Prajña
Encyclopedia
Prajñā or paññā (Pāli
) is wisdom
, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation
. In some sects of Buddhism
, it is especially the wisdom that is based on the direct realization of such things as the four noble truths
, impermanence, interdependent origination, non-self
and emptiness
. Prajñā is the wisdom that is able to extinguish afflictions (kleśas) and bring about enlightenment
.
, paññā is defined in a variety of overlapping ways, frequently centering on concentrated
insight
into the three characteristics
of all things—impermanence, suffering
and no-self
—and the four noble truths
.
For instance, both when elaborating upon the five spiritual faculties
—faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration
and wisdom — and when discussing the threefold training
of higher virtue (adhi-sīla
), higher-mind (adhi-citta) and higher-wisdom (or "heightened discernment": adhi-paññā), the Buddha describes paññā (here translated as "discernment") as follows:
In a subsequent discourse
regarding the threefold training, the Buddha indicates that higher wisdom entails the application of concentration and insight to end "fermentations" (or "mental intoxicants"; Pāli: āsava
), effectively achieving arahantship:
In mapping the threefold training to the noble eightfold path
, paññā is traditionally associated with right view () and right resolve () which the Buddha defined:
, Buddhaghoṣa
states that the function of paññā is "to abolish the darkness of delusion
" and that it is "manifested as non-delusion." Its proximate cause is concentration
.
Buddhaghoṣa provides the analogy of a tree to discuss the development of paññā:
Buddhaghoṣa instructs that, to achieve paññā, one should first learn about the soil, then the roots and then the trunk.
Buddhist scholar, Paul Griffiths, offers the following summary of Buddhaghoṣa's definition of paññā:
, describe prajñā as supreme, highest, incomparable, unequalled and unsurpassed. It is spoken of as the principal means, by its enlightenment, of attaining nirvāna, through its revelation of the true nature of all things.
The beginning of the Heart Sutra
includes the phrase "...doing prajñā..." indicating that prajñā is also an activity as well as an outcome, quality or state. As activity, prajñā can be described as "choiceless engagement" where "choiceless" means selflessly accepting outcomes as they develop while understanding interdependent co-existence and emptiness (śūnyatā), followed by further engagement.
(d. 713) emphasized the practice of prajñā in counterpoint to the quietistic and self-absorbed style of meditation that was then current. In so doing, he emphasized dynamic action and human involvement as essential to Zen practice.
and prajñā is the sixth of the six Mahāyāna pāramitās
.
In an article on Vipassana Research Institute, these three sources of panna are explained as followed.
These three aspects are the mūla prajñā
of the sādhana
of Prajñā
-Pāramitā
, the "pāramitā of wisdom". Hence, these three are related to, but distinct from, the prajñāpāramitā
that denotes a particular cycle of discourse in the Buddhist literature, that which relates to the doctrinal field (Sanskrit: kṣetra
) of the second turning of the Dharmachakra.
Gyatrul (b.1924), in a purport to the work of Chagmé
(Wylie: karma-chags-med, fl. 17th century), rendered into English by Wallace
, conveying the importance of internalizing and integrating the doctrine by extending the metaphor, states:
In a commentary to Rangjung Dorje
's Namshe Yeshe Gepa (Wylie: rnam shes ye shes ‘byed pa) by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche rendered into English by Peter Roberts (2001), the mūla prajñā are discussed thus:
Páli
- External links :* *...
) is wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation
Samadhi (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, samādhi is mental concentration or composing the mind.-In the early Suttas:In the Pāli canon of the Theravada tradition and the related Āgamas of other early Buddhist schools, samādhi is found in the following contexts:* In the noble eightfold path, "right concentration" In Buddhism,...
. In some sects of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, it is especially the wisdom that is based on the direct realization of such things as the four noble truths
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
, impermanence, interdependent origination, non-self
Anatta
In Buddhism, anattā or anātman refers to the notion of "not-self." In the early texts, the Buddha commonly uses the word in the context of teaching that all things perceived by the senses are not really "I" or "mine," and for this reason one should not cling to them.In the same vein, the Pali...
and emptiness
Shunyata
Śūnyatā, शून्यता , Suññatā , stong-pa nyid , Kòng/Kū, 空 , Gong-seong, 공성 , qoγusun is frequently translated into English as emptiness...
. Prajñā is the wisdom that is able to extinguish afflictions (kleśas) and bring about enlightenment
Bodhi
Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
.
Etymology
In Sanskrit, jñā can be translated as "consciousness", "knowledge", or "understanding". Pra is an intensifier which could be translated as "higher", "greater", "supreme" or "premium".In the Pāli Canon
In the Pāli CanonPāli Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the only completely surviving early Buddhist canon, and one of the first to be written down...
, paññā is defined in a variety of overlapping ways, frequently centering on concentrated
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
insight
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
into the three characteristics
Three marks of existence
The Three marks of existence, within Buddhism, are three characteristics shared by all sentient beings, namely: impermanence ; suffering or unsatisfactoriness ; non-self .According to Buddhist tradition, a full understanding of these three can bring an end to suffering...
of all things—impermanence, suffering
Dukkha
Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...
and no-self
Anatta
In Buddhism, anattā or anātman refers to the notion of "not-self." In the early texts, the Buddha commonly uses the word in the context of teaching that all things perceived by the senses are not really "I" or "mine," and for this reason one should not cling to them.In the same vein, the Pali...
—and the four noble truths
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
.
For instance, both when elaborating upon the five spiritual faculties
Indriya
Indriya, literally "belonging to or agreeable to Indra" is the Sanskrit and Pali term for physical strength or ability in general, and for the five senses more specifically....
—faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
and wisdom — and when discussing the threefold training
Threefold Training
The Buddha identified the threefold training as training in:* higher virtue * higher mind * higher wisdom - In the Pali Canon :...
of higher virtue (adhi-sīla
Sila
Śīla or sīla in Buddhism and its non-sectarian offshoots, is a code of conduct that embraces self-restraint with a value on non-harming. It has been variously described as virtue, good conduct, morality, moral discipline and precept. It is an action that is an intentional effort...
), higher-mind (adhi-citta) and higher-wisdom (or "heightened discernment": adhi-paññā), the Buddha describes paññā (here translated as "discernment") as follows:
In a subsequent discourse
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
regarding the threefold training, the Buddha indicates that higher wisdom entails the application of concentration and insight to end "fermentations" (or "mental intoxicants"; Pāli: āsava
Asava
Āsava is a Pali term that is used in Buddhist scripture, philosophy, and psychology. The glossary of the Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophydefines āsava/āśrava as:...
), effectively achieving arahantship:
In mapping the threefold training to the noble eightfold path
Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path , is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. It is used to develop insight into the true nature of phenomena and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion...
, paññā is traditionally associated with right view () and right resolve () which the Buddha defined:
From the Visuddhimagga
In the 5th-century exegetic VisuddhimaggaVisuddhimagga
The Visuddhimagga , is the 'great treatise' on Theravada Buddhist doctrine written by Buddhaghosa approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. A comprehensive manual condensing the theoretical and practical teaching of the Buddha, it is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka...
, Buddhaghoṣa
Buddhaghosa
Bhadantācariya Buddhaghoṣa（Chinese: 覺音）was a 5th-century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar. His best-known work is the Visuddhimagga, or Path of Purification, a comprehensive summary and analysis of the Theravada understanding of the Buddha's path to liberation...
states that the function of paññā is "to abolish the darkness of delusion
Avidya (Buddhism)
Avidyā or avijjā means "ignorance" or "delusion" and is the opposite of 'vidyā' and 'rig pa'...
" and that it is "manifested as non-delusion." Its proximate cause is concentration
Samadhi (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, samādhi is mental concentration or composing the mind.-In the early Suttas:In the Pāli canon of the Theravada tradition and the related Āgamas of other early Buddhist schools, samādhi is found in the following contexts:* In the noble eightfold path, "right concentration" In Buddhism,...
.
Buddhaghoṣa provides the analogy of a tree to discuss the development of paññā:
- The soil of the tree are the:
- five aggregatesSkandhaIn Buddhist phenomenology and soteriology, the skandhas or khandhas are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of clinging and bases for a sense of self...
- twelve sense bases and 18 elements
- 22 facultiesIndriyaIndriya, literally "belonging to or agreeable to Indra" is the Sanskrit and Pali term for physical strength or ability in general, and for the five senses more specifically....
- four noble truthsFour Noble TruthsThe Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
- dependent originationPratitya-samutpadaDependent origination or dependent arising is a cardinal doctrine of Buddhism, and arguably the only thing that holds every Buddhist teaching together from Theravada to Dzogchen to the extinct schools. As a concept and a doctrine it has a general and a specific application, both being integral to...
.
- five aggregates
- The roots are:
- purification of virtue
- purification of consciousness.
- The trunk is made up of:
- purification of view
- purification by overcoming doubt
- purification by knowledge and vision of what is and is not the path
- purification by knowledge and vision of the way
- purification by knowledge and vision.
Buddhaghoṣa instructs that, to achieve paññā, one should first learn about the soil, then the roots and then the trunk.
Buddhist scholar, Paul Griffiths, offers the following summary of Buddhaghoṣa's definition of paññā:
From the Prajñā-pāramitā Sutras
The Prajñā-pāramitā Sutras, such as the Heart SutraHeart Sutra
The Heart Sūtra is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures.-Introduction:The Heart Sūtra is a member of the Perfection of...
, describe prajñā as supreme, highest, incomparable, unequalled and unsurpassed. It is spoken of as the principal means, by its enlightenment, of attaining nirvāna, through its revelation of the true nature of all things.
The beginning of the Heart Sutra
Heart Sutra
The Heart Sūtra is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures.-Introduction:The Heart Sūtra is a member of the Perfection of...
includes the phrase "...doing prajñā..." indicating that prajñā is also an activity as well as an outcome, quality or state. As activity, prajñā can be described as "choiceless engagement" where "choiceless" means selflessly accepting outcomes as they develop while understanding interdependent co-existence and emptiness (śūnyatā), followed by further engagement.
Huineng and the practice of wisdom
In the history of Zen Buddhism, the Sixth Patriarch HuinengHuineng
Dajian Huineng was a Chinese Chán monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition, according to standard Zen hagiographies...
(d. 713) emphasized the practice of prajñā in counterpoint to the quietistic and self-absorbed style of meditation that was then current. In so doing, he emphasized dynamic action and human involvement as essential to Zen practice.
As a Perfection
Paññā is also listed as the fourth virtue of ten Theravāda pāramitāsParamita
Pāramitā or pāramī is "perfection" or "completeness." In Buddhism, the pāramitās refer to the perfection or culmination of certain virtues...
and prajñā is the sixth of the six Mahāyāna pāramitās
Paramita
Pāramitā or pāramī is "perfection" or "completeness." In Buddhism, the pāramitās refer to the perfection or culmination of certain virtues...
.
Three prajñās or mūla prajñā
Norbu et al. render the mūla prajñā (Sanskrit) where mūla may be set into English as "root" (as of a tree), thus:- Study (Pali: sutamayā paññā, Sanskrit: śruta, Tibetan: thos + pa)
- Reflection (Pali: cintāmayā paññā, Sanskrit: cintā, Tibetan: sam+ pa)
- Meditation (Pali: bhāvanāmayā paññā, Sanskrit: bhāvanā, Tibetan: sgom pa)
In an article on Vipassana Research Institute, these three sources of panna are explained as followed.
These three aspects are the mūla prajñā
Prajña
Prajñā or paññā is wisdom, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation...
of the sādhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
of Prajñā
Prajña
Prajñā or paññā is wisdom, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation...
-Pāramitā
Pāramitā
Pāramitā or pāramī is "perfection" or "completeness." In Buddhism, the pāramitās refer to the perfection or culmination of certain virtues...
, the "pāramitā of wisdom". Hence, these three are related to, but distinct from, the prajñāpāramitā
Prajnaparamita
Prajñāpāramitā in Buddhism, means "the Perfection of Wisdom." The word Prajñāpāramitā combines the Sanskrit words prajñā with pāramitā . Prajñāpāramitā is a central concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism and its practice and understanding are taken to be indispensable elements of the Bodhisattva Path...
that denotes a particular cycle of discourse in the Buddhist literature, that which relates to the doctrinal field (Sanskrit: kṣetra
Tirtha and Kshetra
In Hinduism, Tirtha and Kshetra are two terms denoting sites of pilgrimage.-Tirtha:A tīrtha , which literally means "a ford, a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed" has come to connote places of pilgrimage associated with sacred water.-Kshetra:A Kṣētra denotes a holy precinct...
) of the second turning of the Dharmachakra.
Gyatrul (b.1924), in a purport to the work of Chagmé
Karma Chagme
The name Karma Chagme refers to a 17th century Tibetan Buddhist lama and to the tülku lineage which he initiated. Including the first, seven Karma Chagme tülkus have been recognized...
(Wylie: karma-chags-med, fl. 17th century), rendered into English by Wallace
Wallace
-People:* Wallace * Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace , English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright.* Clan Wallace in Scotland* William Wallace, a famous Scottish knight, and Guardian of Scotland...
, conveying the importance of internalizing and integrating the doctrine by extending the metaphor, states:
In a commentary to Rangjung Dorje
Rangjung Dorje
Rangjung Dorje was the third Karmapa, an important figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. He reportedly produced a spontaneous black crown at the age of three and declared himself to be the mindstream reimbodiment of Karma Pakshi...
's Namshe Yeshe Gepa (Wylie: rnam shes ye shes ‘byed pa) by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche rendered into English by Peter Roberts (2001), the mūla prajñā are discussed thus: