Difference between knowledge and wisdom from Buddhist point of view

Thangjam Sanjoo Singh *

A Buddhist Temple at Tamu , Myanmar

Second Class Human Beings

People who do not think for themselves and always borrow ideas from others are second-class human beings.

Before coming to the deference between knowledge and wisdom, I would like to throw some lights on Philosophy and Buddhism.

Philosophy deals mainly with knowledge and not concerned with practice, whereas Buddhism lays special emphasis on practice and realisation based on understanding. Therefore, the concern of philosophy is to know and that of Buddhism is to understand. So, it is very important to try to understand ourselves because understanding ourselves at first is the beginning of wisdom. The sole purpose of it is that we must not try to know who we are without depending on others.

In Buddhism, there can be no real morality without knowledge, no real knowledge without morality; both are bound up together like heat and light in flame. What constitutes ‘Bodhi’ is enlightenment with compassion. The consciousness of moral excellence is the very essence of ‘Bodhi’. Wisdom is not knowledge. We do gain knowledge after listening, reading, and observing many things in this world but it is not in wisdom in the real sense. Wisdom appears in the mind when mental hindrances, obstructions and other impurities are not active in the mind. There are many learned people all over the world, no doubt, have wonderful knowledge, but unfortunately, some lack proper wisdom. They are intelligent but their behaviour is questionable. They may be hot-tempered, egoistic, emotional, jealous, greedy and temperament.

On the other hand, there are many others who are very kind, patient, tolerant and have many other good qualities. However, they lack wisdom and can be easily misled by others. If we develop generosity without proper knowledge, we could get into trouble when people take advantage of us. Knowledge and good qualities must, therefore, go together.

Knowledge is something which has been defined as ‘justified true belief’, and which is studied in the branch of philosophy known as epistemology. The quest for knowledge knows no boundaries. There is no limit to pursuing knowledge, because knowledge is clearly different from ‘feeling sure’ about what exists or about the course of events. Most philosophical debate on the subject centres on the nature of truth and on what counts as appropriate evidence for claiming to know something. In Buddhist’s teaching, there are three sources of knowledge:

a) Inference,
b) Perception and
c) Experience.

Knowledge of how things work is quite different from realisation which is wisdom, which is insight, which wants to see why it works, and how it works. Wisdom is so much more than knowledge. Knowledge is the answer to the question how? Wisdom is investigation of the answer to the question why? Knowledge can answer a query about function, result, and purposes: wisdom does not provide an answer, but is realising why such a question has risen.

And in that realisation of the question, there is no search beyond because insight has solved the problem, dissolved the conflict and ended the search. Thus, where knowledge searches outside, wisdom ceases at the insight into the question. The Buddha was once asked as to whether without sensuous pleasure life would be endurable; without belief in immorality man could be moral and without worship of a God man could advance towards righteousness.

The Buddha replied in the affirmative and mentioned that these ends could be attained by knowledge; knowledge alone was the key to the higher path, the one worth pursuing in life; knowledge was that which brought calmness and peace to life, which rendered man indifferent to the storms of the phenomenal world.

Knowledge is of three kinds
– that acquired by learning
– that acquired by thinking, and
– that acquired by meditation

This is wisdom, which is the apex of the threefold training
discipline,
– concentration, and
– wisdom-leading to ultimate bliss

Beginning of wisdom and the foundation of knowledge

Kindness is more important than wisdom and the recognition of this is the wisdom.

The fountain of knowledge does not spring incidentally. Educators who seek ways to quench mankind’s thirst of knowledge dig it through layers of knowledge.
Wisdom lingers
Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.
Solitude and wisdom
Solitude is the nurse of wisdom.
Man must learn
Man is not a being born only to live in society. As Aristotle said, “He is also a being born to acquire, communicate and accumulate knowledge.”
Collect little by little
Even pot is filled gradually by little drops of water. So should one acquire knowledge and wealth.
Knowledge dispels fear and worry
Fear and worry disappear when ignorance is dispelled by knowledge.
Proper understanding towards wrongdoers
If a man does something wrong to you through his ignorance or misunderstanding, that is the most opportune time for you to use your wisdom, your education, and understanding.
Knowledge is free from ignorance
All our superficial knowledge based on our senses is really ignorance, and true knowledge is only obtained by shedding all this until we think without using sense ideas.

Today the light of knowledge is shining
The humans of the modern era are fortunate in being born at the time when the light of knowledge is shining with considerable lustre.
It is, therefore, an insult to our human dignity that we are utilising that light not to improve our mind but to destroy ourselves along with our environment.
It is also of paramount importance that all the media available in modern times, be mobilised to save lives and civilisation.
Fear dominates a fool’s mind
Where so ever fear arises, it arises in the fool, not in the wise man. Wisdom comes through the recognition of ignorance.
A wise man is quiet
The quiet man is not necessarily wise, but usually the wise man is quiet.
Knowledge comes from many sources
A student acquires a quarter of his knowledge from his teacher, another quarter from his own intelligence, the third quarter from his co-students and the last quarter in course of time from experience.

Nature of a wise man

He who has understanding and great wisdom does not think of harming himself or another, nor harming both alike. He rather thinks of his own welfare, that of others, that of both, and that of the welfare of the whole world.

Age and wisdom

wisdom does not necessarily come with age.
Be patient
Patience is the compassion of wisdom.
How does man become wise?
The Yaksha asked, “By the study of which science does man become wise?’
Yudhistthra replied, “Not by studying any book does man become wise. It is by association with the great in wisdom that he gets wisdom.”
Little knowledge
If little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger.
Learning can increase ignorance
The more we learn about things existing in the world, the more we create our own concepts and fantasies, which are the product of our limited way of thinking and shaped by our limited senses. Instead of gaining wisdom, we increase our ignorance.
People who claim to know many things only develop their egoism and sceptical waves, which creates more confusion and disturb the peace and confidence in their minds.
The knowledge and attitude they maintain often create more misunderstanding and conflict instead of generosity and goodwill.
Good short life is more valuable
Better to live a single day with wisdom, bright, contemplative than for a hundred years unwise and unconcentrated.
Knowledge without serving others is not useful
Knowledge – what we know – means little unless intelligently applied to serve others!
Common sense
Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.