Thus I have heard: The Buddha was staying at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha. At the time, Venerable Śāriputra and Venerable Mahākauṣṭhila were on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa.
Venerable Mahākauṣṭhila rose from meditation in the afternoon and visited Śāriputra. Once they had exchanged greetings and joked in various ways, he withdrew to sit to one side.
Venerable Mahākauṣṭhila said to Śāriputra, “I have a question I’d like to ask if you might have some time to explain it for me?”
Śāriputra said, “Go ahead with your question, sir. I will tell you what I know.”
Venerable Mahākauṣṭhila asked Śāriputra, “There’s the term ‘ignorance.’ What is this ignorance? Who possesses this ignorance?”
Śāriputra replied, “To not know is ignorance. [Someone who doesn’t know is ignorant.]”
“What don’t they know?”
“They don’t truly know form … the formation of form … the cessation of form … the enjoyment of form … the trouble of form, and they don’t truly know the escape from form. They don’t truly know feeling … conception … volition … awareness … the formation of awareness … the cessation of awareness … the enjoyment of awareness … the trouble of awareness, and they don’t truly know the escape from awareness. Mahākauṣṭhila, they truly don’t know these five acquired aggregates. They don’t truly see and have no direct realization of them. They are benighted, foolish, [and aren’t insightful.] This is called ignorance. Someone who achieves this is called ignorant.”
Mahākauṣṭhila also asked, “Śāriputra, what is insight? Who possesses this insight?”
Śāriputra said, “[Mahākauṣṭhila, the term insight means to know.] Someone who knows is called insightful.”
“What is it that they know?”
Śāriputra said, “They truly know form … the formation of form … the cessation of form … the enjoyment of form … the trouble of form, and they truly know the escape from form. They truly know feeling … conception … volition … awareness … the formation of awareness … the cessation of awareness … the enjoyment of awareness … the trouble of awareness, and they truly know the escape from awareness. Mahākauṣṭhila, they truly know these five acquired aggregates. They truly see and have insight about them. They are aware, wise, and directly realize it. This is called insight. Someone who achieves this is called insightful.”
When those two proper gentlemen each heard that teaching, they rejoiced and departed.