Intellect (Skt. बुद्धि, Buddhi) is the faculty of the mind that grasps the meaning or essence of things — the clear, valid understanding of an object or subject. The Nyaya tradition defines it precisely: arthaprakāśo buddhiḥ — the illumination of meaning is intellect. It is the fully valid knowledge of the thing as it is.

The experiencer is the ultimate intellect; on the path of knowledge the intellect is the highest instrument we have for destroying ignorance.

Two kinds of intellect

Following the classical analysis, intellect is of two kinds:

• Experience (anubhava) — direct knowledge or apprehension.

• Memory (smṛti) — awareness that arises on the basis of past knowledge.

Role of intellect

The intellect does the work of arranging experiences into a logical, consistent structure in the memory — which is knowledge. It discriminates between what is true and false, useful and harmful, ethical and unethical. It is the faculty behind logic, inference, prediction and the forming of theories and hypotheses.

Without a sharp intellect there is no discernment, and without discernment a seeker cannot separate information from knowledge, or belief from direct knowledge. This is why a heavy, fat intellect — one stuffed with ungrounded information — actually obscures the truth rather than revealing it.

Intellect and the path of knowledge

On the path of knowledge the intellect is sharpened, not bypassed. Listening, contemplation and abiding all depend on it: you listen to the teaching, you ponder it with your own intellect, you discern using your discriminating ability, and you check it against your direct experience. Only then does the truth in the teaching show up.

See also: intelligence, logic, means of knowledge, memory, knowledge, contemplation.