1"Bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of persons found existing in the world. What three? The person with inverted wisdom, the person with lap-like wisdom, and the person with wide wisdom.

1"Tayome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame tayo? Avakujjapañño puggalo, ucchaṅgapañño puggalo, puthupañño puggalo.

(1) "And what, bhikkhus, is the person with inverted wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. After he has risen from his seat, he still does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Just as, when a pot is turned upside down, the water that had been poured into it runs off and does not remain there, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus …. After he has risen from his seat, he still does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. This is called the person with inverted wisdom.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, avakujjapañño puggalo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo ārāmaṁ gantā hoti abhikkhaṇaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ santike dhammassavanāya. Tassa bhikkhū dhammaṁ desenti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsenti. So tasmiṁ āsane nisinno tassā kathāya neva ādiṁ manasi karoti, na majjhaṁ manasi karoti, na pariyosānaṁ manasi karoti; vuṭṭhitopi tamhā āsanā tassā kathāya neva ādiṁ manasi karoti, na majjhaṁ manasi karoti, na pariyosānaṁ manasi karoti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kumbho nikujjo tatra udakaṁ āsittaṁ vivaṭṭati, no saṇṭhāti; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo ārāmaṁ gantā hoti abhikkhaṇaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ santike dhammassavanāya. Tassa bhikkhū dhammaṁ desenti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsenti. So tasmiṁ āsane nisinno tassā kathāya neva ādiṁ manasi karoti, na majjhaṁ manasi karoti, na pariyosānaṁ manasi karoti; vuṭṭhitopi tamhā āsanā tassā kathāya neva ādiṁ manasi karoti, na majjhaṁ manasi karoti, na pariyosānaṁ manasi karoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, avakujjapañño puggalo.

2(2) "And what is the person with lap-like wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. But after he has risen from his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Just as, when a person has various food stuffs strewn over his lap—sesamum seeds, rice grains, cakes, and jujubes—if he loses his mindfulness when rising from that seat, he would scatter them all over, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus …. But after he has risen from his seat, he does not attend to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. This is called the person with lap-like wisdom.

2Katamo ca, bhikkhave, ucchaṅgapañño puggalo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo ārāmaṁ gantā hoti abhikkhaṇaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ santike dhammassavanāya. Tassa bhikkhū dhammaṁ desenti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsenti. So tasmiṁ āsane nisinno tassā kathāya ādimpi manasi karoti, majjhampi manasi karoti, pariyosānampi manasi karoti; vuṭṭhito ca kho tamhā āsanā tassā kathāya neva ādiṁ manasi karoti, na majjhaṁ manasi karoti, na pariyosānaṁ manasi karoti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, purisassa ucchaṅge nānākhajjakāni ākiṇṇāni – tilā taṇḍulā modakā badarā. So tamhā āsanā vuṭṭhahanto satisammosā pakireyya. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo ārāmaṁ gantā hoti abhikkhaṇaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ santike dhammassavanāya. Tassa bhikkhū dhammaṁ desenti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsenti. So tasmiṁ āsane nisinno tassā kathāya ādimpi manasi karoti, majjhampi manasi karoti, pariyosānampi manasi karoti; vuṭṭhito ca kho tamhā āsanā tassā kathāya neva ādiṁ manasi karoti, na majjhaṁ manasi karoti, na pariyosānaṁ manasi karoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ucchaṅgapañño puggalo.

3(3) "And what is the person with wide wisdom? Here, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus teach him the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; they reveal the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life. While he is sitting in his seat, he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. After he has risen from his seat, again he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Just as, when a pot is kept upright, the water that had been poured into it stays there and does not run off, so too, some person often goes to the monastery to listen to the Dhamma from the bhikkhus …. After he has risen from his seat, again he attends to that talk at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This is called the person with wide wisdom.

3Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puthupañño puggalo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo ārāmaṁ gantā hoti abhikkhaṇaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ santike dhammassavanāya. Tassa bhikkhū dhammaṁ desenti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsenti. So tasmiṁ āsane nisinno tassā kathāya ādimpi manasi karoti, majjhampi manasi karoti, pariyosānampi manasi karoti; vuṭṭhitopi tamhā āsanā tassā kathāya ādimpi manasi karoti, majjhampi manasi karoti, pariyosānampi manasi karoti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kumbho ukkujjo tatra udakaṁ āsittaṁ saṇṭhāti no vivaṭṭati; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo ārāmaṁ gantā hoti abhikkhaṇaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ santike dhammassavanāya. Tassa bhikkhū dhammaṁ desenti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsenti. So tasmiṁ āsane nisinno tassā kathāya ādimpi manasi karoti, majjhampi manasi karoti, pariyosānampi manasi karoti; vuṭṭhitopi tamhā āsanā tassā kathāya ādimpi manasi karoti, majjhampi manasi karoti, pariyosānampi manasi karoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, puthupañño puggalo.

"These, bhikkhus, are the three kinds of persons found existing in the world."

Ime kho, bhikkhave, tayo puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasminti.

4The person with inverted wisdom,
stupid and undiscerning,
often goes to visit bhikkhus
to hear them teach the Dhamma.

4Avakujjapañño puriso,
dummedho avicakkhaṇo;
Abhikkhaṇampi ce hoti,
gantā bhikkhūna santike.

5Yet this person cannot grasp
anything from the talk,
at its beginning, middle, and end,
for he utterly lacks wisdom.

5Ādiṁ kathāya majjhañca,
pariyosānañca tādiso;
Uggahetuṁ na sakkoti,
paññā hissa na vijjati.

6The person with lap-like wisdom
is said to be better than the former.
He too often goes to visit bhikkhus
to hear them teach the Dhamma.

6Ucchaṅgapañño puriso,
seyyo etena vuccati;
Abhikkhaṇampi ce hoti,
gantā bhikkhūna santike.

7While sitting in his seat,
he grasps the phrasing of the talk,
at its beginning, middle, and end.
But after rising, he no longer understands,
but forgets what he had learned.

7Ādiṁ kathāya majjhañca,
pariyosānañca tādiso;
Nisinno āsane tasmiṁ,
uggahetvāna byañjanaṁ;
Vuṭṭhito nappajānāti,
gahitaṁ hissa mussati.

8The person with wide wisdom
is said to be the best of these.
He too often goes to visit bhikkhus
to hear them teach the Dhamma.

8Puthupañño ca puriso,
seyyo etehi vuccati;
Abhikkhaṇampi ce hoti,
gantā bhikkhūna santike.

9While sitting in his seat,
he comprehends the phrasing,
at the beginning, middle, and end
of the talk given by the bhikkhu.

9Ādiṁ kathāya majjhañca,
pariyosānañca tādiso;
Nisinno āsane tasmiṁ,
uggahetvāna byañjanaṁ.

10This person of the best intentions,
his mind undivided, retains what he hears.
Practicing in accordance with the Dhamma,
he can make an end of suffering.

10Dhāreti seṭṭhasaṅkappo,
Abyaggamānaso naro;
Dhammānudhammappaṭipanno,
Dukkhassantakaro siyā"ti.

Dasamaṁ.
Puggalavaggo tatiyo.

11Samiddha gilāna saṅkhārā,
bahukārā vajirena ca;
Sevi jiguccha gūthabhāṇī,
andho ca avakujjatāti.