This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, as I have heard:
“Bhikkhus, it is through the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| that I declare someone to be a brahmin possessing the threefold knowledge—not through mere repetition of what is said.
And how, bhikkhus, do I declare someone to be a brahmin possessing the threefold knowledge through the Dhamma, and not through mere repetition of what is said? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu recollects their manifold past lives: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births; many cycles of [universal] contraction, many cycles of [universal] expansion, many cycles of [universal] contraction and expansion: ‘There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such was my experience of pleasure and pain, such was my life span; and passing away from there, I was reborn elsewhere; and there too I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such was my experience of pleasure and pain, such was my life span; and passing away from there, I was reborn here.’ Thus, he recollects his manifold past lives, in detail and with distinguishing features. This is the first knowledge he has attained: |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]| has been dispelled, knowledge has arisen, darkness has been dispelled, light has arisen—as it occurs for one who is |diligent::doing one’s work or duty well, with alertness, carefulness and care [appamatta]|, |with continuous effort::ardent, zealous, with energy, with application [ātāpī]|, and |determined::resolute, applying oneself [pahitatta]|.
Again, bhikkhus, the bhikkhu with the |divine eye::the faculty of clairvoyance, the ability to see beyond the ordinary human range [dibbacakkhu]|, purified and surpassing human vision, sees beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in fortunate and unfortunate destinations—and understands beings according to their actions: These beings, engaged in bodily, verbal, and mental misconduct, revilers of the Noble Ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views—upon the breaking up of the body, after death, have arisen in a state of loss, a bad destination, a place of ruin, even in hell. But these beings, engaged in good bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, not revilers of the Noble Ones, holding right views and undertaking actions based on right views—upon the breaking up of the body, after death, have arisen in a good destination, the heavenly world. Thus, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human vision, he sees beings as they pass away and are reborn: inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in fortunate and unfortunate destinations—he understands beings according to their actions. This is the second knowledge he has attained: ignorance has been dispelled, knowledge has arisen, darkness has been dispelled, light has arisen—as it occurs for one who is diligent, with continuous effort, and determined.
Again, bhikkhus, through the wearing away of the |mental defilements::mental outflows, taints, corruptions [āsava]|, the bhikkhu dwells—having directly realized and attained in this very life—the taintless |liberation of mind::mental liberation, emancipation of heart, a meditation attainment [cetovimutti]| and |liberation by wisdom::emancipation by insight [paññāvimutti]|, achieved by his own direct knowledge. This is the third knowledge he has attained: ignorance has been dispelled, knowledge has arisen, darkness has been dispelled, light has arisen—as it occurs for one who is diligent, with continuous effort, and determined.
The Blessed One spoke on this matter. In this regard, it is said:
“He who recollects their manifold past lives,
And sees the [realms of] heaven and loss with the divine eye;
And who has attained the end of birth,
A sage consummate in direct knowledge.
With these three kinds of knowledge,
A brahmin is one of threefold knowledge;
It is him I declare a threefold knowledge holder,
not one of mere repetition of what is said.”
This matter too was spoken by the Blessed One, as I have heard.