The Real Meaning of the Five Vidyas

        Traditionally, the vidyas are divided into the five major vidyas and the five minor vidyas. The five major vidyas are the silpakarmasthanavidya (craftsmanship vidya), the cikitsvidya (healing vidya), the sabdavidya (sound vidya), the hetuvidya (causality or Buddhist logic vidya), and the adhyatmavidya (inner realization vidya). The five minor vidyas are rhetoric, ornate diction, prosody, dramaturgy, and astronomy. Actually, the Five Vidyas are not that narrow. Everything in the universe can be classified into five aspects of brightness and darkness. To develop everything that is good in the universe and that benefits living beings is classified as “bright.” That which confuses and is bad is classified as “dark.” This is the real meaning of the Five Vidyas (Five Bright) of which the Buddha spoke.

Venerable Akou Lamo Rinpoche