20.2 Of Insight (KV20.2)

Controverted Point: That “insight” is not for the average man.

Theravādin: But you imply that a worldly man has no analytic discernment, no analytic understanding, no ability to investigate or examine, no faculty of research, no ability to mark well, observe closely, mark repeatedly. Is not the opposite true?

Again, you admit, do you not? that there is not one of the four Rūpa-jhānas or of the four Arūpa-jhānas to which a man of the world may not attain, and that he is capable of liberality towards the Brethren as to the four requisites: raiment and so forth. Surely then it is not right to say a worldly man can have no insight.

Hetuvādin: If he can have insight, does he by that insight intuit the reality about Ill, eliminate its cause, realize its cessation, develop the Path going thereto? You admit that he does not. Therefore, etc.… .

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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