Prajñā (Buddhism)

Prajñā (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञा) or paññā (Pāli: पञ्ञा), is a Buddhist term often translated as "wisdom", "intelligence", or "understanding". It is described in Buddhist texts as the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. In the context of Buddhist meditation, it is the ability to understand the three characteristics of all things: anicca ("impermanence"), dukkha ("dissatisfaction" or "suffering"), and anattā ("non-self"). Mahāyāna texts describe it as the understanding of śūnyatā ("emptiness"). It is part of the Threefold Training in Buddhism, and is one of the ten pāramīs of Theravāda Buddhism and one of the six Mahāyāna pāramitās.

Gilt-copper statue of Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom. Imperial China, Tang or Five Dynasties period, late 9th to early 10th century.

Etymology

Prajñā (प्रज्ञा) is often translated as "wisdom", but according to Buddhist bioethics scholar Damien Keown, it is closer in meaning to "insight", "non-discriminating knowledge", or "intuitive apprehension".[1]

jñā (ज्ञा) can be translated as "consciousness", "knowledge", or "understanding".[web 1]
Pra (प्र) is an intensifier which can be translated as "higher", "greater", "supreme" or "premium",[web 2] or "being born or springing up",[2] referring to a spontaneous type of knowing.[2]

Pali scholars T. W. Rhys Davids and William Stede define paññā (Sanskrit: prajñā) as "intelligence, comprising all the higher faculties of cognition" and "intellect as conversant with general truths".[3] British Buddhist monk and Pāli scholar Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu translates Prajñā (Pāli: paññā), as "understanding", specifically the "state of understanding". Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu notes that Pāli makes a distinction between the "state of understanding" (paññā) and the "act of understanding" (pajānana) in a way different than English does.[4]

Role in Buddhist traditions

Paññā is the fourth virtue of ten pāramīs found in late canonic (Khuddaka Nikāya) and Theravādan commentary, and the sixth of the six Mahāyāna pāramitās.[5][6] It is the third level of the Threefold Training in Buddhism consisting of sīla, samādhi, and paññā.[3]

Theravada Buddhism

Theravada Buddhist commentator Acariya Dhammapala describes paññā as the comprehension of the characteristics of things or phenomena with skillful means.[7][8] Dhammapala states that paññā has the attribute of penetrating the true nature of phenomena.[7]

Abhidharma commentaries relate that there are three types of paññā.[9][10][11]

Learned paññā (Pāli: suta-maya-paññā), or knowledge or wisdom that is acquired from books or listening to others.
Reflective paññā (Pāli: cinta-maya-paññā), or knowledge or wisdom that is acquired from thought or logic and reasoning.
Paññā from spiritual development (Pāli: bhāvanā-maya-paññā), or knowledge or wisdom that is acquired from direct spiritual experience. Fifth-century Theravada commentator Buddhaghosa states that this category of knowledge is produced from higher meditative absorptions.[11]

Thai Buddhist monk and meditation-master Ajahn Lee classifies the first two types of paññā as Dhamma on the theory-level and the last as Dhamma on the practice-level.[12] Ajahn Lee states that this results in two levels of paññā: mundane paññā which is the comprehension of worldly and Dhamma subjects, and transcendent paññā which is an awareness of the supramundane that is realized by enlightened beings.[12]

Abhidharma commentaries describe seven ways to gain paññā.[10]

Asking a wise person
Keeping things clean
Balancing the five faculties (faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom)
Avoiding foolish people
Associating with wise people
Reflecting on and analyzing the Dhamma
Having the mind inclined towards developing wisdom

Vipassanā Paññā

Buddhaghosa states in his commentary and meditation treatise, the Visuddhimagga, that there are many different types and aspects of paññā but does not define them all.[4] Buddhaghosa specifies paññā in relation to Buddhist meditation as being specifically vipassanā-paññā ("insight wisdom"). Vipassanā-paññā meaning insight knowledge endowed with virtue.[13]

Buddhaghosa defines vipassanā-paññā as “knowing in a particular mode separate from the modes of perceiving (sañjānana) and cognizing (vijjānana).”.[4] Buddhaghosa makes the analogy of how a child, villager and money-changer sees money to explain his definition. The child can perceive (sañjānana) coins through the senses but does not know the value, the villager knows the value of the coins and is conscious (vijjānana) of the coins' characteristics as a medium of exchange, and the money-changer has an understanding (paññā) of the coins that is even deeper than the surface understanding the villager has because the money-changer can identify which coins are real or fake, which village created it, etc.[4]

Paññā in the context of Buddhist meditation is described as essentially being the ability to understand the three characteristics of all things, namely impermanence, suffering and non-self.[13] Buddhaghoṣa states that the function of paññā is "to abolish the darkness of delusion" in order to understand the "individual essence of states".[14]

Mahāyāna Buddhism

Buddhist-studies scholar Paul Williams states that Mahayana Buddhist tradition considers the analysis of prajñā found in the Abhidharma texts to be incomplete.[15] According to Williams, the Abhidharma description of prajñā stops at the discernment of dharmas as the final reality, but Mahayana and some non-Mahayana schools go on to teach that all dharmas are empty (dharma-śūnyatā).[15] Buddhist scholar John Makransky describes dharmas in this sense to mean "phenomena".[16] Williams goes on to say that the meaning of prajñā according to Mahayana Prajñāpāramitā sutras is ultimately the state of understanding emptiness (śūnyatā).[15] Religious studies scholar Dale S. Wright points to the Heart Sutra which states that those who want "to practice the profound perfection of wisdom (prajñā) should view things in this way [as empty]". Wright states this view is not wisdom, but having the view will make you wise.[17] According to Williams, Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition also has another understanding of prajñā, that is a meditative absorption or state of consciousness that results from analysis and leads to the ultimate truth.[15]

References

Keown 2003, p. 218.
Loy 1997, p. 136.
Davids, Thomas William Rhys; Stede, William (1993). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 390. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
Buddhaghosa (1991). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga (PDF). Buddhist Publication Society, translated by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu. pp. 431–432. ISBN 978-955-24-0023-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
Dhammapala, Acariya. (1996). A treatise on the Paramis : from the commentary to the Cariyapitaka (PDF). Translated by Bodhi, Bhikkhu. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. pp. 2–5. ISBN 955-24-0146-1. OCLC 40888949. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
Wright, Dale Stuart (2009). The Six Perfections: Buddhism and the Cultivation of Character. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-538201-3. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
Dhammapala, Acariya. (1996). A treatise on the Paramis : from the commentary to the Cariyapitaka (PDF). Translated by Bodhi, Bhikkhu. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. pp. 5–6. ISBN 955-24-0146-1. OCLC 40888949. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
Kalupahana, David J. Nagarjuna: The Philosophy of the Middle Way. SUNY Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-4384-0820-0. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
Bhikkhu, Buddhadasa (2017-05-16). Under the Bodhi Tree: Buddha's Original Vision of Dependent Co-arising. Simon and Schuster. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-61429-219-7. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
www.wisdomlib.org (2019-09-21). "(4) Fourth Pāramī: The Perfection of Wisdom (paññā-pāramī)". www.wisdomlib.org. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
Buddhaghosa (1991). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga (PDF). Buddhist Publication Society, translated by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu. pp. 434–435. ISBN 978-955-24-0023-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
Dhammadharo, Ajahn Lee (2012). Basic Themes: Four Treatises on Buddhist Practice (PDF). USA: Metta Forest Monastery, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. p. 89. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
Thepyanmongkol, Phra (2012). A Study Guide for Right Practice of the Three Trainings. Wat Luang Phor Sodh. pp. 255–258. ISBN 978-974-401-378-1. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
Buddhaghosa (1991). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Buddhist Publication Society, translated by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu. p. 433. ISBN 978-955-24-0023-0. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
Williams, Paul (1989). Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. Psychology Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-415-02537-9. Archived from the original on 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
Makransky, John J. (1997-07-31). Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet. SUNY Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-7914-3432-1. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
Wright, Dale Stuart (2009). The Six Perfections: Buddhism and the Cultivation of Character. Oxford University Press. pp. 218–221. ISBN 978-0-19-538201-3. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2020-01-27.

Sources

Published sources

Buddhaghosa; Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli (1999), The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga, Buddhist Publication Society, ISBN 1-928706-00-2
Keown, Damien (2003), A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press
Loy, David (1997), Nonduality. A Study in Comparative Philosophy, Humanity Books
Nyanaponika Thera; Bhikkhu Bodhi (1999), Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya, Altamira Press, ISBN 0-7425-0405-0
Rhys Davids, T. W.; Stede, William (1921–25), The Pali Text Society's Pali–English Dictionary, Pali Text Society, archived from the original on 2021-07-25, retrieved 2021-02-20

Web-sources

See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "jña," p. 425 (retrieved 14 August 2012 from "Cologne U." at mw0425-jehila.pdf Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine).
See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "prā," p. 652 (retrieved 14 Aug. 2012 from "Cologne U." at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0659-prajalpana.jpg Archived 2018-10-06 at the Wayback Machine)

External links

What is Prajna?

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[FOOTNOTEKeown2003218-1] Keown 2003, p. 218.

[FOOTNOTELoy1997136-4] Loy 1997, p. 136.

[:5-5] Davids, Thomas William Rhys; Stede, William (1993). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 390. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2020-01-26.

[:2-6] Buddhaghosa (1991). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga (PDF). Buddhist Publication Society, translated by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu. pp. 431–432. ISBN 978-955-24-0023-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2020-01-25.

[7] Dhammapala, Acariya. (1996). A treatise on the Paramis : from the commentary to the Cariyapitaka (PDF). Translated by Bodhi, Bhikkhu. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. pp. 2–5. ISBN 955-24-0146-1. OCLC 40888949. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2020-01-26.

[8] Wright, Dale Stuart (2009). The Six Perfections: Buddhism and the Cultivation of Character. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-538201-3. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2020-01-27.

[:7-9] Dhammapala, Acariya. (1996). A treatise on the Paramis : from the commentary to the Cariyapitaka (PDF). Translated by Bodhi, Bhikkhu. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. pp. 5–6. ISBN 955-24-0146-1. OCLC 40888949. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2020-01-26.

[10] Kalupahana, David J. Nagarjuna: The Philosophy of the Middle Way. SUNY Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-4384-0820-0. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-31.

[11] Bhikkhu, Buddhadasa (2017-05-16). Under the Bodhi Tree: Buddha's Original Vision of Dependent Co-arising. Simon and Schuster. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-61429-219-7. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-23.

[:1-12] www.wisdomlib.org (2019-09-21). "(4) Fourth Pāramī: The Perfection of Wisdom (paññā-pāramī)". www.wisdomlib.org. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-23.

[:3-13] Buddhaghosa (1991). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga (PDF). Buddhist Publication Society, translated by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu. pp. 434–435. ISBN 978-955-24-0023-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2020-01-25.

[:4-14] Dhammadharo, Ajahn Lee (2012). Basic Themes: Four Treatises on Buddhist Practice (PDF). USA: Metta Forest Monastery, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. p. 89. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2020-01-26.

[:0-15] Thepyanmongkol, Phra (2012). A Study Guide for Right Practice of the Three Trainings. Wat Luang Phor Sodh. pp. 255–258. ISBN 978-974-401-378-1. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-01-23.

[16] Buddhaghosa (1991). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Buddhist Publication Society, translated by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu. p. 433. ISBN 978-955-24-0023-0. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-10-28.

[:6-17] Williams, Paul (1989). Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. Psychology Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-415-02537-9. Archived from the original on 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

[18] Makransky, John J. (1997-07-31). Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet. SUNY Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-7914-3432-1. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

[19] Wright, Dale Stuart (2009). The Six Perfections: Buddhism and the Cultivation of Character. Oxford University Press. pp. 218–221. ISBN 978-0-19-538201-3. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2020-01-27.

[2] See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "jña," p. 425 (retrieved 14 August 2012 from "Cologne U." at mw0425-jehila.pdf Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine).

[3] See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "prā," p. 652 (retrieved 14 Aug. 2012 from "Cologne U." at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0659-prajalpana.jpg Archived 2018-10-06 at the Wayback Machine)

Topics in Buddhism
Outline Glossary Index
Foundations	Four Noble Truths Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way
The Buddha	Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Eight Great Events Great Renunciation Physical characteristics Life of Buddha in art Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna (father) Māyā (mother) Mahapajapati Gotamī (aunt, adoptive mother) Yaśodharā (wife) Rāhula (son) Ānanda (cousin) Devadatta (cousin) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions
Bodhisattvas	Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Mañjuśrī Mahāsthāmaprāpta Ākāśagarbha Kṣitigarbha Samantabhadra Vajrapāṇi Skanda Tārā Metteyya/Maitreya
Disciples	Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Ānanda Mahākassapa Aṅgulimāla Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhūti Punna Upāli Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa
Key concepts	Avidyā (Ignorance) Bardo Bodhicitta Buddha-nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mental factors Mindstream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā (Craving) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Anicca Dukkha Anatta Two truths doctrine
Cosmology	Ten spiritual realms Six realms Deva realm Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Naraka Three planes of existence
Branches	Mahayana Zen Chinese Chan Japanese Zen Korean Seon Vietnamese Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Huayan Risshū Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Shingon Dzogchen Theravada Navayana Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna
Practices	Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Buddhābhiṣeka Dāna Devotion Deity yoga Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha Vipassanā (Vipassana movement) Shikantaza Zazen Koan Ganana Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Mindful Yoga Satipatthana Nekkhamma Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Chanting Refuge Sādhu Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five precepts Eight precepts Bodhisattva vow Pratimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Twenty-two vows of Ambedkar
Nirvana	Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddha Four stages of enlightenment Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat
Monasticism	Bhikkhu Bhikkhunī Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagārika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Kappiya Donchee Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Achar Śrāvaka The ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery
Major figures	Gautama Buddha Buddhaghosa Nagasena Bodhidharma Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Buddhapālita Atiśa Padmasambhāva Aśvaghoṣa Kumārajīva Nichiren B. R. Ambedkar Songtsen Gampo Emperor Wen of Sui Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Karmapa Saraha Shamarpa Thích Nhất Hạnh Naropa Xuanzang Zhiyi
Texts	Early Buddhist Texts Tripiṭaka Mahayana sutras Pāli Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Dhammapada Sutra Vinaya Madhyamakālaṃkāra Abhidharmadīpa
Countries	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Kalmykia Buryatia Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Middle East Iran Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil France United Kingdom United States Venezuela
History	Timeline Ashoka Kanishka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution Greco-Buddhism Menander I Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Buddhist crisis Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Women in Buddhism
Philosophy	Abhidharma Atomism Buddhology Creator Buddhism and democracy Economics Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Eschatology Ethics Evolution Humanism Logic Reality Secular Buddhism Socialism The unanswered questions
Culture	Architecture Temple Vihāra Kyaung Wat Ordination hall Stupa Pagoda Burmese pagoda Candi Dzong architecture List of Buddhist architecture in China Japanese Buddhist architecture Korean Buddhist temples Thai temple art and architecture Tibetan Buddhist architecture Art Greco-Buddhist Bodhi Tree Budai Buddha in art Calendar Cuisine Funeral Holidays Vesak Uposatha Māgha Pūjā Asalha Puja Vassa Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Kasaya Mahabodhi Temple Mantra Om mani padme hum Mudra Music Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Poetry Prayer beads Hama Yumi Prayer wheel Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Temple of the Tooth Vegetarianism
Miscellaneous	Abhijñā Amitābha Brahmā Dharma talk Hinayana Kalpa Koliya Lineage Māra Ṛddhi Siddhi Sacred languages Pāḷi Sanskrit
Comparison	Baháʼí Faith Christianity Influences Comparison East Asian religions Gnosticism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Psychology Science Theosophy Violence Western philosophy
Lists	Bodhisattvas Buddhas Buddhists Suttas Sutras Temples Festivals
Category Religion portal