A student asked: when we chant, we praise the Buddha-jewel, Dhamma-jewel, Sangha-jewel, and also ñāṇa-ratana (the jewel of knowing). What exactly is this ñāṇa, and why must it be praised alongside the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha? What makes it important enough for teachers to include it?

Pra Ajarn explained that ñāṇa is an "instrument of knowing" that is always present with every one of us, whether born as an animal or a human being. It is the one thing that connects us with the wholesome Dhamma — that is, with the Triple Gem — and this makes it profoundly important to life. The Triple Gem is like a major station overseeing the wholesome system, connected through ñāṇa-ratana, which functions like a local relay station that stays with us through every life. All three natures — the wholesome, the unwholesome, and the neutral — compete to possess and direct us through this very point.

The unwholesome uses ignorance, wrong view, and mental formations to obscure the truth. The wholesome, meanwhile, has ñāṇa as a special tool for connecting with the human body and elevating its quality. Even before we directly reach its subtlest level, we can still put it to use by repeatedly maintaining awareness — merit then flows in at the center of the sphere of mindfulness and connects with ñāṇa, allowing the wholesome to help us more easily and effectively.

This kind of continuous awareness can be maintained in every posture — sitting, lying down, standing, or walking — though during formal sitting meditation it becomes an especially potent element compared to other postures.