The Buddha describes the four kinds of brightness.

PTS 2.139

AN 4.141 Brightness

“Catasso imā, bhikkhave, ābhā. Katamā catasso? Candābhā, sūriyābhā, aggābhā, paññābhā imā kho, bhikkhave, catasso ābhā. Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ catunnaṁ ābhānaṁ yadidaṁ paññābhā”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Catasso imā, bhikkhave, ābhā.

“Mendicants, there are these four kinds of brightness.

Katamā catasso?

What four?

Candābhā, sūriyābhā, aggābhā, paññābhā

The brightness of the moon, sun, fire, and wisdom.

imā kho, bhikkhave, catasso ābhā.

These are the four kinds of brightness.

Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ catunnaṁ ābhānaṁ yadidaṁ paññābhā”ti.

The best of these four kinds of brightness is the brightness of wisdom.”

Qualities:

Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on September 14, 2026

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