. Human beings are like those with a body (see 105). The Vāṇavyantaras. Jyotiṣkas and Vaimānikas are like the infernal beings (see 92).

Q. 113. Are those who are without full attainments endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 113. They have upto three types of knowledge and upto three types of non-knowledge.

Q. 114. Bhante! Are the infernal beings without full attainments endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 114. With three types of knowledge as a rule, but upto three types of non-knowledge, and like this, till the Stanitakumāras. Earth bodies, till plant life, are like those with a single organ of sense.

Q. 115. And what about the two-organ beings?

A. 115. They have two types of knowledge, and two types of non-knowledge, as a rule, and like this, till the five organ animals.

Q. 116. Bhante! Are the human beings without full attainments endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 116. They have upto three types of knowledge, but, as a rule, two types of non-knowledge. The Vāṇavyantaras are like the infernal beings (see 114). The Jyotiṣkas and the Vaimānikas without full attainments have, as a rule, three types of knowledge, and three of non-knowledge.

Q. 117. Bhante! Are the beings with non-attainments no-non-attainments endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 117. They are like the perfected beings (see 101).

Q. 118. Bhante 5 Are the infernal beings who are already in the hells endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowkdge?

A. 118. They are similar to those on their way to the hells (see 98).

Q. 119. Bhante! Are the beiṅgs who are already in animal form endowed with knowledge, or with non-knowledge?

A. 119. They have upto three types of knowledge, and three of non-knowledge.

Q. 120. And those who are already in human form, pray?

A. 120. They are like those with a body (see 105).

Q. 121. And, bhante, what about those who are already in divine form?

A. 121. They are like those who are already in the hells, (see 118) Those who do not belong to any one of these species are like the perfected beings (see 101).

Q. 122. Bhante! Are those to be perfected in this life (bhavasiddhika) endowed with knowledge, etc.?

A. 122. They are like those with a body (see 105).

Q. 123. And those who are not to be so perfected (abhavasiddhika), pray?

A. 123. Gautama! Not endowed with knowledge, but with non-knowledge, and that upto three types of nonknowledge.

Q. 124. Bhante! What about those who are no-bhavasiddhika no-abhavasiddhika?

A. 124. They are like the perfected beings (see 101).

Q. 125. And those with a mind (sanni), pray?

A. 125. They are like those with sense organs (see 102). Those without a mind (asanni) are like those with two organs of sense (see 95). Those who are no-sanni no-asanni are like the perfected beings (see 101).

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

Q. 99-125. The twenty gate-ways of knowledge considered here are indicated in the following couplets:

gaiiṃdie[?] ya kāe muhume pajjattae bhavatthe ya |
bhavaseddhie ya saṇṇī laddhi uvaoga joye ya || 1 ||
lessā kasāya vee āhāre ṇāṇagoyare kāle |
aṃtara appābahuyaṃ ca pajjavā ceha dārāīṃ || 2 ||