Prajñā or
paññā (
Pāli
) is
wisdomWisdom 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
meditationIn 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
BuddhismBuddhism 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 truthsThe Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
, impermanence, interdependent origination,
non-selfIn 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
emptinessŚūnyatā, 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
enlightenmentBodhi 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 CanonThe 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
concentratedSamadhi 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....
insightVipassanā 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 characteristicsThe 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,
sufferingDukkha 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-selfIn 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 truthsThe 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 facultiesIndriya, 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,
concentrationSamadhi 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 trainingThe Buddha identified the threefold training as training in:* higher virtue * higher mind * higher wisdom - In the Pali Canon :...
of higher virtue (
adhi-sīlaŚīla 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
discourseSūtra 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:
āsavaĀsava 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 pathThe 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
VisuddhimaggaThe 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...
,
BuddhaghoṣaBhadantācariya 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
delusionAvidyā 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
concentrationIn 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 aggregates
In 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 faculties
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....
- four noble truths
The Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
- dependent origination
Dependent 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...
.
- 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 SutraThe 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 SutraThe 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
HuinengDajian 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
pāramitāsPāramitā 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
pāramitāsPāramitā 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 prajñāPrajñā 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
sādhanaSādhanā 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
PrajñāPrajñā 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...
-PāramitāPāramitā 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
prajñāpāramitāPrajñāpāramitā 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:
kṣetraIn 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
ChagméThe 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-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 DorjeRangjung 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: