| Translations of triśikṣā | |
|---|---|
| English | threefold training, three trainings, three disciplines |
| Sanskrit | त्रिशिक्षा (triśikṣā) |
| Pali | tisikkhā |
| Chinese | 三学 (Pinyin:sān xué) |
| Japanese | 三學 (Rōmaji:sangaku) |
| Khmer | ត្រ័យសិក្ខា (UNGEGN:traisĕkkha) |
| Korean | 삼학 (RR:samhak) |
| Tibetan | ལྷག་པའི་བསླབ་པ་གསུམ། (Wylie: lhag-pa’i bslab-pa gsum) |
| Tagalog | trisikga |
| Thai | ไตรสิกขา (RTGS:traisikkha) |
| Vietnamese | tam học |
| Glossary of Buddhism | |
| Part ofa series on |
| Buddhism |
|---|
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The Buddha identified thethreefold training (Sanskrit:triśikṣā;Pali:tisikkhā; or simplyśikṣā orsikkhā)[1] as training in:
According toTheravadacanonical texts, pursuing this training leads to the abandonment oflust, hatred, and delusion.[2] One who is fully accomplished in this training attainsnirvana.[3]
In theAnguttara Nikaya, training in "higher virtue" includes following thePatimokkha, training in "higher mind" (sometimes simply referred to as "concentration") includes entering and dwelling in the fourjhanas, and training in "higher wisdom" includes directly perceiving theFour Noble Truths or knowledge of destruction of the taints.[4]
In severalcanonical discourses, a more "gradual" instruction (anupubbikathā) is provided to receptive lay people (see also,gradual training). This latter instruction culminates in the teaching of the Four Noble Truths which in itself concludes with theNoble Eightfold Path, the constituents of which can be mapped to this threefold training (see below).
The Buddha's threefold training is similar to the threefold grouping of theNoble Eightfold Path articulated byBhikkhuni Dhammadinna in Culavedalla Sutta ("The Shorter Set of Questions-And-Answers Discourse,"MN 44): virtue (sīlakkhandha), concentration (samādhikkhandha), wisdom (paññākkhandha).[5] These three-part schemes simplify and organize the Eightfold Path as follows:
| Threefold Partition | Eightfold Path | Method of Practice |
|---|---|---|
| VIRTUE | Right Speech | Five Precepts |
| Right Action | ||
| Right Livelihood | ||
| MIND | Right Effort | Dwelling in the four jhanas (meditation) |
| Right Mindfulness | ||
| Right Concentration | ||
| WISDOM | Right View | Knowing Four Noble Truths |
| Right Intention |
The threefold training is also part of the bodhisattva path of the Mahayana.Nagarjuna refers to it in his Letter to a Friend (Suhrllekha), verse 53:
"One should always train (shiksha) in superior discipline (adhishila), superior wisdom (adhiprajna) and superior mind (adhicitta)"[6]
| "Sīlaṃ samādhi paññā ca, vimutti ca anuttarā; Iti buddho abhiññāya, |
Translated byVajira & Story (1998) (boldface added for emphasis) as:
| "Virtue, concentration, wisdom, and emancipation unsurpassed — These are the principles realized by Gotama the renowned; |
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