One is incapable of ending suffering without directly knowing and completely comprehending the five aggregates, without becoming dispassionate toward them and without abandoning them.

PTS 3.26

SN 22.24 Abhijāna sutta - Directly Knowing

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthi.

“Rūpaṁ, bhikkhave, anabhijānaṁ aparijānaṁ avirājayaṁ appajahaṁ abhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

“Bhikkhus, without directly knowing and without completely comprehending form, without becoming dispassionate towards it and without abandoning it, one is incapable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

vedanaṁ anabhijānaṁ aparijānaṁ avirājayaṁ appajahaṁ abhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

without directly knowing and without completely comprehending feeling, without becoming dispassionate towards it and without abandoning it, one is incapable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

saññaṁ anabhijānaṁ aparijānaṁ avirājayaṁ appajahaṁ abhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

without directly knowing and without completely comprehending perception, without becoming dispassionate towards it and without abandoning it, one is incapable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

saṅkhāre anabhijānaṁ aparijānaṁ avirājayaṁ appajahaṁ abhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

without directly knowing and without completely comprehending intentional constructs, without becoming dispassionate towards it and without abandoning it, one is incapable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

viññāṇaṁ anabhijānaṁ aparijānaṁ avirājayaṁ appajahaṁ abhabbo dukkhakkhayāya.

without directly knowing and without completely comprehending consciousness, without becoming dispassionate towards it and without abandoning it, one is incapable of achieving.

Rūpañca kho, bhikkhave, abhijānaṁ parijānaṁ virājayaṁ pajahaṁ bhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

Indeed, by directly knowing, by completely comprehending form, by becoming dispassionate towards it, and by abandoning it, one is capable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

vedanaṁ abhijānaṁ parijānaṁ virājayaṁ pajahaṁ bhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

by directly knowing, by completely comprehending feeling, by becoming dispassionate towards it, and by abandoning it, one is capable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

saññaṁ abhijānaṁ parijānaṁ virājayaṁ pajahaṁ bhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

by directly knowing, by completely comprehending perception, by becoming dispassionate towards it, and by abandoning it, one is capable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering;

saṅkhāre abhijānaṁ parijānaṁ virājayaṁ pajahaṁ bhabbo dukkhakkhayāya;

by directly knowing, by completely comprehending intentional constructs, by becoming dispassionate towards it, and by abandoning it, one is capable of achieving

viññāṇaṁ abhijānaṁ parijānaṁ virājayaṁ pajahaṁ bhabbo dukkhakkhayāyā”ti.

by directly knowing, by completely comprehending consciousness, by becoming dispassionate towards it, and by abandoning it, one is capable of achieving the complete cessation of suffering.

Topics & Qualities:

Complete comprehension

Complete comprehension

The thorough understanding of phenomena as they truly are—fully knowing their arising, passing, and the unsatisfactoriness inherent in them while they persist.

Also known as: full understanding, knowing full well, seeing things as they are
Pāli: pariññāya, sammadaññā, sampajañña, saṅkhāya
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Consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness, the fifth aggregate, has two key meanings in the discourses: 1.) The distinctive quality of awareness which knows and arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object. 2.) A seed that finds a footing in a realm, established by ignorance and intention, leading to renewed existence.

Also known as: awareness, the faculty that distinguishes
Pāli: viññāṇa
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Direct knowledge

Direct knowledge

A deep, firsthand realization or knowing that arises from personal experience, not from study or conceptual understanding; it is an immediate, unmediated apprehension of truth.

Also known as: experiential understanding, direct experience
Pāli: abhiñña
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Felt Experience

Felt Experience

Pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation—the experience felt on contact. Sometimes translated as “feeling.” Distinct from an emotional state or reaction, it refers to the affective tone of experience, the bare sensation of pleasure, pain, or neutrality before mental responses arise. It is the second of the five aggregates.

Also known as: feeling
Pāli: vedanā
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Intentional Constructs

Intentional Constructs

Intentional constructs are intentions, volitions, and choices expressed through body, speech, and mind. These are the kamma-producing processes that ‘fabricate’ experience. It is the fourth of the five aggregates.

Also known as: volitional formations, fabrications
Pāli: saṅkhāra
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Perception

Perception

The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks sensory information by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world. It is the third of the five aggregates.

Also known as: recognition, conception
Pāli: sañña
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Last updated on October 4, 2026

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